Baba Ganoush requires a grill: False
Baba Ganoush requires a gas stove: False
Baba Ganoush can be made by anyone anywhere with access to a broiler: True
Hooray!
Have you ever looked at a recipe and rolled your eyes, thinking, “Yeah, right. I’m never making that it’s way too complicated.” Welcome to the story of my life and the idea behind this blog.
I love simplicity and figuring out new, easy ways to make delicious eats – such as baba ganoush, one of my favorite Mediterranean dishes.
Baba ganoush is just basically eggplant blended up with lemon juice, tahini and sea salt. Typically you have to char the eggplant on a grill or over the flame of a gas stove. I currently do not have access to a gas stove, and while I have a grill I recognize some people don’t.
My solution: Slicing the eggplant into rounds and broiling it to get that roasty, charry goodness. The result? Time and energy saved, and it’s just as delicious as the traditional method if not better. Muahahaha, I love breaking the rules.
So, all you need for this dip is:
1 eggplant
1 lemon
garlic
tahini (how to make your own)
sea salt
Optional: fresh herbs. Totally unnecessary but great for an extra flavor boost + more color.
What’s it taste like? Uber creamy, decadent, slightly sweet and the perfect balance of savory and tangy from the lemon and tahini. It’s so lush and creamy you can hardly believe it’s vegan and doesn’t require gobs of oil.
Friends, if you’ve ever had baba ganoush this version might blow you away. Try it and let me know what you think. In the meantime, I think I’ll just face plant into this entire bowl.
- 1 medium or 3/4 of a large eggplant
- 1 large clove garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 Tbsp Tahini
- sea salt
- optional: 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, parsley or basil, chopped
- olive oil (for roasting)
- Preheat oven to high broil (or medium if you have the ability) and position a rack at the top of the oven.
- Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and sprinkle with sea salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain any excess liquid. After 10 minutes, rinse slightly and then pat dry between two towels.
- Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Roast for 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice, until the eggplant is softened and golden brown. Remove from pan, stack and wrap the rounds in foil to lock in moisture – wait 5 minutes.
- Peel away most of the skin of the eggplant (a little is OK) and add flesh to a food processor. It should be soft and tender and the skin should come off easy.
- Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, a pinch of salt and mix until creamy. Add herbs last and pulse to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more tahini and another pinch of salt.
- Serve with pita and/or pita chips and veggies. Will keep covered in the fridge for several days.
I love that your recipes are so simple – it’s the best!! Plus you always post awesome recipes like this…totally trying it!
It’s easier if you don’t slice and broil the eggplant(s). Simply pierce, rub them with olive oil, and roast at 350 for approx 40 minutes — until soft.
I have never had baba ganoush, but I love eggplant! so I am thinking I would love this! It looks like it would be the perfect healthy snack!
When I made it I slow roasted whole aubergine and it took forever! I am going to have have to try slicing it to cook it looks so much easier! thanks for the tip!
I can’t remember the last time I bought an egglplant. I think it’s because no one in my family will eat it. But this seems like one of those “sneaky” recipes where I can get them to eat it because it doesn’t look like eggplant :).
Do you know if leftovers can be frozen? I know hummus can…
Janae, I wouldn’t freeze the leftovers. And they actually aren’t the best leftover either. I’d recommend serving this to a group and eating it all at once! It really is best when fresh :D
Umm what leftovers. I have now made this twice and eaten the whole lot by myself in one sitting – is that bad?
Haha, NO! I don’t think so. But then again, I’m a total dessert fiend. Thanks for the comment Kate!
I love baba ghanoush and after seeing this post, I just realized that I haven’t had it for a while! I’ll have to try it tonight! How about using it as a topping for baked fish?
I absolutely love baba ganoush but always broil them whole – you version saves so much time.
Thanks for simplifying Baba Ganoush. I was just enjoying some yesterday and thinking “I wish this was easier to make”. Now it looks like I may have been wrong. Yummy!
Love, love baba ganoush. this does look like a great recipe to have on hand.
