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This easy homemade baba ganoush is the perfect addition to any mezze platter, or served as a side to your favorite Mediterranean dishes.
Give us some pita, fresh veggies, and a bowl of homemade baba ganoush, and we’ll easily make a meal out of it. It’s impossible to stop ourselves from going in for more. This good stuff is creamy, smoky, garlicky, and slightly nutty. It’s the perfect addition to any mezze platter, or served as a side to your favorite Mediterranean dishes.
What is baba ganoush?
Baba ganoush is a dip, or spread, originating from the Levant. It’s made up of mashed roasted eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and some dry seasoning. The eggplant is typically baked or broiled to soften the pulp, making it easy to scoop out of the skin and leaving it with a nice smoky flavor. You can often find baba ganoush served with mezze, along with other dips like hummus, muhammara, and yogurt-based blends.
Is homemade better?
Absolutely! And it’s so easy—totally worth the time. Store-bought baba ganoush just can’t compare to a homespun batch. In this recipe, we’ve broiled our eggplant and pulsed it in a blender with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and a bit of olive oil. These ingredients are your basic baba ganoush ingredients, but what really sets one dip apart from another is the amount of something you put in it. If we’ve learned anything while exploring Mediterranean cuisines—from Greece to Syria—it’s that tastes are personal. Some folks prefer a little more lemon juice, some roast their garlic. Some add a lot of tahini, while others just add a drizzle. To find your preference, stick with a basic recipe, taste it, and add more of what you desire in the end.
How to make baba ganoush.
Our personal touch here was a sprinkle of za’atar in the end. This is absolutely not a traditional addition—but I’m obsessed with the stuff.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade baba ganoush:
- Eggplant
- Tahini
- Garlic cloves
- Lemon juice
- Cumin
- Kosher salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Smoked paprika (optional, for garnish)
- Za’atar (optional, for garnish)
- Fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Secure an oven rack about 8 inches beneath the broiler, then preheat the broiler.
- Set your eggplant into a cast iron skillet or onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Wash and dry the eggplant. With a fork, pierce the eggplant a few times on all sides to create ventilation. This step is imperative—if you don’t pierce the eggplant, it could explode in your oven!
- Roast the eggplant, turning it with tongs every 5 minutes, for about 20-30 minutes. (Time varies depending on the size of the eggplant.)
- The eggplant is ready to come out when it wrinkles and collapses with soft flesh inside. Remove the eggplant from the oven and carefully transfer it to a cutting board.
- Cut the eggplant in half, and scoop out the soft pulpy flesh and seeds from inside. Place them into a bowl. Any juice that seeps out from the eggplant can be added to the bowl as it will add to the smokiness—you can even include some charred bits of the eggplant skin!
- Let the eggplant come to room temperature. Once it’s at room temperature, transfer the eggplant to a blender. Add the tahini, garlic cloves, lemon juice, cumin, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Pulse the ingredients until you reach your preferred consistency—some prefer it slightly chunky, while others prefer it to be super smooth.
- Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl. Top with a few sprinkle of smoked paprika, za’atar, and fresh parsley leaves.
- Serve with pita triangles and raw vegetables.
Other homemade dips you’ll want to try:
Easy Homemade Baba Ganoush
Equipment
- Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 2 TBSP tahini
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
- Smoked paprika, for garnish (optional)
- Za'atar, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Roasting the eggplant.
- Secure an oven rack about 8 inches beneath the broiler, then preheat the broiler. Set your eggplant into a cast iron skillet or onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Wash and dry the eggplant. With a fork, pierce the eggplant a few times on all sides to create ventilation. This step is imperative—if you don't pierce the eggplant, it could explode in your oven!
- Roast the eggplant, turning it with tongs every 5 minutes, for about 20-30 minutes. (Time varies depending on the size of the eggplant.)The eggplant is ready to come out when it wrinkles and collapses with soft flesh inside. Remove the eggplant from the oven and carefully transfer it to a cutting board. Cut the eggplant in half, and scoop out the soft pulpy flesh and seeds from inside. Place them into a bowl. Any juice that seeps out from the eggplant can be added to the bowl as it will add to the smokiness—you can even include some charred bits of the eggplant skin! Let the eggplant come to room temperature.
Making baba ganoush.
- Transfer the eggplant to a blender. Add the tahini, garlic cloves, lemon juice, cumin, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Pulse the ingredients until you reach your preferred consistency—some prefer it slightly chunky, while others prefer it to be super smooth.
- Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl. Top with a few sprinkle of smoked paprika, za'atar, and fresh parsley leaves. Serve with pita triangles and raw vegetables.
