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Healthy and delicious, baba ganoush, or eggplant hummus, is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that is simple to make, but complex in flavor and sure to impress. #babaganoush #hummus #eggplants #dips

Baba Ganoush: Mediterranean Eggplant Dip (Vegan, Paleo)

Last Modified: March 17, 2018 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // March 15, 2018 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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Healthy and delicious, baba ganoush, or eggplant hummus, is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that is simple to make, but complex in flavor and sure to impress. #babaganoush #hummus #eggplants #dips

Healthy and delicious, baba ganoush, or eggplant hummus, is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that is simple to make, but complex in flavor and sure to impress.

A small bowl of baba ganoush in from on the ingredients
Pin this recipe for later!

There is nothing that makes me happier than a simple, easy-to-make dish that makes me look like and feel like an important chef. Perhaps it’s the exotic name or the unusual ingredients, but baba ganoush seems like it would be something very difficult to make.

Fortunately, for us, this super healthy, exotic treat is actually quite simple to whip up without needing to do a lot of prep work. (No slicing and dicing of veggies!)

What is baba ganoush?

Baba ganoush is a Middle Eastern condiment or dip made from roasted eggplants. It has a sort of smoky flavor that comes from charbroiling the eggplants and uses a mixture of seasonings that makes it reminiscent of hummus. That’s why some people refer to it as eggplant hummus. Unlike hummus, though, it uses roasted eggplants rather than garbanzos, so it makes it suitable for those following a paleo diet or otherwise avoiding legumes. (Keep in mind, though, that eggplants are nightshade vegetables, so if you are following the autoimmune protocol, or have nightshade sensitivities, you’ll have to avoid it. You could try my raw zucchini hummus instead, avoiding the cumin or switching it out for another spice!)

Update: Within a day of uploading my video of how to make baba ganoush to YouTube, my first comment was from somebody telling me that “There’s no such thing called eggplant hummus!!! Hummus is chickpeas in Arabic.” People are very vocal there. 🙂 Ah, yes, I am aware, but I’m not the first person to call a non-chickpea based dip “hummus.” It’s sort of like being redundant when calling chai tea, chai tea. (I really just said tea tea, tea tea because chai means tea.) So, that was just a fun little sidetrack. Call it whatever you like, and whatever will get you eating this delicious, healthy treat!  Oh, and if you happen to love spiced chai, I have a recipe for making chai tea from scratch in large batches too.

Choosing the perfect eggplant for baba ganoush

To make a smooth, creamy baba ganoush, it’s important to choose good eggplants. Good eggplants should have a nice smooth skin that is taut, but that will leave an imprint when you press against them. You want to choose eggplants that are heavy for their size, but definitely don’t want to choose huge eggplants.

The day I wanted to take some pictures of baba ganoush for the blog, I only had a huge eggplant on hand. It was one that had been in my garden for awhile and I hadn’t gotten around to picking it. It looked nice and fresh but was just a lot larger than usual. I wasn’t sure how to use up the remaining eggplant, so I decided to make baba ganoush, of course. The result? A bitter baba ganoush with lots of seeds in it. (You can see the seeds in the picture below.) While it wasn’t a total disaster, it wasn’t the wonderfully smooth and creamy spread that I’ve grown to love.

That day, I ended up making more with some of the smaller eggplants, and it turned out so much smoother, creamier, and not at all bitter.

The lesson? If you find you’ve made a baba ganoush that is bitter and has lots of seeds in it, you’ve probably chosen the wrong eggplant. Don’t give up, and try again with a few smaller ones! It’s worth it, I promise!

bowl of baba ganoush and food processor bowl as seen from above
Baba ganoush made with a large eggplant with lots of seeds was more bitter and not as creamy and delicious.

Roasting the eggplant for baba ganoush

While the idea of charbroiling the eggplant may sound difficult, it’s really as easy as placing the eggplants under your oven broiler and occasionally turning them so that all sides of the eggplant have charred.

Most recipes will tell you to prick the eggplant before placing it under the broiler, but I’ve found that if you don’t prick the skin, that the skin will stay in place, as the eggplant flesh shrivels up inside it, making it so that the eggplant pretty much peels itself for you. I’ve never had an eggplant explode, and I’ve broiled many by now, so I’m not quite sure why the insistence on pricking the skin first. As the eggplant cools afterward, it’s actually quite simple to remove the skin from the flesh inside.

Watch how to make baba ganoush

How to eat baba ganoush

Baba ganoush can be served as a side dish and eaten with a spoon or used as a spread, dip, or sauce. Anything you would do with hummus, you can also do with baba ganoush.

What to serve with baba ganoush

I love using it as a veggie dip for cut, raw veggies like carrot sticks, celery, and bell pepper strips. It can also be served with pita bread or other breads, and I have to say that I loved it as a spread for a salad wrap made with my homemade paleo pitas.

It’s a lovely garnish, especially for Middle Eastern recipes, and can be served atop lentil dishes and other Middle Eastern treats. I think it would be a great complement to homemade souvlaki too.

small bowl of baba ganoush in front of an eggplant, garlic head, and lemon half

What to do with leftover baba ganoush

This recipe is a small recipe, and I don’t imagine that you will have any leftovers if you make the recipe as such. But what about those summer months when you decide to make a lot of it because you have a lot of eggplants in the garden?