Just made this! Yum! I always prepare eggplant like this because it keeps the eggplant deliciously soft but thinner slices get a little crunchy, which I love. I used 2/3 of a huge eggplant but next time I’ll use the whole thing because the tahini was a little strong. I added a bit of paprika and a ton of parsley and fresh ground pepper on top. Thanks!
Yum! I’ve never made it because I totally roll my eyes at all the steps. You’ve sold me! I’ve gotta try this one!
I totally judge recipes by how much work/time they’ll take. This sounds amazing — love the simple solution to broil the eggplant. Definitely making this.
Bana Ga, what!? I can’t wait to put my end of summer eggplant to work in this!
We’ve only ever made baba ganoush in the oven under the broiler. It’s the only eggplant dish that Chris really loves.
Oh I’m super excited to try this. I just added eggplant to my farmers market shopping list.
Update: I made this yesterday. It’s soooo good! Thanks for all of the steps, I think they made a positive difference in the tastiness factor. I’ve never made baba ganoush before but I’m pretty proficient at hummus recipes. I’m officially a baba ganoush convert now, especially since I can make my own without any parsley (probably the only herb I don’t like). Thanks again!
Wow! What a tasty, simple recipe. I just ate baba ganoush but it’d be ideal to make it myself.
I see you are a sophisticated foodie, and may I add in addition, a very clever wordsmith. If you had been raised by normal parents obviously you would have come out differently but..
Nice. I use a whole lot more garlic and roast it with the eggplant for 20 minutes. Also add cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce.
Okay, seriously… This recipe rocks!!! We’re supposed to be doing only smoothies and juicing right now, but I had this lonely eggplant in the fridge. I couldn’t let it go to waste, right? I can justify anything in the face of being wasteful! Bwahahaha! Total winner! I can’t wait to have another stray and lonely eggplant sitting in my fridge! Thanks!
Lately every recipe I see and want to make requires a food processor.
Would this work in a blender? Has anyone tried?
It would, though it may be a bit chunkier, depending on your blender. Hope that helps!
When I learned to make this from an Iraqi she added three ice cubes in with the eggplant to help smooth during blending. I bet that would do the trick in ablender, just like with fruit smoothies.
Yes! In Vitamix it worked great and tasted delicious!
Just made this and served it with cucumbers + kale chips – it was a hit! I loved how simple this recipe was. Also, it got me to use my broiler for the first time :)
Wow it’s just delicious, I made it today for the first time! A little bit to lemony, the next time I will make it with half lemon. And I absolutely love your site ;)
Glad you enjoyed it, Sophia!
I agree, I just added a bit more tahini and it toned down the lemon. I think the lemon I had happened to be extra juicy.
This was my first time making baba ganoush and it was so easy and delicious. We finished it off in one sitting! I love that there’s no additional oil!
Lovely! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, Ari!
What kind of eggplant is typically used in baba ganoush? Would Oriental/Asian eggplant work? Also, do you have a more specific measurement than “1 medium or 3/4 of a large”? Eggplants vary greatly in size and I want to make sure I’m using the right proportion of eggplant to other ingredients! Thanks :)
The classic eggplant (most common variety in North American grocery stores) retains a lot of water and bitterness, hence the need to salt it. I’ve found that Indian eggplants (also purple, but round, between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball) and Chinese eggplants (purple skin, shaped like a cucumber) are less bitter and therefore don’t need salted. While this may slightly change the authenticity and flavor of the baba ganoush, it’s a shortcut you can take if you don’t have time to sweat the eggplant beforehand.
This was FANTASTIC and so great with my clean eating!
This was really good, though I felt there was too much lemon, it almost overpowered everything else. But I’ve been wanting some baba ganoush and have a bunch of eggplants coming on in my garden, so this was great!
Making this again tomorrow for a vegetarian potluck. I do not take any of the skin off the eggplant. This is such a wonderful recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it!
