Simple Baba Ganoush

Dana girl,

Hi! I was looking for something quick and easy to make with eggplant from my garden. I whipped this up and scooped some over salad greens with a few kalamata olives and OMG! it was absolutely delicious! This will be my go to recipe for my eggplant harvest! Thank you!

Wow! Yum! I’m Israeli and I can say that this is a perfect “everyday” babaganosh. Not exactly the same as the grandmother version made over the grill – but so much easier and perfect for everyday! Delish – love slathering it on sandwhiches, with falafel+pita, with salads – yummy!

Warning – when you unwrap the foil the eggplant will be HOT! I let it sit for a few minutes – I thought it would be cool from sitting in the foil but no ;)

This is a very simple and delicious way to use eggplant. Even a family member who thought they didn’t like eggplant loved this “hummus” :)
Thanks so much.

This recipe is epic!
So delicious, better then any restaurant baba ganoush I’ve ever had.

I made this and it’s delicious. This is my first time having Baba Ganoush. I love it! I ate it with veggies. Your recipes are always delish!! Thank you!

Came out delicious. I have lived in the Middle east all my childhood, and I love baba ghanoush. This came out yummy!

This is gorgeous. I used Scottish cold pressed rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, and added smoked paprika. I would double the recipe for more than 2 people.

I did not find this recipe easy by any stretch. Actually, it’s not hard, but it is enormously time consuming. Who has the time? You don’t need to do all of this cutting and salting and all the rest of it. Why can’t you cut the eggplants in half and bake/roast until soft and scoop out the insides? If you need burnt flavor, finish under a broiler and then scoop? I had two eggplants and doubled everything and there was too much tahini. It probably took me 45 minutes before I was ready to put all of this into a food processor. And I ended up with less than a yogurt container of baba. I’m not doing this again, that’s for sure.

This recipe has changed my attitude about eggplant dip! I got a big lovely eggplant with my CSA but remembered the watery dip of previous attempts and grudgingly looked for recipes. In the past I roasted whole, but the tip to slice, salt, pat dry, and roast transformed the results. I roasted a huge eggplant (probably only 1/3 to 1/2 inch thin slices) plus two serrano peppers cut in half. In a bowl I whipped the tahini and lemon juice before adding the eggplant (unpeeled, because I was being reckless) and peeled serranos. I mashed everything together with chopped garlic and a fork, occasionally tearing up the skin if it seemed too clumpy. Spectacular and easy. Thank you!

I had some extra egg plant around and found this awesome recipe. I had to pry my husbands hands off the container to put it in the fridge to save some. I honestly was too lazy to do the “lock in moisture” step or to remove the peel so I just took it straight from the oven and put it into the food processor. It is still delicious just had to blend it a little bit longer. Thanks so much for yet another great recipe.

omg. so good. have been making this for lunch for my mom and I during this quarantine for a while now and just needed to comment that whoever came up with this recipe is genius. thank you so much<3

Five stars all the way

This was amazing! I omitted the olive oil during the roasting and it was fine. Eggplant is difficult to get a hold of these past few weeks so this felt extra special. Thanks for the easy recipe.

Wow this was excellent!

I was so excited to find this recipe! Thanks for posting it. I “roasted” the eggplant in my air fryer for 10 minutes and left it in until the air fryer had cooled. No prep work to the eggplant was necessary; I even left the oil out. Peeling was very easy. I seasoned to taste with the other ingredients and will definitely make it again.

So easy and so delicious! I skipped the step where they needed to be wrapped in foil for moisture retention – didn’t find I needed it. Was worried all the ingredients as written wouldn’t fit in my mini food-processor, but they did! Success! Will make many times again :)

Wonderful, versatile and simple! I had a much larger eggplant on hand, so essentially I made a double recipe, added more garlic, because garlic, and a dash of white balsamic for a touch of zing. Next time, I think I’ll roast the garlic, too.

