Baba Ghanoush (Vegan and Gluten Free)
Smoky Baba Ghanoush recipe is the best Middle Eastern appetizer! It's vegan, gluten free, and easy to make. Perfect served as a dip with pita!
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 442kcal
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants Italian or globe eggplants
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini paste
- 1-2 lemons juice only
- 1 bulb garlic roasted (recipe calls for 4-6 cloves roasted or 1-2 cloves fresh)
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika split
- 1 package gluten free baguette or crackers or bread of choice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Remove the stems (located on top of the eggplant) with a knife. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place it skin-side down onto a baking sheet covered in foil.
- Drizzle ½ Tbsp. or so of olive oil over each eggplant half (there should be 4 eggplant halves). Brush the olive oil evenly onto the fleshy part of the eggplants using a basting brush.
- Once the halves are brushed with oil turn them over so they are skin-side up. Cut 6-8 slits through the skin of the eggplant with a small knife (this will help steam escape as they roast).
- To roast the garlic, cut the top off 1 bulb of garlic. Remove any of the loose or dry outer leaves of the garlic bulb and discard. Pour a small amount of olive oil over the top of the garlic bulb. Loosely wrap the garlic bulb in a piece of tinfoil and place it on the same baking sheet as the eggplants.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes. The eggplant will soften as it bakes and should be easily pierced with a knife.
- Roast it for the same amount of time as the eggplants (40-45 minutes). Once cooled, remove 4-6 cloves (or as many cloves as you like) of it.
- After the eggplant has baked, remove the pan from the oven and flip the eggplant over with a spatula. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl (the skin of the eggplant is not used). Allow the eggplant cool for 5-10 minutes before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- In a food processor combine the cooled eggplant, 4 Tbsp. tahini paste, the juice of 2 lemons (careful to avoid adding the seeds when squeezing the lemons), 4-6 cloves roasted garlic (or 1-2 cloves garlic grated with a microplane), ½ tsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. smoked paprika.
- Pulse the food processor until the mixture forms a paste. It’s important not to ‘over pulse’ the baba ghanoush or it will become too mushy. Pulsing it 10-15 times should give you the right consistency.
- To Serve: Serve the baba ghanoush in a serving bowl with toasted bread or crackers of choice. Fresh vegetables are also a great option. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ tsp. of smoked paprika over the top for extra flavor and color.
Notes
Recipe can be doubled to serve more people.
Feel free to adjust the salt levels as needed.
You can add as many or as few cloves of roasted garlic as you like. See copy above for ideas to use up leftover roasted garlic.
Leftover roasted garlic may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks and used as needed.
If using fresh garlic, grate with a Microplane zester or mince finely with a knife to avoid large chunks of raw garlic in your baba ghanoush.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 1287mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 712IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 3mg