I had never tried this eggplant dip before and as far as vegan dips go…I prefer hummus but I had a crazy idea to mix some of this dip into some vegan potato and spinach curry and it was AMAZING. :) I think it makes a good dip and an especially great garnish!
Thanks! Will be using this recipe for sure. Just a word of caution though, you say the recipe is gluten free but recommend pita chips and bread, which are NOT gluten free. Someone new to gluten free might be confused. This could be harmful to someone on a medically necessary gluten free diet (like myself).
You could absolutely eat gluten free bread or pita :) I would imagine someone who is celiac would know not to eat glutinous bread, but do eat gluten free bread.
It was simple and delicious the only change I made was adding extra garlic because you can’t ever have too much garlic.
Its is difficult to imagine that the author has actually made this recipe. Here is what didn’t work… 1) Making 2 tbsp of tahini in a food processor isn’t possible. There isn’t enough ingredients to reach the blades. 2) Roasting the eggplant without peeling it requires that you spend 20 minutes trying to peel roasted eggplant. Not a time saving idea!! 3) Roasting the eggplant slices until golden brown doesn’t take 5-10 minutes under the broiler… it takes 20 minutes. 4) This recipe makes about 3/4 of a cup of baba ganoush… again too little to make in a food processor. Finally, after investing 1 hr and 15 minutes (not the 25 minutes indicated) 5) the final product tasted like lemon juice and tahini.
Hard to believe you made this recipe based on your comments. My broiled eggplant took four minutes, peeling the roasted eggplant was super easy. Mine made a large amount and is delicious… added a little extra tahini, lemon juice, and plenty of basil.
Just made this and it is easy, simple and very yummy.. No need for a food processer… normal blender work well.
Hello, thank you so much for this lovely recipe. I made it for my birthday party last night, everyone loved it and nothing was left of it by the end of the evening! I have modified your recipe a bit by adding more lemon juice, half a red and green capsicum chopped, then toped up with olive oil and pomegranate seeds just before serving. I am of arabic origin and that’s how we present it back home so thought you might find it interesting :) Again thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe :)
does leaving in the seeds or removing the seeds affect the taste? or am i to understand that the bitterness comes from the eggplant itself? (the “american” variety, hence, the reason to salt first)
Leave the seeds in! They’re fine ;D
Hi!
I love your time and effort saving techniques, thanks for sharing your tricks. As a busy medical student but also serious foodie, I appreciate your blog a lot!
Have you ever tried drizzling plain yogurt in baba ganoush? I had a very similar eggplant dip at a Afghan restaurant the other day and they had yogurt drizzled on top and it was amazing!!
Kim
Sounds amazing! Will have to try a dairy-free yogurt next time.
Made this for myself last weekend as I was missing the taste of home and don’t have a gas stove. I ate half of it before I added the tahin, with just fresh parsley tomatoes and some salt. Was amazing ! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe and your beautiful website.
So great! Thanks for sharing, Karina!
This was my first try at babaganoush, and it was so good! Thanks for sharing this recipe :) You’ve helped me to overcome my trepidation regarding eggplant :)
Wonderful and easy recipe, thank you very much. I tweaked it just a smidge for me.
You left out an important detail:
Remove the seeds after baking them.
Not necessary!
The ones I made with the seeds in came out not so good, but the one I made without came out great. Thanks for the recipe! I think all recipes should be short and simple!!!!!!
I did however find a way of eating the (super healthy) seeds.
Awesome recipe!! Easy to follow and came out DELICIOUS! I thought baba ganooj had yogurt, but this recipe proves no need!
I had an issue.. After I cooked the eggplant, when I pulled the skin off it took a bunch of flesh with it.. Realizing peeling would take 45 minutes, I decided to forgo it entirely – and with little to no compromise in texture or appearance!
Oh great! thanks for sharing!
I found if you cut the eggplant into spears it is easier scrape the flesh from the skin with a spoon.
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much for sharing this! It turned out awesome and so creamy!!!
Made a batch and a half in one go. It was my first attempt, I’m a big BG fan but rarely get it as I don’t have a restaurant-level entertainment budget. Really pleased with this, I will be making this again.