You did it girl! Easy peasy and delicious!! I made it by your recipe except I had 2 eggplants so I doubled it. It’s just like the stuff I used to buy back in Michigan. I love it. :)

This is almost the exact same recipe I’ve been using for years, except that I add more garlic and lemon juice, per my Armenian husband’s request. He absolutely loves it!! What he doesn’t know, though, is that I also add 1 large spoonful of Lebni (kefir cheese yogurt) as well. Most markets have begun to carry Lebni. You can find it in the dairy section. It gives the BG a little big of a tangy taste and makes it creamier. Whether or not you add the Lebni, this is a great, super simple recipe that I make in 1 bowl, stirred by hand.

I was surprised reading other reviews that people had a hard time peeling their eggplants. I put the time of a fork between the skin and the meat and with almost all of the slices the meat literally just fell into the blender and I was left with the skin just dangling from the fork. Maybe broil longer? I waited until mine browned (I’m bad with time so I can’t put a minute estimation on it).

I’ve made this recipe twice in the last two days! Day 1 as a dip for a party (everyone loved it!) and Day 2 dolloped on a bowl of rice, beans, and veggies. Rather than broil the eggplant, I cooked it in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes with one cup of water. I may be missing some char flavor but it’s really so delicious this way and is oil free. Also easier cleanup!

I love this recipe because it is so easy. It’s even easier if you use a jar or can of roasted eggplant that I get at the international supermarket. I’ve made it with many different brands and it’s always delicious.

Loved this recipe and made it 5 or 6 times in the months after discovering it. Everyone who tried it (including skeptics) were impressed. I preferred it with even more lemon juice and garlic, but I overload those 2 ingredients when I make hummus as well.

Love Love Love this recipe & I have made this recipe so many times over this past summer, especially when the eggplants were plentiful. I was extremely happy when I spotted a huge organic one during Dec. at the Grocery store yesterday, I knew I had to buy it to make this recipe again. I thought I thanked you before, but I saw the recipe sitting here in my inbox and wanted to write a review. ♡
I mostly skip the colander soak and just season mine with a Cuban Mojo Seasoning and broil in avocado oil. Sometimes the broiled eggplant doesn’t even make it that far into the blender to finish the recipe, for once I taste test it, it’s that delicious, I eat it skins & all. ♡ If it makes after the taste test, as it did yesterday, after adding a garlic clove, 1 tbl of tahini, lemon juice & fresh or dried basil, I then enjoy it hot right out of the blender with slices of thin nut bread & carrot sticks. FAV for sure. Thanks again.

This is what Ive found works well to enhance flavor, I’ve been making roasted eggplant spread for 15+ years.

When broiling eggplant, I find I get a smokier flavor by putting a whole eggplant under the broiler (make sure to poke some holes in the eggplants before broiling it). I turn it occasionally until it is cooked with some charring on the skin. Then, I take the whole eggplants and put them in a mixing bowl and cover the bowl (they are still hot when doing this). This allows some of the extra liquid to drain and the smoky flavor to permeate the eggplant flesh. Let the eggplants sit in the covered bowl until they cook.

I found the quickest way to clean them is to take a spoon and make a slit from the top to the bottom of one side of the eggplant. Then I simply scoop out the flesh with the spoon.

Just wow. I had no idea a recipe so simple could taste so good, my son who detests vegetables finishes off the whole bowl. Thanks for sharing and keep the good recipes coming!

I smoked the eggplant on the grill with rosemary and mulberry wood. I also seasoned it with cumin, berbere and zest of one lemon. Delicious!

Delicious and simple babaganoush! I added a little olive oil and extra garlic which helped boost the flavor and texture

Easy, savory, healthy and low carb. Absolutely delicious!!! Recommended.

Just made this with some eggplant from the farmer’s market. Yay. I adjusted all the ingredients to our taste and added a few drops of liquid smoke. Tastes as good as my favorite restaurant-made dip! We cooked the eggplant whole on the grill since the grill was fired up. Maybe as a result the eggplant was super soft and I just scooped it out with a spoon. I didn’t use a blender or food processor. Just mashed everything up in a bowl. Delish. And easy clean-up. Thanks for another great recipe!

