Baba Ganoush
Charred eggplant whipped with tahini, lemon, and garlic.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 2 Eggplant
- 80 ml Tahini
- 1 Lemon
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Parsley (optional)
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Method
- Char the whole eggplants over a flame or under a broiler until blackened and collapsed.
- While the eggplant chars, juice the lemon and mince the garlic.
- Scoop out the smoky flesh and let it drain.
- Mash the flesh with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to a rough purée.
- Pool with olive oil, scatter parsley, and serve.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Baba Ganoush
Baba ganoush is a Middle Eastern eggplant dip, the smoky counterpart to hummus, whose entire character rests on how the eggplant is cooked. The whole eggplants are charred directly over a flame or under a broiler until the skins blacken and the flesh collapses, which does two things: it cooks the interior soft and infuses it with real smoke. That smoky flesh is then mashed with tahini, lemon, and garlic into a rough purée, deliberately kept a little coarse rather than blended slick. Draining the flesh first keeps the dip from turning watery.
The result is creamy but light, savory and smoky with the nutty depth of tahini, brightened by lemon and given a low bite by raw garlic. It's usually served pooled with olive oil and scattered with parsley, scooped up with warm pita or flatbread as part of a mezze spread alongside other small plates. Naturally vegan and on the lighter side, it works as an appetizer, a snack, or a side to grilled vegetables and meats. The technique to respect is the char: take the eggplant well past soft into genuinely blackened, because that smoke is the flavor that separates baba ganoush from a plain eggplant mash.
Baba Ganoush: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between baba ganoush and hummus?
Both are Levantine dips bound with tahini, lemon, garlic, and olive oil, but hummus is built from cooked chickpeas while baba ganoush is built from eggplant roasted or charred over flame until soft, which gives it a distinctly smoky flavor. The main difference is that base ingredient: hummus is dense, creamy, and nutty from the chickpeas, whereas baba ganoush is lighter and smokier, though its eggplant flesh often makes it more rustic rather than silkier than hummus (a well-made hummus is the smoother of the two).
What does "baba ganoush" mean?
Baba ganoush is a Levantine (commonly associated with Lebanese and broader Arab cuisine) dip made from roasted or charred eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, giving it a smoky flavor. The name comes from Arabic, where "baba" means "father" (or a term of endearment/"papa") and "ghannouj" is often interpreted as "coddled" or "pampered/flirtatious," so the name is loosely read as something like "pampered/spoiled papa" — though the exact origin of the phrase is uncertain and explanations vary. It differs from plain eggplant dips by its defining tahini content and deliberately smoky, roasted eggplant base.
Where does baba ganoush come from?
Baba ganoush is a Levantine dip of mashed roasted eggplant blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, with roots in the Arab cuisines of the eastern Mediterranean (Lebanon, Syria, and the wider region). The Arabic name (baba ghanoush) is often translated as something like "pampered/coquettish daddy," though the exact meaning is uncertain and the subject of several folk etymologies. Its defining feature is the smoky flavor that comes from charring the eggplant over an open flame or coals before mashing.
How many calories are in Baba Ganoush?
One serving of Baba Ganoush has about 176 calories, with 3g of protein, 9g of carbs, 15g of fat and 4g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Baba Ganoush gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Baba Ganoush has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Baba Ganoush take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 29 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Baba Ganoush?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out parsley, extra-virgin olive oil — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Baba Ganoush make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.