Why can’t I peel the skin before roasting the eggplant?
You can, but it’s just easier after roasting.
I will try roasting the egg plant whole over a gas flame, rotating for about 2 minutes till the skin is nice & burnt. Halve the egg plant & place in a 200 degree centigrade, fan forced oven for 20 minutes. Remove, cool & with a spoon take out the flesh. Add the ingredients as suggested earlier & blend.Place in a serving dish adding a bit of chillie pepper on top & dress with olive oil to cover. I have tried this in the Middle East & Saudi Arabia, & it works good.
Great tips! Let me know how it goes!
I made this the other night for friends, and it was a big hit! I even forgot to peel the skin off the eggplant, and it turned out just fine. I really don’t think you can ruin this recipe. It took all of 15 minutes, which was great because I was also making lasagna.
Whoop! Thanks Melanie! xoxo
Dana, the eggplant skin didn’t separate well – may be the eggplant slices were a little too thick, or the eggplant age or variety doesn’t separate as well. I spent alot of time cutting peels, even with increased cook time, although they were edible. Still tastes great, and it won’t last long. But I may go back to roasting the whole eggplant as I’ve had better luck with the peels that way.
Sigh! Mine was yucky. What did I do wrong? I even snipped off a little of each slice to check for bitterness and then it tasted bitter at the end.
I’m a newbie to this way of cooking so I’m sure it is operator error, but it looked simple. What do you recommend as the starter section for the total newbie? It’s pretty disheartening to try and eat better and then do it so poorly.
Thanks for encouraging the confidence to make this! I had fun and it turned out super yummy. Yessss!!! Score.
Roasting the eggplant like that makes it taste like garbage… too smokey of a taste.
Poke holes in the whole eggplant with a fork, then roast it like that. Cool, and then scrape the insides, minus the seeds. Trust me.
I’ve tried this twice. The first time I made a single recipe – forgot to rinse the eggplant after salting it and letting it rest, and already had the olive oil on it, so I decided to pray and proceed. The result tasted great, but I had a heck of a time removing the peel and it took forever. Since it was such a small amount, I tried to make it in my single-serving (Ninja IQ) smoothie blender, but it seemed too thick. It kept getting stuck in the cup and I had to keep stopping it to stir it with a spatula.
The second time I made it, I decided to make a double recipe so that I could have some leftovers. I also made it the night before an afternoon get-together. Contrary to the comments, I thought it tasted wonderful when I served it the next day, and now it is three days later and still Delicious. This time I sliced the eggplant in half lengthwise and cooked it on the gas barbecue. It only took a little bit longer than broiling the thin slices. I let it rest a long time in the foil and a lot of juices came out. This time it separated very easily from the skin, so overall time was considerably less. I didn’t add all of the juices to the food processor. I thought the taste of the second batch was better, probably because I used larger eggplants which better balanced the lemon, and perhaps it was the BBQ method. The food processor didn’t chop up the seeds as well as my blender, but I didn’t think that detracted from it one bit!
I have made this three times now, usually in large batches because my 1-year-old loves it. However, it take close to two hours every single time.
This is a recipe of mutabbal and not baba ghanoush.
Made this last night and woah! so good. My fiance and I had tried baba ganoush at a local eatery and I knew I had to attempt to recreate it at home! Minimalist Baker is my go to for recipes so you can imagine my excitement when I found this one! I may or may not have doubled the garlic…STILL SO GOOD BUT ME OH MY OH DO NOT EAT BEFORE YOU GO ON A FIRST DATE. Or do! Whatever you’re into hahaha. I’ll go easier on the garlic next time, on the plus side – no vampires to be seen. Awesome easy recipe.
in the recipe you wanted to link to how to make Tahini but linked to hummus.
love your philosophy and here’s the thing………….
love cooking but I do not always have the time and all the ingredients…..just make it with what you have. It is almost always real good and once you get a knack for it start rounding up the extra items to make it a traditional way.