This was delicious!!!! The only bad part was peeling the skin off hot eggplant. But it was worth it, I’ll only make a double recipe from now on as we ate all of it in one sitting. Thanks

This was wonderful! Definitely beats store bought. I did end up needing to broil the eggplant for a little longer than the 5-10 minutes, probably closer to 15. Added a handful of fresh basil which was delicious. Will be making again!

I’ll admit that I found peeling the skin off of each ring tedious, but when I roasted the whole eggplant and tried to peel the skin off in one go, it didn’t taste the same (was way too sweet).

Don’t try to take shortcuts with this recipe! I like my baba ganoush a bit sour, so I add extra lemon juice, but other than that, it’s perfect! We demolished 4 eggplants in one sitting.

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)

Perfect! Especially at this time of year with all the fresh eggplant at the farmer’s markets. Without knowing it at the time, I made the same modifications as Lindsey and it turned out delicious. Thank you!

Delicious!
I skipped the water-leeching step and went right to broiling, kept the skins on for their nutrients, and used 2 tablespoons lemon juice because I didn’t have a fresh lemon. Totally awesome!

Grilled aubergines work well in this recipe!

This is wonderful and EASY. I used Japanese eggplant, so used 2 large or 3 medium.
Then I got inspired to make it more of a “meal” and added garbanzos (1-15 oz can, rinsed and drained) for protein. Voila! Eggplant humus – amazing! Adjust lemon, garlic, and tahini to taste, maybe a little more salt, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sumac and it’s ready for dipping. Another suggestion a Tbsp or two of your cashew-based Caesar dressing (from “Chickpea Caesar Salad”) adds interesting depth of flavor to this recipe!

It’s perfect. As good as the one I ate in Syria years ago. We had some eggplant that we needed to use and I decided to make some baba ganoush for my husband and me to take it to work for lunch tomorrow. We just wanted to taste it, and couldn’t stop until we ate all…

Very good. I added a little extra tahini and salt also and it was perfect.

I just made this and it is delicious! My family really likes. My one problem is that it hardly makes any dip! Definitely going to double the recipe next time but otherwise it’s really good:)

I don’t know if I made a mistake somewhere but all I taste is tahini and garlic. I miss the taste of the eggplant. Maybe my eggplant was too small??

I do mine on tin foil cut in half with olive oil and garlic rubbed on. I also add a bit of liquid smoke which really makes it tast leke the real deal.

This recipe was quick, easy and delicious. I learned that I should start by adding half of my lemon juice, then more to taste (like recommended for the tahini and salt). Thanks Minimalist Baker!

This is so good! I can’t stop eating it… I’m so glad I just made a small portion!

There is just one mistake : it does not lasts up to one week, but maybe up to one ten minutes before i eat it myself :)

Great recipe!!!
Thank you :)

WOW!! This was delicious!! I made it twice now. The 1st time I followed the recipe exactly using parsley. Tasted ok, but better after it sits overnight in frig. The 2nd time, I definitely appreciated the comments a) Cut eggplant from stem to bottom, b) Definitely bake/roast in oven, because broiling it took forever, c) Cilantro instead of parsley made my taste buds pop, d) I used an electric chopper instead of food processor and it turned out great! No need for me to visit Mediterranean Cafes when I can make this at home. Thank you so much for this recipe.

This is delicious! Made it two times already. Very easy recipe for a tasty dip like this! Will make it again for sure!

I used two baby eggplants and, after tasting the skin as I was peeling it, decided to just leave it on. I know, not the classic way of doing things, but it was still absolutely delicious. I added about a tablespoon each of parsley and cilantro, and a little extra tahini. Next time I will take it easier on the salt during roasting, but that was my own mistake. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.

This is an easy and delicious recipe. A favorite dish for my brother who is very picky when trying new things. I used black beauty eggplants from my garden. My first time growing eggplants in my garden and was searching for dishes to make with the abundance of eggplants from my summer plant. This will be a standard dish for snack with added protein for balance. Thank you!!!!

