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Recipes » Courses » Appetizers » The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe

The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe

Posted on September 11, 2020 By Chef Billy Parisi

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This baba ganoush recipe is incredibly easy to make and jam-packed with delicious eggplant, roasted garlic, and tahini flavors!

In our house, we love having a variety of things to eat our dinner table, the more side dishes to accompany the main entrees the better.  If this is you too, then definitely check out my hummus recipe and my pita recipe.

bowl of baba ganoush with olive oil and parsley

Baba Ganoush

This appetizer, or side dish, is a classic levant region recipe consisting of mashed cooked eggplant that is mixed with seasonings, olive oil, lemon juice, and tahini.  Interestingly enough the baba ganoush we eat most often in the United States is actually something called Mutabbal.

Authentic baba ganoush does not use tahini and is usually garnished with pomegranate molasses or seeds and olive oil while being mixed with tomatoes and other veggies.  So not to confuse anyone, we’ll stick with the version we most commonly eat here in the US.

Ingredients

There are few ingredients in this recipe making it easy to make and extremely full-flavored.  Here is what you will most often find in this classic recipe:

  • Egg Plant: A purple spongy absorbent fruit that has a thick peeling on the outside. You can find quite a bit of size and different breeds, but any will do for this recipe.
  • Tahini: Simply ground up sesame seeds and you can purchase raw or toasted from the store.
  • Roasted Garlic: I prefer to make garlic confit instead because it tastes better, it’s easier to do and in the end, you have roasted garlic olive oil.
  • Lemon Juice: This will provide some much-needed acid to the recipe as well as cut some of the spice and oftentimes bitter flavors from the eggplant.
  • Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil will provide more flavor but fine to use just virgin olive oil.
  • Cumin: This earthy ground spice is a staple in this recipe.
  • Cayenne: Spicy ground pepper gives fantastic flavor to baba ganoush.

How to Make Baba Ganoush From Scratch

Follow these easy to follow instructions for making this amazing recipe:

Add some peeled garlic to olive oil and lightly simmer it over low heat for about 45 minutes or until browned and softened.  Drain the oil from the garlic and set both aside.

making roasted garlic confit in a pot of oil

Cook the eggplant directly onto a hot grill (450° to 550°) turning often to cook all sides until roasted and softened about 20-25 minutes.

whole eggplant cooking on a grill 

Remove the eggplant and let it cool slightly before slicing in half and removing the cooked fruit inside.  Discard the skins.

peeling cooked eggplant and scooping out insides

Add the eggplant to a food processor along with lemon juice, tahini, cumin, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper, and cayenne and pulse on high speed.

food processing cooked eggplant

Slowly drizzle in the roasted garlic olive oil while processing the dip until it is smooth. Serve.

drizzling olive oil into a food processor with baba ganoush

Is it Healthy?

Babaganoush is pretty low in calories, at 85 per 1/3 cup, and is loaded with mostly healthy fats and ingredients.  Just like anything, it should be eaten in moderation but don’t worry because this guilt-free dip is absolutely delicious. `

Recipe Chef Notes + Tips

Make-Ahead: This can be made up to 1 day ahead of time.  Simply keep it covered in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served.

How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Baba Ganoush does not freeze well.

If you would like to make a classic baba ganoush instead of Mutabbal, remove the tahini, and garnish with pomegranate syrup or seeds, as well as olive oil.  In addition, there is no need to process it in a food processor, simply chop with a knife or mash with a fork.

You can use either raw or roasted tahini in this recipe.

If cayenne is too spicy simply substitute with paprika.

There will be plenty of garlic confit and roasted garlic olive oil left over after this recipe and both will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

When the eggplant is done roasting the outside skin will firm up and be slightly crispy.

side dish of homemade baba ganoush served with pita

More Dip Recipes

  • Hummus
  • Beer Cheese
  • Smoked Salmon
  • Bean
  • Spinach and Artichoke

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Video

bowl of baba ganoush with olive oil and parsley
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe

This baba ganoush recipe is incredibly easy to make and jam-packed with delicious eggplant, roasted garlic, and tahini flavors!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Course: apeptizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: israeli, lebanese
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggplant about 3 pounds total
  • ¼ cup garlic confit
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • ¼ cup garlic confit oil
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the grill to high heat, 450° to 550°.
  • Add the eggplants and cook on all sides until softened and roasted, which takes about 25 minutes.
  • Remove the eggplants and let cool slightly before slicing in half and scraping out the fruit inside. Discard the peelings.
  • Add the eggplant to a food processor and process on high speed until smooth.
  • Next, add in the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and salt and process on high speed until smooth.
  • While processing on high speed slowly drizzle in the olive oil until mixed in.
  • Serve and optional garnishes of olive oil, cayenne, and chopped parsley.

Notes

Chef Notes:
  • Make-Ahead: This can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Simply keep it covered in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served.
 
  • How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baba Ganoush does not freeze well.
 
  • If you would like to make a classic baba ganoush instead of Mutabbal, remove the tahini, and garnish with pomegranate syrup or seeds, as well as olive oil. In addition, there is no need to process it in a food processor, simply chop with a knife or mash with a fork.
 
  • You can use either raw or roasted tahini in this recipe.
 
  • If cayenne is too spicy simply substitute with paprika.
 
  • There will be plenty of garlic confit and roasted garlic olive oil left over after this recipe and both will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
 
  • When the eggplant is done roasting the outside skin will firm up and be slightly crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 636mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe was last modified: September 8th, 2020 by Chef Billy Parisi

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Comments

  1. Donna says

    February 07, 2021 at 8:40 am

    5 stars
    I just made this for a healthy dip for raw veggies. I was skeptical because I’m not a fan of tahini and eggplant isn’t my fav but the combination of ingredients is delicious and creamy. I didn’t use a blender or food processor, just a fork to mash ingredients. Bravo Billy!

    Reply
  2. Bridget says

    January 24, 2021 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! This was a huge hit.

    Reply
  3. Rehab says

    September 11, 2020 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing, chef Billy!
    This recipe is great, it looks very delicious, I make it with yogurt and serve it with grills, I love Baba Ghanoush, and I love your recipe too.👌❤

    Reply
  4. Jean Nielson says

    September 11, 2020 at 11:56 am

    5 stars
    great, will make again!

    Reply

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ABOUT ME

I’m Billy Parisi and thanks for checking out my site! I’m a culinary school grad that spent 15 years in the restaurant industry as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef. Now I write recipes, take pictures of’em, shoot some video, occasionally hosting on TV, checking out the latest fashion, hangin with my wife and daughter and watching a whole bunch of college sports. Hope you enjoy my twists on classics as well as new innovations! Read More…

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