Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush (also spelled baba ghanoush) is a Middle Eastern appetizer made with puréed roasted eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. It’s very similar to hummus, only it is made with eggplant instead of chickpeas. It has a light, earthy, roasted flavor that makes it a delicious dip served with pita bread or chopped vegetables and makes a great shareable appetizer! 

You’ll typically find baba ganoush served along with mezze, which are a variety of small dishes and appetizers that include other dips and spreads such as hummus and yogurt. On a recent trip to Dubai, baba ganoush was our favorite of all the mezze we enjoyed during a birthday dinner at the Arabian Tea House. Served with warm, fresh-baked tandoor bread, it had a slight smokey flavor from the roasted eggplant that made it irresistible. 

Below, we’ll tell you more about baba ganoush and share an easy recipe for it too. If you’re ready to make it, just hit the jump-to-recipe button or scroll to the bottom of the post. And I think you’ll love how easy it is to make!

WHAT’S IN BABA GANOUSH?

Baba ganoush is essentially a roasted eggplant dip. In its simplest form, roasted eggplant is scraped away from the purple skin into a bowl, mashed, and then mixed together with tahini, olive oil, and spices. Some baba ganoush blended in a food processor for a more smooth texture. And some recipes mix all the ingredients by hand for more texture. And the flavors can vary as well. Each country in the Middle East has their own variation of baba ganoush, some with yogurt or mayonnaise, some more sweet and some more smokey. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients to bring out the flavors and textures you enjoy!

Ready to make baba ganoush at home? Here’s what you’ll need:

• Eggplant: Larger eggplants are best for this recipe since you’ll be using the roasted eggplant flesh and discarding the skin.
• Tahini: Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment made with roasted sesame seeds. It has a consistency similar to peanut butter. And like some all natural peanut butters, sometimes the oil separates. So you might need to give it a stir.
• Olive Oil: Pick a nice robust extra virgin olive oil for this recipe to impart good flavor. 
• Lemon: Since you’ll be using the lemon zest in the recipe, look for lemons with firm unblemished skin that has a nice lemony aroma. If the lemon is firm, roll it on the counter a few times with the heel of your hand to help loosen the pulp inside and make it easier to juice.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is a key ingredient in baba ghanoush. But if you’re looking for a short cut, you can also use jared minced garlic.
• Cumin: Cumin is a key spice in this recipe and delivers a warm earthy flavor to the dip.
• Paprika: The type of paprika used will enhance the flavor of this baba ganoush recipe. I like to use either a sweet paprika for a earthy flavored dip, or a smoked paprika to enhance the roasted flavor of the eggplant. 
• Parsley: Fresh parsley adds both flavor and color as a touch of garish.
• Pomegranate Seeds: Pomegranate seeds used as garnish add a nice pop of color, crunch, flavor, and authenticity to this recipe. But they may be omitted if they are out of season and you can’t find them at your local grocer.

Baba Ganoush Recipe: Step-By-Step

Roast The Eggplant

Start by cooking the eggplant. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a cookie sheet or roasting pan by placing sheet of parchment paper cut to size.

Wash the eggplant. And, using a sharp knife, slice off the green top. Then, slice the eggplant in half, lengthwise. Place eggplant, sliced part down, on the parchment covered cookie sheet. Roast the eggplant for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once the eggplant is done roasting, allow it to cool for 20-30 minutes until it is cool enough to touch.
Scrape roasted eggplant flesh away from the purple skin and add the eggplant to a stainer to remove any excess liquid. Once the excess liquid is strained, add the roasted eggplant to a medium sized bowl.

Add Spices And Other Ingredients

Next, add your spices, oil, and tahini to the bowl with the eggplant. Then, wash and dry the lemon. Using a microplane grater, zest the lemon rind over the bowl of eggplant and spices. Once you’re finished zesting the lemon, cut it in half and juice the lemon over the bowl of eggplant and spices. And finally, mince the two garlic cloves and add them to the bowl of eggplant. Use a sharp knife to mince the garlic. Or, what I like to do, is just use a garlic press and squeeze it above the bowl filled with roasted eggplant and other ingredients. Another quick time saver would be to just simply use jared minced garlic.

For a chunky baba ganoush, mix all the ingredients in the bowl by hand using a fork until blended. And for a more smooth baba ganoush, add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until it achieves your preferred consistency.

Garnish and Serve

Garnish with olive oil, chopped parsley, a sprinkling of sumac or paprika, and pomegranate seeds. I like to serve baba ganoush with parsley, pomegranate seeds, a drizzle of high quality olive oil, and toasted Naan bread.

IDEAS FOR SERVING

What we loved about baba ganoush in Dubai was the presentation. The top of the dip was impressed with a spoon, leaving a perfect cup for drizzling with olive oil, bright green fresh parsley, ruby red pomegranate seeds, and a sprinkling of sumac. Sumac is dark red spice made from a dried sumac berry that imparts a tart, almost lemon-like flavor.

While you can serve baba ganoush fresh on its own, adding a little garnish enhances the flavor and makes it look pretty on a plate or in a bow. Here’s a list of garnish ideas you can add, though they’re totally optional.

• drizzle of olive oil
• chopped fresh parsley
• sprig of mint
• pomegranate seeds
• toasted sesame seeds
• sumac
• paprika

WHAT DOES BABA GANOUSH TASTE LIKE?

I have to say, my husband is not typically a fan of eggplant, but he loves baba ganoush. It really takes on the flavor of the spices blended with the eggplant. To me, baba ganoush tastes more earthy and smokey than hummus. That smokey flavor sometimes comes from roasting the eggplant on a grill or open flame. But since I roast my eggplant in the oven on a baking sheet, I’ve added a bit of smoked paprika to the recipe to get that wonderful smokey layered flavor we remember from trips to Jordan and Dubai.

WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH BABA GANOUSH?

Baba ganoush is essentially a dip, so you can eat it with any bread, chips or vegetables that you’d normally have with a dip. In Dubai, we ate it with hot fresh-baked tandoor bread. When creating a grocery list of things to serve with your homemade baba ganoush, think of finger foods that make it easy to scoop up soft dips and spreads. For instance, toasted pita bread, naan, or even a variety of crackers. When it comes to vegetables, I like to use sliced carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers that are colorful and great for dipping. Look for endive or chicory lettuce too since each leaf makes a nice scoop.

• pita bread
• pita chips
• naan
• tandoor bread
• crackers
• carrot sticks
• celery sticks
• cucumber slices or spears
• bell peppers
• endive lettuce cups

I hope all of these ideas and suggestions for serving were helpful! We think this is a great recipe below, but feel free to have fun and experiment with the spices and toppings, and whether you like your eggplant roasted or grilled, smoothed out in a food processor or blender, or hand mixed and chunky. 

WE THINK YOU’LL LOVE THESE RECIPES TOO!

• Homemade Hummus
• Jordanian Spices
• Tabouleh Salad

Published 2020. Updated 2022.