The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe
This is the best baba ganoush recipe. It's a super easy to make and healthy dip recipe that's perfect for lunch, snacks, or to bring to a party. Roast the eggplants on your BBQ during the summer or in your oven in winter. You will LOVE it!
This baba ganoush recipe all day, EVERY DAY, all day long. Bring out your favorite dippers cause you're going to need them.
Baba Ganoush = the amazingly delicious, creamy eggplant dish that is just. so. good.
And I hope I didn't lose you at eggplant. I know those purple beauties are either love or hate. I love them. I also know people who are on team No Eggplant but still love a good baba ganoush recipe. IE: THIS baba ganoush recipe.
What makes this the best baba ganoush recipe:
- It tastes just like the baba ganoush I ate nearly every day when I spent two months traveling around the Middle East.
- It's rich in smoky flavor from a little trick I'll share with you.
- It's super creamy without having any dairy added to it. Read: paleo + vegan baba ganoush!
- It's a delicious gluten-free dip.
- It's super easy to make. If you can put a couple of eggplants on your BBQ or in your oven and turn on a food processor or blender, you can make this baba ganoush.
What is baba ganoush?
Baba ganoush is a middle eastern dip made of mashed cooked eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and some spices. I know that ‘eggplant dip' might not sound like the best thing ever, but I swear to you that it is. I absolutely love baba ganoush and I know you will, too!
How to make baba ganoush
Making baba ganoush is super easy, and it starts by grilling or roasting eggplants.
See those charred and wrinkly eggplants up there? Inside their less than pretty exterior is the eggplant flesh, the delicious creamy base for baba ganoush.
And that puddle of liquid they're sitting in? That's the juice that collects after their roasted. It had tons of smoky flavor. I like to add a couple of tablespoons to my baba ganoush for an extra punch of smokiness.
Once you peel away the charred skin, you'll pop the (kind slimy) insides into your food processor.
Next, you add some tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt (that's it!) and give it a whirl. This magic is what it turns into. ↓
Before I made baba ganoush the first time, I was a little intimidated by it. If you feel the same way, I can assure you there is no need. This baba ganoush recipe is super easy to make. It is a tiny bit time consuming, but only because you have to roast and cool the eggplants. The actual hands-on time is only about 5 minutes.
If you've never had baba ganoush before, you are going to love it. It's super creamy with a smoky, garlicky taste. It has a richness to it that will leave you thinking it must not be good for you. But don't worry, this dip recipe is 100% healthy. In fact, a 1/3 cup serving of baba ganoush has only 85 calories!
How do you serve baba ganoush?
- As a dip with homemade pita chips or cut up veggies
- Dolloped on top of slow-roasted lamb or roast chicken
- Slathered on a sandwich or in a pita pocket
- As part of a big mezze or tapas platter
- As a sauce/dip for your veggies or rice
Healthy dip recipes
- Easy Guacamole Recipe
- Roasted Garlic Artichoke Olive Dip
- Spicy Harissa Hummus
- Lightened Up Mexican Corn Dip with Avocado and Jalapeños
- Creamy Cauliflower Hummus
The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 globe eggplants
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, grated with a Microplane or finely minced
- Optional toppings olive oil, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds, minced parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Roast the eggplants on your BBQ: Preheat your BBQ to medium-high heat. Pierce the eggplants a few times with a fork or knife. Place the eggplants on your BBQ and let them cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.2 globe eggplants
- Roast the eggplants in your oven: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Pierce the eggplants a few times with a fork or knife. Place the eggplants on a baking dish and roast in your oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.2 globe eggplants
- Set the cooked eggplants in a rimmed plate and leave them until they are cool enough to handle. Pour the juice that collects on the plate into a bowl then peel the eggplants and discard the skin.
- Place the creamy insides into your food processor and add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of salt and process until smooth. Taste and add more salt, if needed. For a smokier tasting baba ganoush, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved juice.3 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 cloves garlic
- For the best flavor, let the baba ganoush rest in your fridge for at least 2 hours before serving then top with any or all of the optional toppings.Optional toppings olive oil, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds, minced parsley or cilantro
Notes
Do you have to grill the eggplant?
Nope! While I love to grill the eggplant on my BBQ, roasting the eggplant works just as well.
How long will this last in the fridge?
Baba ganoush will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. So go ahead and make this ahead of time for a party!
Does this freeze well?
Unfortunately, no. The good thing is that it's so tasty that you'll easily want to eat it all within a week.
Is this a healthy dip?
Yes! Eggplants are a great source of vitamin B, vitamin E, and fiber. Tahini is rich in rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium, and iron. And olive oil is a heart-healthy fat. Plus, baba ganoush is low in calories.
Thank you very much! I had tried once before with another recipe. This one is a winner! I sauteed my garlic just until fragrant before adding the the blender.
