Hi everyone! I’m back! I’ve been sick, that’s why I couldn’t post three times last week, but I’m healthy again! I’m vegan and I try to eat a pretty clean diet on a daily basis with no processed or refined foods, but sometimes it’s not easy to find healthy vegan food at restaurants here in Spain. I ate some fried, processed and refined dishes and I got sick because it seems that my body doesn’t like this kind of food anymore.
I’m obsessed with homemade dips like hummus, guacamole or baba ghanoush, I love them! I used to eat these appetizers with some pita bread or tortilla chips, but now I prefer to eat them with crudités (raw veggies), my favorite ones are carrot and zucchini, although I also like celery because it helps to clean the body.
Baba ganoush is a vegan Middle Eastern starter or appetizer made of eggplant, tahini and other super healthy ingredients. I was a hummus-aholic, but since I discovered baba ghanoush, I don’t know which one I prefer, both are really delicious.
Both are pretty similar, although hummus is made of cooked chickpeas and baba ghanoush is made of baked eggplant. I bake the eggplant for about 40 minutes at 355 ºF or 180 ºC and I pierce the skin with a knife to avoid an exploding eggplant.
When the eggplant is cold enough, chop it and place it in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (you can also use a blender). Blend until smooth and creamy. Let the mixture cool in the fridge.
You can enjoy this amazing appetizer also as a side dish and it goes particularly well spread on bread. I usually add some extra virgin olive oil on top, but it’s totally up to you.
To make baba ghanoush you only need 6 ingredients: eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin and sea salt (optional). I also added some dry dill on top, but you can add any herb or spice you like (sweet paprika is a great choice).
Have you ever tried baba ghanoush? You really NEED to make this awesome starter, you’re gonna love it! Don’t forget to leave a comment or tag a picture #simpleveganblog on Instagram or any other social network if you make this recipe.
Baba Ghanoush
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Vegan, Levantine
Baba ganoush is a vegan Middle Eastern starter or appetizer made of eggplant, tahini and other super healthy ingredients. Serve with some crudités.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 355 ºF or 180 ºC.
- Place the eggplants onto a baking sheet and pierce the skin with a knife to avoid an exploding eggplant. Bake for 40 minutes or until the eggplants are cooked.
- When the eggplants are cold enough, chop them and place them in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (you can also use a blender). Blend until smooth and creamy. Let the mixture cool in the fridge.
- Serve with some extra virgin olive oil and some herbs or spices on top (I added dry dill).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 8.5g
- Sodium: 26mg
- Fat: 8.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2g
- Carbohydrates: 20.4g
- Fiber: 11.2g
- Protein: 5.5g
Hi. Just a comment about preparing the eggplants: the best (but messy) way is to grill them on an open flame (you can put them above the burner of the gas stove or outside on the barbeque). For a less messy option you can grill them on a thin sheet of steel. You need to peel them pretty fast after they are done as otherwise the skin sticks to the flesh. And after this leave the on a wood board at an angle that would allow juices to drip. The juice can be bitter in my experience. The burnt taste from the flame is really great. This is the way we cook eggplants for salads and dips in Eastern Europe : )
Love your recipes ! Thank you very much for sharing them
Hi Karina! Thank YOU so much for your valuable comment 🙂 Have a nice day!
Just mades this for an all-girls summer brunch and was widely praised 🙂 great flavour and texture!! thanks for a great (and easy) recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you so much 😀
Made this for an all-girls summer brunch and was widely praised 🙂 great flavours and texture!! thanks for the great recipe!!
Hi Dani! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
I just made this and oh. my. god. AH-MAZING! I didn’t have quite enough lemon juice so added some lime juice. Still, SO GOOD! Will definitely be making this quite regularly!
★★★★★
Hi Ali! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Lime juice is okay as well. Have a nice day!
I will definetly make this! I am also a hummus adict, make it every week and i could just it it no matter with what …but a change is good :)) only problema is that i don´t have an oven, but i guess it will work also grilling it in a pan or something , right?? I can´t wait to buy some eggplants! :))
As Renee says i also think that your récipes and your blog in general makes being (or wanting to be) vegan much easier and appealing.
By the way, i have the same problem as you when I eat things im not used to anymore. I for example get a horrible stomach ache every time I visit my family in Spain and I eat things im not used to…two years ago i even eat some meat and i was crying out of pain…our body is wise. I noticed that since im vegetarian im much more sensitive to certain kind of foods.
Anyways, thank you one more time for such a nice Blog!!
Hi Tania! I think it could work 🙂 Thanks a lot for your kind words 😀
Simply delicious! I used two eggplants which made much more than I could consume before spoiling (didn’t know if I could freeze this). So I had a brilliant idea to use in as a replacement for ricotta or cashew cheeze in lasagne! One layer noodles, one baba, one chopped organic brocolli, one fresh tomato sauce. Top with your choice of melty cheeze and pop in oven til heated and bubbly! Amazing! Oh yeah it’s awesome with pita chips too!
★★★★★
Hi Cece! Thanks 😀 Wow, it sounds amazing!!! I need to try your recipe!!!
Awesome recipe, we make Baba Ghanoush here in the Caribbean too, only we call it Baigan Choka and the ingredients are slightly different. It is more pungent with garlic and onions…
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Hi Charlene! I need to try Baigan Choka!! I love dips so much 🙂 Thanks a lot for the idea!
I’ve wanted to make Baba Ghanoush for like ever, but somehow it just didn’t happen so far… Probably there are just too many delicious vegan options! I just saved your recipe and I’ll definitely try it soon! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sina! I hope you like the baba ghanoush if you make it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Do you peel the eggplant before you put it in the food processor? Seems like you would, but is it hard to do when it is hot and just out of the oven?
Hi Cindi! I don’t peel the eggplant, as you can see in the pictures 🙂 Have a nice day!
Duh. I kept looking at the finished product and couldn’t tell if the flecks were skin or herbs. Now I see the chunks in the food processor. Thanks for responding anyway. I guess they’re not offensive, and that sure makes it faster to make too. I’m gonna try it next week when I find some good eggplants.
I hope you like it Cindi!
Ooh, this is perfect, I’m really into dips with raw veggies at the moment! I like baba ghanoush but always thought it was complicated to make. I thought you had to peel the eggplant, but I guess not! You make it look so easy. I’ll definitely try this one.
Hi Wendy! Baba ghanoush is suuuuper easy to make! I hope you like it 🙂
Your recipes make being vegan easy!
Thank you !
Renee
Thanks a lot Renee! 😀