Homemade Baba Ganoush

Delicious creamy restaurant style baba ganoush made with roasted eggplants, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, and olive oil! This is a classic baba ganoush recipe that is sure to please everyone!

Creamy homemade baba ganoush, and with a secret ingredient that makes it taste just as good as your favorite restaurants version of it — and almost better.

I have been chipping and dipping on this baba ganoush for almost 2 weeks now! All by myself. And totally, unintentionally keeping this recipe from you. The truth is, I made baba ganoush to use as sauce on my shawarma bowls (coming soon!) and hadn’t even thought about putting a recipe up on the blog.

Until now that is. Because I use this roasted eggplant dip as a sauce, as a dip, and a spread on sandwiches + naanwiches. And so I thought, well hey now, there’s got to be at least one other person on the planet that wants to put this on everything. I mean, baba ganoush + homemade falafels? Totally meant to be together. Heck you could even replace the tahini dressing in this salad with a dollop of baba ganoush.

The possibilities are endless I tell you!

The process is simple. You’re going to roast your eggplants until they are all soft and wrinkly. <– Pretty much everything you DON’T want to become in the next 50 years. Keep in mind that we’re roasted them at 375ºF for at least an hour and fifteen minutes and you may actually need a little longer depending on the size of your eggplants. Also, the longer we roast the eggplants, the smokier the flavor of the baba ganoush. Then place them in a bowl immediately and cover them up. Also, try not to use a metal bowl as it tends to heat up pretty fast when you place a hot object in it. *OUCH*.

Then comes the gross/hands on part. Peel the skin away from the meat and let the meat of the eggplant collect in a sieve.  OH and if your eggplant has a TON of seeds, you grab the entire center and just chuck it. Remember to keep as much of the flesh as you can and discard only the center core with the seeds attached. Seeds tend to make baba ganoush a little bitter. And we definitely don’t want that. Add the salt and let it just hang out for a bit. The salt helps remove water which concentrates the flavors a little more. Also, you can freeze the eggplant mixture after this step until you’re ready to make baba ganoush.

And the SECRET to good baba ganoush is to make it at least one day ahead of time. <– How perfect is that for parties? You actually HAVE TO make it ahead of time. Like homemade hummus, baba ganoush tastes best when prepared in advanced and refrigerated. Something about all those flavors getting together and flavoring the dip.

I have one major tip that I always apply when making my traditional hummus recipe and it applies to baba ganoush too. Blend the garlic, tahini, and lemon juice together before you toss everything else into the food processor. This gives the tahini a chance to loosen up a bit because of the lemon juice and the garlic to break down a little more and flavors more evenly.

Fresh, homemade, and healthy. Oh and I almost forgot to tell you the secret ingredient. It’s YOGURT! Just plain old yogurt and just 2 tablespoons of it really helps bring that tang that you get in restaurant style baba ganoush. I actually saw them make it this way at a local restaurant and have been doing it ever since.

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Yield: ~2 cups

Homemade Baba Ganoush

Delicious creamy restaurant style baba ganoush made with roasted eggplants, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, and olive oil! This is a classic baba ganoush recipe that is sure to please everyone!

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Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini paste
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or more to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 pinch cayenne (or more if you want it spicy)
• 2 tablespoons EACH olive oil AND yogurt

yogurt

• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a metal baking sheet with a sheet of foil. Place a wire baking rack on top, set aside.
2. ROASTING EGGPLANTS: Pierce holes into the eggplant (about 1/4 inch deep or so) with a knife or fork. Spray the eggplants with cooking spray, place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 65-75 minutes. Turn halfway through the cooking time. If the eggplants have not wrinkled and lightened in color, continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Eggplants are done when easily pierced with knife or fork. You can bake the eggplants for up to 90 minutes if you'd like the baba ganoush to have a deeper flavor. Remove from oven, place the eggplants in a bowl and cover the bowl with foil. Allow the eggplants to steam in the bowl for at least 20-25 minutes. This will help make it easier to peel.
3. Remove the skin from the eggplants and collect the flesh in a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard the skin. You can remove the center core if your eggplants have too many seeds. Too many seeds will make your baba ganoush bitter. Sprinkle with salt. Give it a good mix and allow the eggplants to drain for 15 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the eggplants before blending.
4. ASSEMBLY: Combine the lemon juice, tahini paste, and minced garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Give it a few pulses until smooth. Add the eggplant meat, cumin powder, cayenne, and olive oil to the food processor and process to desired texture. Stir in the yogurt and parsley. Adjust seasonings to preference. Place baba ganoush in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and allow to cool for at least 8 hours. Serve with pita chips and veggies.

Notes

1. You can add additional cumin if you like it to be a bit smokier. We found the 1/4 teaspoon to be perfect for our taste.

 

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