Baba Ganoush
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Learn how to make baba ganoush that’s as good as (or better than) anything you’d order out—smoky, creamy, and full of flavor.
Baba ganoush is a creamy Middle Eastern dip made with roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. It’s similar to hummus, but with eggplant instead of chickpeas—and a distinctive smoky flavor that sets it apart.
It’s often part of a Mediterranean mezze spread alongside things like falafel, tabbouleh, labneh, roasted red pepper hummus, and stuffed grape leaves. It’s also one of those dishes that’s surprisingly easy to get wrong—restaurant versions are often bland or underseasoned. This one isn’t. With a few simple tricks and the right balance of ingredients, it turns out rich, smoky, and full of flavor. Serve it with warm pita or fresh veggies, and watch it disappear.
“I thought baba ganoush was definitely above my cooking pay grade…I finally dared to try this recipe. It’s the BEST baba ganoush I’ve ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baba Ganoush
- Eggplant: When roasted, it turns creamy and takes on a deep, smoky flavor. Look for medium eggplants with smooth, shiny skin and green stems; they’re less bitter and have fewer seeds than larger ones.
- Lemon juice & garlic: This duo brightens and sharpens the dip—lemon juice adds tang and acidity, while garlic brings a punch of savory flavor that deepens as it sits.
- Tahini Paste: Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini paste adds a nutty richness and helps thicken the dip into a silky texture. You can find it in most supermarkets near the nut butters. Be sure to stir it well before using, as it tends to separate. (If it’s difficult to stir in the jar, scrape the contents into a bowl and use a whisk or hand-held electric mixer to blend.)
- Ground cumin & smoked paprika: These warm spices echo and amplify the smokiness of the eggplant.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Adds richness, helps emulsify the dip, and doubles as a finishing drizzle.
- Fresh parsley: Adds a pop of color and fresh flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Roast the eggplant. Prick each eggplant all over with a fork (about 1½ inches apart) to prevent bursting. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in a 500°F oven, turning every 15 minutes, until very soft and wrinkled, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool until easy to handle.
Step 2. Scoop out the flesh. Cut off the stems and slit the eggplant open lengthwise (like a baked potato). Use a soup spoon to scoop the soft flesh into a fine mesh sieve set over the sink or a bowl. Leave the skin behind.
Step 3. Drain excess liquid. Press the flesh firmly with the back of a spoon to release as much liquid as possible—there will be a lot.
Step 4. Add ingredients to food processor. Transfer the drained flesh to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add lemon juice, minced garlic, tahini, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and oil. (It’s important to mince the garlic first since the dip gets only a few pulses in the food processor.)
Step 6. Pulse and adjust seasoning. Process in short bursts—five to ten 1-second pulses—until the dip has a coarse, choppy texture. (Or mash with a fork.) Taste and adjust seasoning, especially after tasting with bread or veggies, which can dull the flavor.
Step 7. Chill, garnish, and serve. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. To serve, use a spoon to make a swirl through the center of the dip and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parsley and smoked paprika, then serve with toasted pita, pita chips, and/or crudités.
Jenn’s Pro Tips
- Make it ahead. Baba ganoush tastes even better after a few hours in the fridge—the flavors have time to mingle and mellow. It’ll keep well for up to 3 days.
- Avoid metal bowls. If you’re making it ahead or storing leftovers, skip reactive metal containers—vinegar or lemon juice in the dip can react with them and give the baba ganoush a metallic taste. Stick with glass or plastic.
- Serve it at the right temp. The flavor dulls when it’s too cold, so don’t skip the step of letting it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This makes the texture creamier too.
- Think beyond pita. It’s classic with pita bread, pita chips, or veggies, but baba ganoush is also great as a sandwich spread, a topping for grilled chicken or fish, or incorporated into a Middle Eastern-inspired dinner bowl.
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Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
- 4 pounds eggplant (about 5 medium Italian)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (see note)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving
- Toasted pita bread, pita chips and/or crudités, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a fork, prick each eggplant all over (spacing the pricks about 1½ inches/4 cm apart) to prevent them from bursting in the oven. Arrange the eggplant on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until very soft and wrinkled, turning every 15 minutes or so, 45 to 60 minutes. Let the eggplant cool on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle.
- Cut off the stem ends of the eggplants and then slit them open lengthwise, like a baked potato. Using a soup spoon, scoop out the soft flesh and transfer to a fine sieve set in the sink or a large bowl. Once all of the flesh is in the sieve, pick out any stray bits of skin and discard. Using the back of a soup spoon, press out as much liquid as possible (there will be a lot!).
- Transfer the strained eggplant flesh to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the lemon juice, garlic, tahini, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and oil; process until the mixture has a coarse, choppy texture, five to ten 1-second pulses. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if necessary. Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Let the dip sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. To serve, use a spoon to make a swirl through the center of the dip and drizzle olive oil into it; sprinkle with parsley and smoked paprika and serve with toasted pita bread, pita chips, and/or crudités.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Delicious!
So good! I wish I had doubled the recipe. I used Chinese eggplant which are smaller, so I didn’t need to squeeze out the water/liquid (baked for 45 minutes).
This was simply declicious! My husband was impressed and said it was better than any he had tasted when he was deployed to the Middle East. Thank you for another superb recipe!
Baba Ghanoush was delicious. Instead of roasting in the oven, I put in the microwave for 30 minutes. It came out fine. My card game loved it with crackers. I decorated the bowl with red pepper for colour.
Thanks. I look forward to more of your great recipes.
Sharon,
Toronto
I’ve used different recipes over the years for baba ganoush but this is definitely the most flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t need to make any adjustments with the seasonings. This is an easy and great recipe that I will continue to use. Thank you for posting it.
In summer heat, I roasted the eggplant on the grill outside the night before. We loved it! A delicious addition to a mid-eastern luncheon. I will definitely do this again.
Thanks, Jen.
Susan
This is one of my favorite dishes. I’m wondering if I can make a large batch and freeze some?
Hi Barbara, I’ve never frozen baba ganoush but looked online and it appears that it can be frozen (see some guidance here). From what I read, it may separate a little when defrosted; just give it a quick stir to re-combine. You may also want to add a bit more lemon juice when defrosted just to brighten it up a little. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this baba ganoush recipe! Are you familiar with this tip to help with eggplant selection? I’ve heard that while eggplants don’t actually have a gender, so called “male” eggplants–those with a shallow, round indentation at the bottom—tend to have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter. If the indentation is shaped like a dash, it’s a “female.” I’ve found it to be helpful myself. 🙂
When I’m shopping for tahini should I look for a product made from roasted sesame or does it matter? I saw both the last time I needed some.
I don’t think it matters Susan — any tahini will do. Hope you enjoy the baba ganoush!
Looks delish – perfect for dunking bits and bobs when you have friends ovr. If you have the barbecue (grill) going, it is really good to actually grill the eggplats until the skins are blackened – you don’t eat the blackened skin, but it adds much more of a traditional smoky flavour. (I’ve tried doing it directly on my gas hob – it worked, but made a horrible mess of my stove!)