Baba Ganoush Recipe: Chunky, Vegan & Mixed By Hand

Q: How long does this baba ganoush recipe take?

The eggplants bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Then they cool and drain, you mix everything by hand, and it chills in the fridge for up to an hour.

Homemade Baba Ganoush, Chunky And Mixed By Hand.

A Vegan, Gluten Free Eggplant Dip With Tahini, Lemon, Garlic And Za’atar.

Very Moreish, And It Keeps At Least 3 Days In The Fridge.

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Introduction to this baba ganoush recipe

This baba ganoush recipe makes a Middle Eastern eggplant dip: baked eggplant, mixed by hand with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, za’atar and a little cayenne pepper. It’s vegan and gluten free. The eggplants bake in 15 to 20 minutes, and the dip keeps at least 3 days in the fridge.

You’ve probably had baba ganoush at a Lebanese restaurant. Pardon my ego, but I enjoy this version more than almost any I’ve had from restaurants or supermarkets. I tested and tweaked it until it was just right, and the big lesson was to keep it a little chunky.

It may not be as smoky as some you’ll buy, but I think it’s healthier, and you know exactly what’s in it. The flavour isn’t too strong, so it’s very moreish.

I keep a bowl in the fridge for snacks. With my hummus in there too, you’ve got the makings of a quick meal any time. Add my baked falafel and some flat bread, and it’s a lovely vegan meal. I especially like flat bread made from chickpea flour.

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Baba ganoush, ready to eat

Chunky homemade baba ganoush, a vegan eggplant dip, ready to eat

Chunky is best, I’ve found. It’s great with flat bread, to dip or roll up with other things.

Ingredients for this baba ganoush recipe

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

2 medium eggplants (aubergines)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
A quarter cup of tahini
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon of za’atar
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
A quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Chilli flakes, if you like it hotter (optional)

Make sure your tahini isn’t too dried out. In the UK, eggplants are called aubergines, so you’ll also see this called aubergine baba ganoush.

The baba ganoush ingredients

Garlic, tahini and other ingredients for a vegan baba ganoush recipe

Everything except the eggplant, which is in the next picture. That’s garlic at the bottom. Make sure your tahini isn’t too dried out.

How to make this baba ganoush recipe

Use these steps to make this chunky vegan baba ganoush.

Step 1: Bake the eggplants

Heat the oven to 200°C.
Wrap the eggplants in foil and bake them until soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the foil.

Step 2: Cool and drain

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and let them cool.
Scoop the flesh into a strainer over a bowl, and let the water drain away.

Step 3: Mix by hand

Mix the eggplant with the minced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, za’atar, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Mix it by hand. Don’t use your blender. Hand mixing keeps it chunky, which I’ve found tastes best.

Step 4: Chill and serve

Chill it in the fridge for up to an hour.
If you want a hotter baba ganoush, add some chilli flakes.

Some people also add yoghurt. If you do, only use dairy Greek yoghurt, because coconut yoghurt doesn’t work well here. Leave it out to keep the dip vegan.

Baking the eggplant

Eggplants (aubergines) baking for a baba ganoush recipe

Wrap the eggplant in foil and bake it until it’s soft.

Just scraped from the eggplant

Baked eggplant flesh just scraped out for vegan baba ganoush, before mixing

This is how it looks when you first scrape out the eggplant. Once you mix it by hand, it looks like the finished dip at the top.

Is baba ganoush vegan and gluten free?

This baba ganoush is both. Every ingredient comes from plants, and none of them contain gluten. Some versions add yoghurt, which makes them vegetarian rather than vegan.

If you’re coeliac, check the label on your za’atar, as you would with any spice blend. And choose gluten free bread, or vegetable sticks, for dipping.

What’s the difference between baba ganoush and hummus?

Baba ganoush is made from baked eggplant, while hummus is made from chickpeas. Both use tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, so they sit happily side by side on a plate.

If you’d like both in the fridge, here’s my hummus recipe.

Why mix baba ganoush by hand?

Mixing by hand keeps it a little chunky, and after lots of testing, I’ve found chunky tastes best. A blender makes it smooth. Give it a try both ways and see what you think.

Baba ganoush recipe: quick questions answered

How long does this baba ganoush recipe take?

The eggplants bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 200°C. Then they cool and drain, you mix everything by hand, and it chills in the fridge for up to an hour.

How long does baba ganoush keep in the fridge?

At least 3 days, so it’s handy to keep for snacks.

Can I make baba ganoush spicier?

Yes. Add some chilli flakes for a hotter baba ganoush. There’s already a little cayenne pepper in it.

What do you serve baba ganoush with?

Flat bread, to dip or to roll up with other things. I love it with hummus and baked falafel for an easy vegan meal.

Can I add yoghurt to baba ganoush?

Some people do. If you do, use dairy Greek yoghurt, because coconut yoghurt doesn’t work well here. The dip is then vegetarian, not vegan.

More Flametree Middle Eastern recipes

Making a Middle Eastern spread? Try my vegan shish kebabs, my vegan pizza with tofu and za’atar, or my baked falafel.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

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Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.