When I hiked the PCT in 2015, some folks had no notion of their own individuality. Most had hiked a few miles here and there but had never done a long walk. They all wanted their hike to be a “success” and measured their journey by that of others that had gone before or professed authority. We in the community had a guideline: “Hike your own hike.”

Some hikers like me took a few hundred miles to figure out what that meant. A checklist of hiking gear was only a place to start.

So it is with a recipe. This is a great place to start to make that first baba ghanoush from which, if it’s not a “success”, we’ll all learn to baba our own ghanoush, whether it means more garlic, salt, lemon juice, a dash of vinegar, Liquid Smoke, etc.

Cheers!
Jeff

I’ve made this at least 5 times this summer and I love it more each time. Here are my little tweaks including how I sneak in zucchini!:

I bake the slices at 400 for 30 min flipping halfway through. I then store in an airtight glass container overnight and use the next day. They are very moist that way.
I add a few tbs of olive oil in the food processor with all the other ingredients.
I also add in cumin and a little smoked paprika. I also added the zest of half the lemon on tonight’s batch… so good.
I add in about a cup of cubed fresh zucchini for extra veggies you can’t taste!
Pulse till blended then add water until desired consistency is reached. It’s literally the best baba I’ve ever had. and I personally think it tastes better the next day after all the flavors meld overnight! ?

This was okay but it tasted nothing like baba ganoush. Compared to real BG it was dry and flavorless. I guess I learned the hard way that the smoky flavor and moist, tender texture from grilling whole eggplants just can’t be replicated with a quick hack. This tasted more like a mediocre eggplant hummus I would not make it again as it did not meet my expectations.

Perfect recipe and perfectly delicious! I used the lemon zest in the recipe and I think I will roast a whole garlic clove on the tray with the eggplant next time to add another flavor dimension.

I had grilled some eggplant slices two days ago…so I whipped this up in 5 minutes! You guys! I’m Vegan, no added oil, and this is my kind of recipe! THANKYOU SO MUCH…I used my home-made Red Lentil Tortillas for dipping…out.of.this.WORLD!

My mistake for not gradually adding the amounts of the ingredients until I was satisfied with the taste, but one whole lemon was ENTIRELY too lemony – I’m thinking half of a lemon might still be too much! This was my first attempt at Baba Ganoush, and I will make it again; but this seems like a ridiculous amount of lemon. All of the hummus recipes I follow call for a lot less lemon, and I should’ve trusted my resistance to add a whole lemon for Baba Ganoush.

Also I was confused (as a novice eggplant handler) why the recipe would have you add salt AGAIN after salting it the first time. I get that first time is to leach the water out but what doesn’t make sense to me is the water leaches out – only to add water back to it to rinse it! Then add salt back to it with the olive oil and then again after roasting! I left the two additional saltings out of the recipe, and the salt level was just fine. I also am glad I used TWO eggplants because had I used one it would’ve been inedible with a whole lemon.

was fab just as it is!

I misread one recipe (not yours) and added cilantro by mistake! Still used your recipe as the basis though and the dip was still surprisingly good with cilantro. Can this dish do no wrong?

I’m not sure what kind of eggplant you use, but this broiling method was a complete fail for Asian eggplant. I always cook it on a cast iron pan in slices, but decided to try something different. It didn’t cook through at all, even after two flips, and was burning the outside. I eventually gave up and cooked it the usual way. Maybe specify the type of eggplant you used in the recipe to save others the trouble I experienced.
Sidenote: I always add cumin and coriander to the eggplant before cooking and it adds an excellent flavor for baba ganoush.

I forgot to mention that I used no oil when broiling the eggplant, and the baba did not suffer. In fact it was devoured by our guests.

I loved what the broiling did to the eggplant; so sweet and addictive. I ate all the skins. The parsley got pureed along with everything else;
The broiled eggplant would be nice served as a side too. Your recipe is still delivering.

