Lebanese Baba Ghanouj (Baba Ganoush) is a creamy and delicious Mediterranean eggplant dip made with grilled eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and seasoned with cumin, salt, and pepper. This recipe is vegan, keto-friendly, and gluten-free.
Check also, Mutabal, Carrot Hummus and How to Make Tahini recipe.
What is Baba Ghanouj?
Baba Ganoush is an eggplant and tahini based dip. It is a popular Mediterranean dip or side dish. The word "Baba" means in Arabic "dad" while "Ganoush" is the name of someone, but both words together "Baba Ganoush" means "spoiled dad." Baba Ganoush is a Middle Eastern dip that is so famous in countries like Egypt and Syria (like Hummus); they add it to sandwiches and eat it next to falafel. If you like Hummus, you will definitely like Baba Ganoush.
What is the difference between Baba Ghanouj and Hummus?
The difference between them is only in the main ingredient, which is chickpeas in Hummus and eggplant in Baba Ganoush. Also, there is a big difference in the taste; Baba ganoush has an earthy taste while Hummus has a nutty taste. Both have a thick and rich texture.
Baba Ghanouj Ingredients:
Aubergine/eggplant: It is widely available in all supermarkets. In this recipe, I use 3 medium-sized eggplants. You can either fry or bake the eggplants as in the instructions.
Tahini: It gives the creamy texture to this recipe. Try to use the good quality Tahini.
Cider vinegar: You can replace it with lemon juice.
Water: You may need more than ¼ cup based on to the tahini quality.
Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil for better taste.
Garlic: I like garlic flavour in this recipe, so I use 3 minced garlic cloves.
Seasoning: Salt, ground black pepper, and cumin.
Garnishing: You can garnish with chopped parsley if you like.
How to Make Baba Ghanouj?
Cooking the eggplants: Peel, slice, and arrange the aubergine in a well-greased baking sheet. Brush or spray the aubergine with oil on both sides.
Baking: Bake for 10-20 minutes on 200C, then flip the aubergine on the other side and bake for more 15 minutes. Take the aubergine out of the oven and mash it coarsely using a fork.
Preparing the Dressing: In a mixing bowl, mix tahini and water well using a fork until the tahini become a bit liquidy. You may need to add more water. Make sure there are no clumps. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, minced garlic, and olive oil to the tahini mixture, mix until all combined. Add the mashed aubergine to the tahini mixture and stir well.
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Top Tips:
- To cook the eggplant, you can roast it in the oven as in the instructions above or you can deep fry it, both ways are fine. Also, you can roast the eggplant over the stovetop on direct flame.
- If you fry the eggplant, you may need to exclude olive oil from the ingredients.
- Traditionally, the eggplant must be coarsely mashed; however, if you like it to have a silky texture, you can simply blend all the ingredients in the food processor. (Don't run the food processor too much, just a few pulses.)
- You can substitute cider vinegar with lemon or lime juice if you like.
- If you like it spicy, you can add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the ingredients.
- Don't skip the tahini, it gives the recipe richness. If you are not a fan of its flavour, you may reduce the amount of tahini to ½ a cup.
- You may need to adjust the taste; add more salt and pepper or more minced garlic if you like it garlicky.
Serving suggestions:
Baba Ganoush can be served as a dip with some crusty bread or as a side dish with salads, such as lemon garlic potato salad, Italian pasta salad, and Mediterranean couscous salad. You can serve it with roasted veggies, such as spicy roasted cauliflower and garlic parmesan baked potatoes. You can also serve it with chicken, meat, or fish dishes such as pan-fried sea bass, homemade chicken nuggets, and creamy mushroom chicken.
Recipe FAQs:
Roasting the eggplant over a direct flame gives the eggplant a very lovely smoky taste.
To do so:
Put the eggplant directly over the flame and let it cook. Use metal tongs to turn it over occasionally to cook from all the sides. When the eggplant becomes soft, remove it from the flame, peel the burnt skin, then mash it using a fork.
Just keep them in a well-sealed container in the fridge. It will last for 3-4 days.
Yes, this recipe is vegan; however, not all Baba Ghanouj recipes are vegan.
Yes, of course. You can add chopped cherry tomatoes, parsley, onions (finely chopped), or bell peppers.
Yes, you can, but it will have a totally different taste.
To do so:
Replace the tahini with 50g cashews. Blend the cashews with all the other ingredients in the food processor, and you will have a creamy, silky Baba Ghanouj without tahini.
No, you can't. This recipe can be eaten either at room temperature or cold.
More Mediterranean Recipes
Lebanese Baba Ghanouj (Grilled Eggplant & Tahini)
Ingredients
- 3 aubergine/eggplant , medium-size
- 1 cup Tahini
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Cooking the Aubergine: Peel, slice, and arrange the aubergine in a well-greased baking sheet. Brush or spray the aubergine with oil on both sides.
- Bake for 10-20 minutes on 200C, then flip the aubergine on the other side and bake for more 15 minutes. Take the aubergine out of the oven and mash it coarsely using a fork.
- Preparing the Dressing: In a mixing bowl, mix tahini and water well using a fork until the tahini become a bit liquidy. You may need to add more water. Make sure there are no clumps. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, minced garlic, and olive oil to the tahini mixture, mix until all combined. Add the mashed aubergine to the tahini mixture and stir well.
Notes
- To cook the eggplant, you can roast it in the oven as in the instructions above or you can deep fry it, both ways are fine. Also, you can roast the eggplant over the stovetop on direct flame.
- If you fry the eggplant, you may need to exclude olive oil from the ingredients.
- Traditionally, the eggplant must be coarsely mashed; however, if you like it to have a silky texture, you can simply blend all the ingredients in the food processor. (Don't run the food processor too much, just a few pulses.)
- You can substitute cider vinegar with lemon or lime juice if you like.
- If you like it spicy, you can add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the ingredients.
- Don't skip the tahini, it gives the recipe richness. If you are not a fan of its flavour, you may reduce the amount of tahini to ½ a cup.
- You may need to adjust the taste; add more salt and pepper or more minced garlic if you like it garlicky.
Nutrition
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I am a big fan of Baba Ganoush because it is the only way I eat eggplant. I always serve this dish with roasted chicken.
I loved this Baba Ganoush recipe; it is so easy to follow and turned out yummy! Next time, I will make it on a bigger scale. Thank you so much for sharing it!
I made this recipe following the instructions, and it was so good. This was my first time cooking using tahini, and I found it okay. I loved this recipe so much, and I am going to make it again. Thanks!