So good! Will keep this recipe. It’s so easy and so good
I have made this for the first time and it tastes great. A bit rough for the first go.. eggplants not roasted long enough. No grater for the garlic so used minced. And my tahini is a bit bitter but I can’t wait til the next time. I’m using noom to eat better and this fits in perfectly with it
If you have a smoker, smoke your eggplants (cut in half with little olive oil) instead of BBQ or oven. Then you don’t have to worry about “smokiness”.
If you crave the classic smoky flavor of a roasted/grilled eggplant like I do, I have found that about 1/4 tsp (or more) of Liquid Smoke to the finished product really enhances the flavor.
I have made this before and really love it. A week ago I made hummus which had the perfect garlic flavor. The recipe I used suggested letting the garlic soak in the lemon juice foe 10 minutes before blending all ingredients together. I think this would work for this recipe as well. Looking forward to harvesting my own egg plant and zucchint(mama ganoush) next growing season and making this often!!!
I’ll have to try that garlic trick!
They sell roasted eggplant (in a jar which is very good) at my neighborhood Middle Eastern market and I have used that in a pinch – in your recipe you call for 2 eggplants – roughly how much does that yield? I’m making this for a Super Bowl party
To be honest, I haven’t measured it. Maybe about 2 cups …
I made baba ganoush, using your recipe, tonight for the first time. I’m afraid I used too much garlic OR my garlic was old. I used three cloves because the ones I used seemed small, oops. All I can taste is the garlic! Boo. What do you recommend me try to get this back to the creamy flavor it should be? I was thinking of adding another half (at least) of an eggplant. I used oven baked egg plant. Thoughts?
I would do exactly as you suggested. Or even try mixing it with some hummus. Hummus and baba ganoush is a tasty combo. 🙂
This was my first time making baba ganoush and I can’t believe how good it turned out. All my guests raved about it. Thank you for making me look like a kitchen star!
Super easy and quick. I’ve always been afraid of making baba, thinking it would be way too difficult and time consuming. This recipe set me straight.
Yay! I’m so happy that you gave the recipe a shot!
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious. I made it with roasted garlic cloves and omitted the oil. I know you said to leave it cool before eating but it’s amazing warm! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Roasted garlic in this sounds amazing!!!
My first time making this, and it was so easy! My friend’s husband raised eggplant this year and neither of them cared for it, so I received the bounty of their garden! I was tired of making ratatouille so decided to try Baba Ganoush. Baked in the oven, but forgot to turn it halfway thru cooking time, so cooked another 15 minutes. Added a bit more lemon juice and a few drops of liquid smoke. Perfection! Thank you – it was so easy!
What a score for you! Hooray!
This is delicious. I was surprised that it tasted so smoky with eggplants roasted in the oven. I love Baba Ganoush, but never made it. This will be a staple in my house! Thank you!
You are very welcome!
This is an excellent recipe! However, I always leave the skin on, it gives extra flavor and I don’t mind the tiny bits of skin in the dip after pureeing it. I have also used liquid smoke when I’m not able to BBQ my eggplants.
I’ve never tried leaving the skins on but I’m going to do that next time I make this recipe!
I’m trying this with a smaller eggplant variety from my garden, can you give me an approximation of how much cooked flesh I should expect after cooking?
You’ll have just under 2 cups. 🙂
I wish that somewhere in the directions it was mentioned to either cut the eggplant in half or cut the top off – or something – because one eggplant EXPLODED when I took it out of the oven! Now I’m going to play it safe and look for a hummus recipe!!!
I’m so sorry that happened to you! It’s never happened to me before but I will make a note of it so it doesn’t happen to anyone else!
You did mention to pierce the eggplants before putting them in the oven. If directions are followed the eggplant should not explode when cooked or after.
What brand of Tahini do you use?
SoCo tahini is my absolute favorite. It has no bitter taste at all. 🙂
Definitely need to poke holes in the eggplant prior to grill or it will explode…like mine did 🙁
Oh no! I’ve never had that happen to me before. Hope it still turned out!
Oh man… I just made this and I know it won’t last long. DELICIOUS!! and a foolproof recipe. Thanks!!
I’m so happy it was a hit!
Hi Kristen, I have been making several attempts to replicate the baba ghanoush I first tasted in Egypt last year.
I haven’t yet tried your recipe but I think I’ll give it a go. I found a lot of seeds in the aubergine, do you remove them ? doing this I think one would loose a lot of the flesh itself. And, do you ever use smoked paprika – I have bought it and the aroma is the same as I remember the flavour. Finally, does the baba ghanoush freeze successfully. Thanks
I’ve never removed the seeds. They are quite small so it’s ok. Smoked paprika does have a similar flavor but I’ve never used it in baba ganoush. It’s always nice and smoky from the roasted eggplants. And I’ve never tried freezing it so I’m not sure. It never lasts long enough around my place! I hope you love the recipe as much as I do!
Do you cut the eggplant in half or score it with a fork before baking in the oven?