I made this with the following modifications: I used 1 large eggplant, two medium garlic cloves, and half of a smallish lemon. It was absolutely perfect. My hubby said it’s the best baba ganoush he’s ever had.

This was very easy, and turned out great.
I think for the recipe size the lemon I used was a little too big. Next time I’ll use half or make a bigger batch. A little extra garlic leveled it right out.
Good job

I made this, with a whole head of garlic, celery leaves, and a bit of coconut milk, it was really yummy

As promised, this was very easy and delicious! The only thing I added was a final sprinkle of cumin and smoked paprika on top of the oil drizzle. Next time I will try peeling the eggplant first, and maybe use the immersion blender instead of the Cuisenart. Thanks.

Easy, tasty, healthy. I peeled the eggplant first, broiled for 10 minutes, and skipped the tinfoil resting stage. Also added a bit of olive oil and parsley for the herbs. Will use this method from now on.

I love this recipe so much. I make double and triple batches because it’s amazing and I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve probably made this 10 times in the last 6months and it is foolproof. Thanks for demystifying baba ganoush for electric stove having apartment dwellers!

It was burnt! Maybe 1/4 inch is too thin?

What you have built here is great. My wife loves the hummus and I did a microwave version of the baba ganoush, as that is actually a very legit way to cook egg plant. I had to use liquid smoke to compensate, but still great. Thank you for the recipes, going through them little by little to treat my love with stuff she likes.

I just made this…. sort of. I had no tahini, but I did have about a ¼ cup of sesame seeds, immersion blended them with a Tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of melted coconut oil, added the garlic and Himalayan salt, lemon juice while the leftover eggplant, cut in two with skin on, was in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until really soft. Scooped out the guts of the eggplant with a spoon while holding its skin down with a fork, and added to the container, immersion blend a bit more, and Bobs your uncle, Baba Ganoush.

Even faster and easier. I used your nice blog to verify my crazy idea. Thanks.

I have eaten eggplant my entire life, of course being of italian/ greek heritage.
My sicilian grandmother would bread and fry it.Although delish,it was quite greasy and heavy made this way. Of course Greeks made it in numerous ways,which is less unhealthy.This being said, I like the simplicity of this recipe Dana..and how much healthier for me this is. Im always looking for ways to replace my “snacky” foods which replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones.
This fit the bill. I do make hummus and now i will add your recipe to my repertoire.
Thank you for posting ,and i made it and enjoyed it immensely.
PS I used garlic i have previously roasted,just so I dont have garlic breath! Lol
Michelle from PA.

Best I’ve ever had! Turkish boyfriend loved It! I didn’t change a thing

I’m not a fan of raw garlic, so I baked a whole bulb whil the eggplant was baking. Then I squeezed out the roasted garlic. Perfect!
Thank you for this delicious, simple recipe!!!

Just made this and it is wonderful. One step can be eliminated, cooking with the skin on. I made the first batch sliced with the skin on…a bit of a pain removing the skin. Second batch I simply peeled the egg plant and then sliced it, put it under the broiler…voila! No skin to take away! Just meaty slices of cooked eggplant ready to mash. Also, I simply used my Emersion blender…no fuss, no muss!

It tastes amazingly like bacon! I used Braggs instead of tahini.

followed directions exactly. This was so easy and very good. (and whole 30 compliant!!)
going to try the tip of roasting whole next time though.

I made a double batch to take to a potluck tomorrow. It might not make it that far! My results were more than perfect. Thanks for a recipe that will be my go to. No need to look further.

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.

Just made this and it came out just as I had hoped.. actually even better. Thank you for this simple delicious recipe.

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.

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 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…

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!

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.

very nice information

Delicious! I made the recipe exactly as written and it turned out ridiculously good. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

I’ve made this twice and it’s perfect! Thanks for such an easy recipe :)

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.

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!!

This is so easy and absolutely delicious, and eggplant is not my favourite vegetable! Thanks for a recipe I will be using regularly.

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.

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.

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 just made this today to finish the last eggplant! easy and yummy!! thanks for sharing the recipe! :)

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.

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,