Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe

Name: Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: serves 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, cut in half; Greek extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (optional); 1 1/2 tbsp tahini; 1 garlic clove; 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice, more if you like; Salt and pepper; 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (eliminate if you prefer mild); 1/2 tsp sumac, more for garnish; Toasted pine nuts for garnish; Parsley leaves for garnish

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Baba Ganoush is a silky, flavor-packed eggplant dip that makes a wonderful addition to your appetizer table. It’s also great as a spread on sandwiches or as a side to your meal! Be sure to check out the step-by-step tutorial and the video below.

What is Baba Ganoush?

Where I grew up, it is called baba ganoush, which literally means “spoiled dad.” In the Levant, it is called muttabal or salat hatzilim (eggplant salad). The French–I learned from David Lebovitz–call it caviar d’aubergines.

All these fancy names refer to the same thing: a silky, delectable eggplant dip whipped with tahini, spices, garlic, and in some cases, yogurt.

In general, it is rare for people of the Mediterranean–or at least the Eastern Mediterranean– to start dinner on time. Blame it on lack of punctuality, if you want; guests often arrive late. But there is more to it: people of the Mediterranean equally enjoy the pre-dinner mezze.

The hour or so of catching up with friends and sharing drinks, small dishes, and warm pita is just part of the deal–you sign up for dinner, you get mezze too. And you can bet on a little baba ganoush dip and its creamy companion, hummus, as part of the evening’s mezze.

I used to think that you need to grill the eggplant over hot coal or an open flame until it’s deep purple skin is well charred. If you can do that, I highly recommend this Smoky Baba Ganoush Recipe. But when it is not feasible to grill the eggplant, roasting it in the oven will work very well.

Some recipes do not use yogurt, but I found that a small amount of plain yogurt adds a rich creamy texture and tang to this roasted eggplant dip. It’s really a personal choice and can easily be omitted if you are looking for a vegan option.

Step-By-Step for Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe:

(Print-friendly recipe to follow)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut a few slits through the skin of the eggplant.

Sprinkle the eggplant flesh with salt and let it sit for a few minutes to “sweat out” it’s bitterness, then dab dry.

Place the eggplant halves, flesh side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet then drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the 425 degree F heated-oven for 30-40 minutes or until the eggplant fully softens through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

When the eggplant has cooled, scoop the flesh out and transfer to a colander to drain for 3 minutes (discard the eggplant skins).

Transfer drained eggplant flesh to the bowl of a food processor. Add yogurt, tahini, garlic, lime juice, and spices. Run the food processor until you achieve a nice creamy puree. Taste and adjust spices and lime juice to your liking.

Transfer the baba ganoush spread to a small bowl. Just before serving, top the baba ganoush with a sprinkle of sumac, olive oil, toasted pine nuts and parsley leaves. Enjoy with a side of warm pita bread.

Watch the video for How to Make this Easy Baba Ganoush

More Recipes to Try

Smoky Loaded Baba Ganoush

Greek Moussaka: Eggplant Casserole

Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice

Lahmacun: Savory Meat Pie

Easy Seafood Paella