Leave it whole! You can poke a few holes in it with a fork if you’d like to let the steam escape. 🙂
Mmmmmm…..yum. This looks totally amazing. I’m just starring at the screen looking at how delicious they look.
Thanks!
I can eat hummus by the spoonful WAY too easily. I am certain that this will be the exact same circumstance! I only tried babaganoush a few handful of times in my life, but I gladly attest that it’s a glorious dip. Wonderful recipe that’s really easy and versatile!
I’m the same way! I’ve been thinking about a hummus/baba ganoush combo … haba ganoush???
This recipe is great!
I’m happy to hear you like it!
Thank you for this recipe. I came across it googling for recipes for my book club as we are reading “And the Mountains Echoed”. Some one mentioned they had trouble with the recipe tasting bitter. I think that the culprit could be the tahini, I have noticed that some tahini is wonderful and some is so bitter that is can ruin a dish that it is used in. I loved the addition of the pomegranates on the top.
Hi Bronwyn,
I love how google gave you this site when you googled that. Awesome!
That’s really great feedback about the tahini. I had never had that problem before so was a litte confused about why that was happening. Makes total sense now. Thank you for letting me, and everyone else reading this recipe, know!
Hi Kristen, am flabbergasted to see actually a perfectly correct recipe for this dish. Brava!
Though Sicilian, I enjoy a number of Mediterranean recipes. For the cultured cooks, like yourself, let me then add a few notes: Baba Ghannoush is the Egyptian name for this recipe. Lebanese call it Moutabbal.
This is not without interest, because the best tahini is, in my opinion, Lebanese.
One final touch: I dent the half eggplants with a sharp knife, before baking them, and add freshly ground salt, pepper and some extra virgin olive oil on top of each half eggplant.
How to cope with greenhouse eggplants, usually rather watery: after baking them (1 hour 200 C) and letting them cool, I scoop the flesh and put it in a strainer, on top of a big bowl. I will keep moving it around and mashing it with a fork, leaving it still in the strainer for a couple of hourse. This will allow to get rid of the liquid much more than following the urban lagend of the coarse salt, frequently repeated when dealing with eggplant (in Sicily nobody has bothered for generations, it is not necessary).
Also, when serving, try topping it with fresh coriander leaves, rather than parsley. It suits it better (and matches how Lebanese cooks will usually serve it, with a bit of olive oil in the center of the bowl).
Am hurrying to read all your recipes!
I made this, but mined turned out really bitter. I love baba ganoush and I don’t think your recipe is to blame. Not sure what I did wrong. It could have been my eggplant or maybe my garlic… Bummed!
Hi Kristen,
Great name btw!
I’m so sorry to hear yours was bitter. Perhaps it was the eggplant? I know that some people sprinkle the cut sides of their eggplants with a little sea salt and let them sit and sweat out some of the bitterness for a half hour or so. I’ve never found this made a difference when I’ve done it before but maybe I’ve just never came across a bitter eggplant. Maybe try that next time before you roast the eggplant to see if that helps.
Good luck!
I know this is an old topic, but I just had some of the most delicious baba at a Syrian-owned family deli, and decided to make it at home. They seasoned it with a bit of fresh mint and it was fantastic! I know some recipes use parsley or cilantro, but the mint was a pleasant surprise, just enough that it took a minute to realize what the taste was. Anyway, great recipe!
Mint sounds amazing! I’ll have to try that one day!
The recipe is really great! You´re right, it sounds tougher then it really is.
In my home country we also had a similar recipe, except instead of lemon juice and garlic we would mix the eggplants with lots of oil (my grandparents would use real sunflower oil that actually smelled and tasted slightly like roasted sunflower seeds). To that you would add an onion finely cut (smaller the better). And eat it with large slices of tomatoes.
By the way one thing my grandmother always cautioned me was that the juices from the eggplant when you have just finished roasting it actually contain some anti-nutrients of some sort (*cough*cough she used a different word for it, but basically the stuff is bad for you). She always let the eggplants leak first completely and just supplement with some extra water of oil.
Not sure how true that is but I suppose it´was worth mentioning?!
Hi Roxana,
I’ll have to try it with sunflower oil and a little onion next time. That sounds really delicious!
I always add in all the juice from the eggplants because I love the smokey flavour. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this though? I wonder if it is bad in the same way that other charred food is supposed to be bad for our health. It always tastes so good though!
just recently i tried some baba ganoush and I really loved it.I enjoy eating the eggplants and it is always in my kitchen, so Im going to try your recipe,
Uh, yum yum, I love eggplant big time, I often use it in my own recipes, and baba ganoush is sooo good. This looks very delicious and makes me wanna give it a go once again 🙂
I also have a major crush on eggplant. It’s just so delicious!
I love baba ganoush but like you mentioned, I am little intimidated by making it. I have tried it once and didnt turn out too great. your baba ganoush has inspired me to make it again!
If you add some yogurt on this recipe, it would be more delicious !