You still get to eat the thing, it’s delicious, one can make it again and you already got to try it and had fun cooking it.
Perfection does not work for me and I rather have it than not have it–even if its not perfect. think about it–how bad is egg plant and onion and garlic and olive oil going to be?
I tried this idea with Chana Masala and hummus–they were still delicious but I know there is room for improvement.
I know some baking has to be exact but the ones here lend themselves well to your idea–love it. It’s me.
Thank you so much for this great recipe that only uses 1 eggplant! It is just the right size recipe for me! I have noticed that many people do not keep the skin in the dip. It looks a lot more inviting without the skin. But I have left the skin on, or a lot of it when I’ve been too lazy to remove it and the finished dip still tastes good, it just looks ugly. lol.
I did not use foil. I piled the broiled eggplant slices in a glass bowl and covered it with a ceramic plate. That worked just fine.
Thanks for a esay but delicious receipe. Made it and my family loved it.
Awesome recipe, simple, easy, damn delicious…YUM!
Waouhhhhh! This was just amazingly delicious. I made it with 3 eggplants, and I had half of the pot just alone…. Do not tell anyone! Thanks a lot,
Interesting idea. Might give it a try for comparison. I fire roast mine on my gas stove on medium high then finish in the oven at 450. Gives it a deep smoky flavor.
I do not recommend food processor or blender. Save that for when you make humus. For baba you use two spoons to work the flesh and do not overwork. Should be chunky to be the real deal.
Also that’s too much tahini. For 2 pounds of eggplant I would use about 1.5 TBS. Matter of taste but the flavor of the eggplant needs to shine through.
first time I’ve ever made this, hubby loved it from restaurant, but I over broiled a bit, wasen’t sure what size was medium for eggplant, mine was from my garden. and WAY too much tahini. maybe add one tbsp, and add more if needed. was the consistancy of thick peanut butter.
i just made this today to finish the last eggplant! easy and yummy!! thanks for sharing the recipe! :)
IS it ok if I don’t have tahini?
We haven’t tried this recipe without tahini so I’m not sure how it will turn out! Although it’s only a couple tablespoons, I think it really helps with the flavor profile! I would suggest picking up some tahini or make it yourself! It’s such a great item to have on hand to top roasted vegetables, salads, or even could be used in desserts!
It turned out amazing, but one question. The salting process takes some time. What would happen if you just cut the eggplant up and broiled it without salting?
It would be fine, but just a little more liquidy, and the dip may have more bitterness – that’s what the salt helps draw out.
OK, I make an even simpler gaba G. I use a knife to puncture the skin of the eggplant and put it into the microwave. I also do not use a food processor, I just beat up the result with a spoon … I actually prefer the lumpy consistency. I like garlic so I am also a bit heavier on that. Truth be told I start adding the other ingredients gradually and keep tasting. I typically put a small amount in a separate small bowl and add a bit more of what I think it needs and taste; if it is better the whole lot gets the change.
Jim
I changed it up a bit and it came out tasty. I didn’t bother with the salt/water extraction process. I peeled the eggplant first, cut it into rounds and then toasted it as required.
Having eaten my fair share of authentic baba I had my doubt about this but I made it as written and it came out excellent! I’m making another batch tonight.
This is so easy and absolutely delicious, and eggplant is not my favourite vegetable! Thanks for a recipe I will be using regularly.
Thanks for this easy simple recipe! I just started the whole30 challenge and have been looking for something healthy to make my large consumption of veggies more appealing. So wonderful and creamy!!