Baba ganoush is very versatile, so you can start using it as a spread on just about anything. You could also blend it into vegetable puree soups if you need to use up a lot of it. It makes a great addition to my roasted pumpkin soup, for example.

Can you freeze baba ganoush?

Luckily the answer is yes! While eggplants themselves don’t freeze well, baba ganoush freezes wonderfully. I usually use the same method of freezing it in my perfectly cube shaped Tovolo ice cube trays as I do with my homemade pesto sauce and pumpkin puree. That’s the best way to keep them without wasting a lot of space in the freezer. (To see the process, check out my tutorial for making fruit ice cubes for smoothies and baby food.)

the ingredients for baba ganoush: eggplant, garlic, sesame seeds, and lemon or lime

Baba Ganoush: Mediterranean Eggplant Dip

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Healthy and delicious, baba ganoush, or eggplant hummus, is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that is simple to make, but complex in flavor and sure to impress. #babaganoush #hummus #eggplants #dips

Baba Ganoush (Eggplant hummus)

Healthy and delicious, baba ganoush is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that is simple to make, but complex in flavor, and sure to impress. Makes around 2 cups.
5 from 2 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 1/3 cup servings
Calories: 94kcal
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp. tahini
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven broiler.
  • Rinse the skin of the eggplants.
  • Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the top part of the eggplants turns black. (this can also be done over an open flame on a barbecue grill, broiling and turning as needed.)
  • Turn the eggplants, and continue to broil until the newly exposed sides blacken. Continue with the process until all sides of the eggplants have charred.
  • Remove the eggplants from the oven and allow them to cool.
  • Once cooled, remove the skin from the eggplants, and place the flesh of the eggplants into a food processor along with the juice of the half lemon and all of the other ingredients. 
    peeling the broiled eggplant
  • Process the ingredients until you’ve reached the desired consistency or until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier texture, you can skip the food processor and mash everything together with a fork instead.
  • Adjust the salt, spice, and lemon juice by adding more, as needed, to suit your taste.
  • Optionally, drizzle the baba ganoush with olive oil for serving as a dip. You can also sprinkle it with sesame seeds and/or pine nuts.
    Drizzling olive oil on baba ganoush
  • You can now serve your homemade baba ganoush as an appetizer, side dish, garnish or snack!
Course Appetizer, Condiments, DIY Pantry Foods
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Other Diets Candida Diet, Dairy free, Gluten free, Paleo, Vegan
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Serving: 1serving (1/3 cup) | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Category: Condiments & Sauces, MIY Pantry Basics

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rosa Maria Victoria

    June 10, 2022 at 4:10 AM

    5 stars
    Uff love this and i have to make it.

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza, DDS

      June 16, 2022 at 6:02 PM

      Me too! I hope you give it a try!

      Reply
  2. Sylvia K

    January 1, 2020 at 7:39 PM

    Many thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!

    Reply
  3. Sylvia K

    December 20, 2019 at 3:46 PM

    Hi Tracy!

    Thank you for this beautiful recipe and the eggplant tips! Thank you, Ridz, for your comment, too!

    I see you don’t have a classic hummus recipe, perhaps because it is so well-known. Nevertheless, let me give you a tip as to the seasoning thereof — add mustard seeds (freshly ground or otherwise.). They add an unmistakeable delicate spiciness. Not sure if it will go well with baba ganoush though.

    Greetings,
    Sylvia

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      December 20, 2019 at 4:13 PM

      Hi Sylvia,
      Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it soon! šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  4. Ś©ŁˆŲ±ŪŒŁ†

    January 12, 2019 at 5:49 PM

    wow that sounds delicious, i love Eggplant so much

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      August 12, 2019 at 9:56 AM

      Me too! (And it is!) šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  5. Ridz

    September 5, 2018 at 8:01 PM

    There’s male and female eggplants. Taken from the epicentre.com…”Male eggplants tend to have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter than female eggplants. To sex an eggplant, look at the indentation at bottom. If it’s deep and shaped like a dash, it’s a female. If it’s shallow and round, it’s a male.”

    So looks like you had the bitter female eggplant šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      September 6, 2018 at 9:55 AM

      Hi Ridz,
      That’s so interesting! I’d never heard that before. (I may have to further research that and add the comment to the post- so thank you!)
      In any case, I still think in my case, it was a very old, overly grown eggplant. I’ve also read that the size of the eggplant makes a huge difference, and that with time they will become more bitter and have more seeds.
      Perhaps it’s a combination of the two. Maybe the male eggplants won’t get as bitter with time, but the female ones will. If you eat them all early enough, they may all be just as tasty.
      I guess you learn something new every day, right? šŸ™‚
      Thanks again for the comment- loved it!

      Reply
  6. Billy

    April 13, 2018 at 9:23 PM

    Thank you so much for sharing this! This looks so delicious. I love these types of dips – it is basically an eggplant hummus which sounds so good. I definitely want to try making this at home. Appreciate that you shared a video too!

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      April 14, 2018 at 7:44 PM

      Hi Billy,
      Yes, it really is- yet the first comment on my YouTube video was that it can’t be called eggplant hummus because “hummus” means “chickpeas.” Ha!
      I say we call it whatever we like and just enjoy it. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. zahra

    March 31, 2018 at 10:35 AM

    it sounds good. i have guest, i will try it. mmmm

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      April 2, 2018 at 11:49 AM

      Hi Zahra,
      I hope it goes well for you. I really love it. šŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

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