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My Lebanese family’s authentic creamy Baba Ganoush recipe uses simple ingredients to create the smoky eggplant Lebanese dip that is perfect with mezze, mixed plates, crudités or crackers.
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Jump to:
- What Is Baba Ganoush?
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How To Make Lebanese Baba Ganoush
- Pro Tips
- What To Serve With Baba Ganoush
- FAQ
- Other Middle Eastern Dips
- Authentic Lebanese Baba Ganoush Recipe (باباغنوج)
What Is Baba Ganoush?
Baba ganoush, also spelled baba ghanoush, baba ganouj, baba ganooj, or baba ghanouj, is a famous Middle Eastern eggplant dip that is believed to have originated in the Levant region, which includes modern-day Lebanon, Syria, etcetera.
Specifically, it is often associated with Lebanese and Syrian cuisines.
It is written as بابا غنوج in Arabic.
What Does Baba Ganoush Mean?
The Arabic word "baba" means "daddy" and the Arabic word "ganoush" or "ghanouj" means "spoilt". So this is a spoilt daddy dip, haha.
These words are pronounced as ba·ba ga·noosh (or ga·nooj).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This is an authentic baba ganoush recipe straight from my family to yours. (from my Mother's recipe index) it's the dried mint in this Lebanese eggplant dip that makes it taste even more spectacular.
- The key ingredients are adaptable - garlic, salt, dried mint, tahini and lemon is always added by taste.This is common for a lot of Lebanese recipes.
- This Middle Eastern eggplant dip is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- It’s incredibly easy, you never need to buy a store-bought version ever again!
- A wonderful thing about this easy baba ganoush recipe is that it is a great side dish for any mezze.
Ingredients You'll Need
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Eggplant is the main ingredient. Use fresh large globe eggplants (these are easier to handle), and select a good quality one with no bruising. You will need to keep the whole eggplant intact.
Tahini - gives this dip a velvety nutty flavor.
Fresh garlic cloves - use as much of this as you want. I find one medium clove to be sufficient.
Dried mint - this is optional, but highly recommended. Baba ghanouj with dried mint has a cooler flavoring.
Lemon - only use fresh lemon juice for a wonderful citrus flavor. Do not use bottled lemon juice this is typically a little bitter and with preservatives.
How To Make Lebanese Baba Ganoush
Cook the Eggplant to make a smokey eggplant dip. Pierce the skin of the whole eggplant with holes using a fork (although this step can be skipped) and place the entire eggplant over an open flame e.g., outdoor grill (affiliate link), bbq, or gas stove (gas burner) on medium-high heat. This is the traditional way of preparation.
The total cook time is 18-20 minutes rotating every few minutes to ensure it is cooked evenly.
Alternatively, you could make oven-roasted eggplant by piercing the skin with a fork and placing it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (356F) until completely cooked, for approximately 50 minutes.
Cool and peel the eggplant. Once tender, charred and cooked, turn off the flame or take it out of the oven.
Place the charred eggplant into a colander to let it cool to a point where you can handle it and also to drain any excess liquid.
Separate the charred skin by scooping out the flesh using a spoon.
Blend the ingredients. Using a food processor (affiliate link) add the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and blend well until creamy.
Alternatively, you can mash all the ingredients together in a large bowl or mortar and pestle (affiliate links).
Serve this delicious dip in a serving bowl (affiliate link) with a drizzle of olive oil and your favorite garnishes, try pine nuts, chopped herbs such as fresh parsley, pomegranate seeds (arils), roasted chickpeas, or even diced cooked eggplant.
See further serving suggestions below.
Pro Tips
The flavoring of making baba ganoush is always best achieved via taste testing. Rarely ever, do we (my family), measure out the ingredients whilst whipping up this dip.
I highly suggest adjusting the flavors of all ingredients (but the eggplant) to your satisfaction. You won’t be disappointed.
Did you know that this smoky eggplant dip will thicken slightly when it cools down?
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
If you like buying this dip, it is worth reading about is baba ganoush vegan?
What To Serve With Baba Ganoush
Lebanese Baba ganoush can be enjoyed with so many foods, try it on some bread and sprinkle some zaatar on top.
Dip some chickpea crackers, veggie sticks, gluten free pita chips, or serve it part of a mezze.
Try a mixed plate with the best Lebanese falafel and a salad such as taboule, fattoush or quinoa tabouli and a side of air-fried chips.
You could smear it on a falafel pita sandwich too.
FAQ
Can I use small eggplants?
Yes, the flavor will be the same. The only difference is there may be more seeds. Try and use an eggplant with fewer seeds or a seedless variety.
Can I eat baba ganoush without oil?
Yes, simply leave it out rather than finish it off with it. It will still be creamy and yummy!
How can I achieve the smokey flavor without chargrilling?
Add ½ a teaspoon of liquid smoke when combining all the ingredients together and build up the taste from there. If you can’t obtain liquid smoke, try smokey paprika.
Other Middle Eastern Dips
If you love Baba Ghanouj, you will definitely love this version called Moutabal.
Lebanese hummus is another dip you must try it's made out of chickpeas, you might also be interested in the article is hummus vegan?
Curious about the difference between baba ganoush vs hummus? This article discusses what you need to know.
I also love this zucchini dip and this garlic dip.
Or try this 5 minute vegan bean dip.
If you're looking for another type of vegan dip/spread, have a look at this quick and easy vegan spread or this Hummus with pita bread or even this simple mashed eggplant dip.
Otherwise, another eggplant recipe is my Lebanese moussaka.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag@plantbasedfolkon social media.
Authentic Lebanese Baba Ganoush Recipe (باباغنوج)
My Lebanese family’s authentic creamy Baba Ghanouj recipe using simple ingredients to create the smoky eggplant Lebanese dip that is perfect with mezze, crudités or crackers.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Janelle Hama
Ingredients
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
Place the whole eggplant over an open flame e.g., outdoor grill, bbq, or gas stove (gas burner) on medium-high heat. The total cook time is 18-20 minutes rotating every few minutes to ensure it is cooked evenly. Alternatively, you could make oven-roasted eggplant by piercing the skin with a fork and placing it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (356F) until completely cooked, for approximately 50 minutes.
1 medium - large Eggplant
Once tender, charred and cooked, turn off the flame or take it out of the oven and place the charred eggplant into a colander to let it cool to a point where you can handle it and also to drain any excess liquid. Separate the charred skin by scooping out the flesh using a spoon
Using a food processor add the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and blend well until creamy. Serve this delicious dip in a serving bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and your favorite garnishes. See serving suggestions.
1 tablespoon Tahini, 1 clove Garlic clove, ½ small Lemon, 1 pinch Salt, ½ teaspoon Dried mint
Video
Notes
Store any left over baba ghanouj in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. If it becomes watery, either discard the excess water or mix it through to combine with the dip again.
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
Initially released Dec 2019, this post has since been updated.
Equipment
food processor
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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