This Mediterranean-inspired vegan baba ghanoush made with roasted eggplant is the perfect snack with creamy texture, nutty sesame flavor and crunchy baked pita chips for dipping.
If you're an eggplant skeptic, let baba ghanoush convert you to the beauty of eggplant. It makes for a tasty and healthy dip that's versatile and goes equally well with pita chips as it does carrot or celery sticks. Yum! We can never have enough healthy snack options, can we?
(If you already love eggplant, you'll totally love our Eggplant Meatballs and Zoodle Meal prep!)
How to Make Vegan Baba Ghanoush
This comes together pretty simply. You just slice the eggplant in half, poke some holes in the flesh, and then roast it. Once it's roasted, you scoop out the flesh, and then add it to the bowl of a food processor. There, it takes a spin with a bunch of other healthy ingredients including tahini, which is a thick sauce/paste that's made from sesame seeds. (It's also a primary ingredient in hummus.)
Once the ingredients are processed together until smooth, you simply portion the baba ghanoush into the prep containers and you're good to go. It's naturally vegan and gluten-free, but if you need to keep it that way, serve it with gluten-free pita bread or chips.
Substitutions and Alterations for Vegan Baba Ghanoush
This recipe is a pretty straightforward version of baba ghanoush. That being said, you can always add a little more of one ingredient or another if you'd like to make that flavor more pronounced. Add a bit more mint, or up the earthy flavor of cumin, for example. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil, in addition to the sesame seeds.
And of course, for those of you who like garlic, add a smidge more of that if desired. The most important thing, though, when you're prepping food and cooking, is to taste as you go. So, you might find that the dip needs a little more salt, or cumin, or garlic. Or maybe you want to add some olive oil. It's up to you.
Tips for Tahini
Depending on the brand you buy, tahini can vary widely in its consistency. Sometimes it is difficult to get the tahini out of the jar. In those cases, once you scoop it out of the jar, add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to the bowl of the food processor. It will incorporate into the baba ghanoush more easily with a bit of extra liquid. (You can also use olive oil instead of water, if you prefer.)
How to Serve and Store Baba Ghanoush
A dip like this will keep for 5 or 6 days in the refrigerator. It has no dairy in it, so that helps keep it fresh for a little longer than other dips that do, like this incredible Mexican Street Corn dip.
Of course, pita wedges or crunchy pita chips are the go-to accompaniment for this Mediterranean snack, but there's a lot you can dip into this if you want to skip the carbs. We like going old-school with this and using carrot and celery sticks. Thinly sliced bell peppers would taste great, too.
READ MORE: Eggplant lovers unite! Eggplant Lasagna is calling your name!
Vegan Baba Ghanoush Ingredients:
For Baba Ghanoush
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini
- 4 medium mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for topping
For Pita Chips
- 4 oz. gluten-free pita bread, sliced into triangles (Bfree brand, if gluten free)
- Olive oil cooking spray
Ingredients
For Baba Ghanoush
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini
- 4 medium mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for topping
For Pita Chips
- 4 oz. gluten-free pita bread sliced into triangles (Bfree brand, if gluten free)
- Olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and use a fork to poke several holes in flesh. Brush with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. Using tongs, flip each eggplant and roast for 20 minutes longer. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- While the eggplant cools, reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF. Slice pita into triangles and spread on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil cooking spray, and toss to coat. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
- Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant, and discard the skin. Add flesh, garlic, tahini, mint, cumin, and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Spoon baba ghanoush into 4 snack containers and top with sesame seeds. Add pita chips tothe remaining compartments.