I was afraid that my eggplants will be bitter, so instead of roasting it on the gas stove top to get the smoky flavor, as many recipes suggest, I decided to follow this broiling recipe instead. The result, it took me way to much time. It definitely takes longer than 15 min to prep. Just to salt eggplants and let them sit takes 30 min to prevent bitterness. There is no way of knowing before they are cooked so I’m not taking any chances. Than the broiling part. I made slices about 1/2 inch and figured that it will take 20 min to broil. It’s took me about 40 min and my oven keep broiling eggplants close to the flame but the side slices were still not fully cooked. It was my fist time using broiler, but I feel like I’m better off baking them next time sliced in half. Will be definitely less work, especially pealing that skin, from each individual slice, thank God I make them thicker than the recipe suggested. So I can’t find this recipe easy at all, I was exhausted when I was finally done. I’m glad if it worked better for other people. As for the taste. I changed proportions to 3 medium eggplants, 3 roasted garlics, 1/2 cup tahini, 2 lemons, some salt and a bit black papper. It was so delicious! Was my first time making BABA GANOUSH. :) Was very glad I made a lot of it, about 1L total. I like to cook ones a week and don’t bother the rest of the week. Also having more lemon would be too much for my taste.
This looks great! I have always wanted to make this dip at home. Unfortunately my husband is allergic to sesame. Do you have any recommendations for substituting tahini? Thanks!
I’ve made this twice and it’s perfect! Thanks for such an easy recipe :)
Delicious! I made the recipe exactly as written and it turned out ridiculously good. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
very nice information
This recipe failed to produce an acceptable dish. Recipe is missing olive oil and was stiff and not smooth. Lemon juice is too much, making it too tart and tangy. Also, too many eggplant steps. Not simple or quick.
Hi there! I’d like to give this recipe a try but I don’t have a food processor. Any you could recommend? What food processor do you use?
Thank you!
Hi Gabriele! This one is what we use!
I have first tried baba ganoush in a Lebanon restaurant and it was beyond delicious, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with pomegranate seeds. I’m kinda disappointed with how my dish turned out, it is quite bitter and I can’t seem to fix it with salt or tahini. Not really sure if I added too much lemon or I bought a bad quality eggplant … Nevertheless, thumbs up to your blog Dana!
I add a bit of Sadaf’s 7-spice.
The DirecTV guy was at my house then my friend Rafi called…”Hello, Rafi……”. I hang up later and the repair guy says ” my name is Rafi, too!” Said he saw I was roasting an eggplant on gas burner. Asked me what I was making and I said Baba Ganoush.
How do you make it?…. I make all my own food at home w mother! Said I must use Sadaf’s 7-spice! I think it’s the sumac that lends its flavor although not listed!
I made this, and my husband noticed I was puttering around in the kitchen a little more than usual for a quick lunch-time meal. The directions were followed as given, and flavors adjusted at the end as suggested. (Some people like salty, some like tart, some like the sesame flavor, so whatever your preference is, you can adjust it to suit.)
The problem arose when he asked “So, what did you make, and how was it?” I had to fabricate a story that it was a complete failure, and I would try again later. This was to cover up the fact that I consumed every bit of of the unctuous baba ganoush, with the naked eggplant peel as the only evidence that something happened today…
Girl, you just slayed baba ganoush! Bam💪🏽👊🏼 to be honest, I didn’t know what the “broil” function in my oven was 🤔😂 but now I do and I love that option. THANKS for the delish QUICK recipe! Cheers
I love how simple the recipe is. However, it would have much easier if you peel the skin off the eggplant first. It becomes quite labor intensive to peel the skin off each ‘ring’
Good recipe nonetheless.
Is there any objection to peeling the eggplant before slicing and roasting?
Hi! You can, it just makes the skin come off easier once its roasted!
Thanks for the reply
Just made this and it came out just as I had hoped.. actually even better. Thank you for this simple delicious recipe.
My husband and I aren’t crazy about the flavor of tahini, do you think Almond butter would be a possible substitute?
Yes, that should work Sarah!
I tried this recipe using the abundant eggplant from this year’s garden. I had hopes for a quicker method to make this dip, but alas, the quality really suffered. I used my gas oven broiler. By the time the eggplant was cooked, it had dried out and blackened in several places. This made for a dark, chunky, rather unappetizing looking dip. In addition, it was quite bitter. I served it to some people who are not particularly food adventurous, with predictable negative results. I will go back to my old tried and true recipe which really doesn’t take any more effort, just more time.