The Best Baba Ganoush Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for baba ganoush? ›

In its most basic form, baba ganoush is made with eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. I found that adding a tiny bit of ground cumin, smoked paprika and fresh parsley takes it to the next level. Baba ganoush is similar to hummus, but it calls for grilled or roasted eggplant instead of chickpeas.

If your Baba Ganoush tastes bitter, add a half teaspoon of baking soda at a time and blend well (tasting in between) to remove bitterness from the dish.

It's important to balance thickness with a creamy texture to ensure that Baba Ganoush remains a delightful spread. Blend Carefully: Over-blending can introduce air and excess liquid from the eggplant, creating a watery mixture. Pulse ingredients just until combined.

Homemade baba ganoush can be stored in the fridge in a tight-lid container for about 4 days or so (some say up to a week, but mine never lasts that long).

What to Serve with Baba Ganoush. My favorite way to serve baba ganoush is as an appetizer or snack with crisp veggies and pita bread. You could also serve it as the creamy dip in a summer crudité platter or make an epic Mediterranean appetizer board with pita chips, tzatziki, hummus, and fresh or grilled veggies.

Yes, baba ganoush is healthy. The main ingredient is eggplant, which is low in calories and carbohydrates and high in fiber. It's also a good source of vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin K. It's also lower in calories than hummus since it's mostly made of eggplant versus chickpeas.

Baba Ghanoush may taste bitter due to factors like the choice of eggplant, insufficient roasting, or the use of too much garlic, lemon juice, or low-quality tahini.

Now don't get me wrong, hummus is just as delicious. But this dip has an insanely scrumptious smoky flavor – all thanks to the method of charring eggplants on a grill.

Spices mask bitter flavors, so don't be shy. Add some spicy peppers or powders to your cooking, or sprinkle some onto your dishes for a little bit of extra heat. Black pepper in particular has compounds that counteract bitterness. Some other great spices include cayenne, red pepper, paprika, and chili powder.

baba ghanoush

The Arabic term for the dish means “pampered daddy,” the person in question being, legend has it, a sultan spoiled with a concoction invented by a member of his harem.

What does Baba mean in baba ganoush? ›

In Arabic baba means father and ghanoush means spoiled. This Spoiled dad dip is the creamier companion to hummus. Popular in Arab countries throughout the Middle East, it is also a common appetizer on the Sephardic Jewish table.

In general, however, although you can gain more nutritional benefits from chickpeas than from eggplant, baba ganoush is healthier than hummus which is one major difference between baba ganoush and hummus. That is because 1 cup of chickpeas is equal to two or more eggplants.

Baba Ghanoush is eaten in many Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Lebanon and extending as far as the territorial reach of the Ottoman empire. But Baba Ghanoush also is big in Brazil and West India. Romanians and Greeks also consume the appetizer.

Baba ganoush is made with tahini, which is a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. These fats have been shown to help reduce bad cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease.

As a general rule, it will last about a week in your fridge once you open it. So although you can keep hummus refrigerated for a couple months unopened, you only have seven days from opening to finish it off. (Or you can easily freeze your humus for up to 4 months if you want to store it for longer periods!)

3) Health – Both dishes are very healthy, but baba ganoush has a slight edge here with more vitamins from the eggplant and a lower calorie count. 4) Big meal to come – Get baba ganoush, it's less filling than hummus.

One main difference between baba ganoush and hummus is baba ganoush's main ingredient, which is eggplant. In hummus, chickpeas are the primary ingredient. Although the difference seems simple, it makes a huge difference in the taste. Baba ganoush has an earthy taste while hummus has a more nutty tone.

Baba ganoush (also known as baba ghanouj or baba ghanoush) is one of the most popular dips in Lebanese cuisine—and at my table! That is because the flavor of this creamy dip is so bright and smokey. It's luscious texture goes with dippers of every sort: crackers, pita chips, pita wedges, fresh veggies, you name it.