Chef John's Baba Ghanoush

Name: Chef John's Baba Ghanoush
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 3 h 65 min
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients: 4 large Italian eggplants; 2 cloves crushed garlic; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste; 1 lemon, juiced, or more to taste; 3 tablespoons tahini, or more to taste; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt; 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste; 1 leaf fresh mint, minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Rating: 4.9 stars

52 Ratings
35 Reviews
9 Photos

No matter what you're grilling this summer, chances are good you're going to have more hot coals than food to cook on it, which makes baba ghanoush the perfect post-barbecue recipe. This is a wonderfully savory yet refreshing vegetable dip.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

30 mins

cook:

15 mins

additional:

3 hrs 20 mins

total:

4 hrs 5 mins

Servings:

Yield:

6 cups

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Prick the surface of the skin of eggplants several times with the tip of a knife.

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Step 2

Place eggplants directly on grill. Turn frequently with tongs while skin chars. Cook until eggplants have collapsed and are very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to cool, about 15 minutes.
Step 3

When eggplants are cool enough to handle, split them in half and scrape flesh into a colander placed over a bowl. Drain 5 or 10 minutes.
Step 4

Transfer eggplant to mixing bowl. Add crushed garlic and salt; mash until creamy but with a little texture, about 5 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and cayenne pepper. Stir in yogurt.
Step 5

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, 3 or 4 hours. Taste to adjust seasonings. Stir in mint and parsley.

Cook's Note:

You can cook the eggplant any way you want, but charcoal is my favorite. Next best would be cooked over a gas burner, but that can really mess up your stove, so I guess the real next best is baked at 400 F. until they collapse, and get very soft.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

111 calories; protein 3.1g; carbohydrates 14.5g; fat 5.9g; cholesterol 0.2mg; sodium 331.1mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (35)

Most helpful positive review

lkkharrat

08/04/2018

Take it from a Lebanese. The recipe deserves a 5 stars if you remove the yogurt and the cayenne. I don’t like it when people doctors a perfect recipe. We invented the humus and baba ghannouge. I understand people like to put their own twist on recipes but the baba ghannouge should be left alone because it’s perfect. Read More

Helpful

(26)

Most helpful critical review

bonnie

10/24/2017

Pretty good but it makes alot Read More

52 Ratings

5 star values: 48
4 star values: 3
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

lkkharrat

08/04/2018

Helpful

(26)

Danaleigh

10/21/2017

Wow! So good. I cut the eggplant in half lenthwise and baked them on a cookie sheet at 450 for about 25-30 minutes. Then followed the recipe from there. Delicious! Read More

Helpful

(19)

chef dad

11/28/2017

THE best baba ganoush I have ever eaten, bar none. Didn't know eggplants had sex....gender....you know what I mean. Ate it for 2 days straight...wowzer it was good. I only use 2 eggplants and it was enough for over a week with 4 people. used everything as noted Read More

Helpful

(9)

Deborah Smith

02/11/2018

Mine came out just like Chef John's photo. The Greek yogurt really makes that flavor I am accustomed to in Baba Ghanoush. Not every mid-eastern restaurant does it this way, and it is sometimes too tart and sour. This is PERFECT! I only want to add that you should add tahini and the lemon juice a bit at a time for your personal taste. Read More

Helpful

(5)

Ronna

03/24/2018

Fantastic as-is! My eggplants were small, though, so I didn't get much dip and had to adjust the other ingredients. In the future, I'll make a lot more. I roasted the eggplants in the oven - 45 min, 400F. Read More

Helpful

(2)

Angela

11/24/2015

Awesome! Read More

Helpful

(2)

Kathy

08/13/2017

Delicious! will make again. Read More

Helpful

(2)

Julie S.

10/26/2017

I've made this recipe twice and my husband loves it. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and the baba ghanoush was delicious. The second time I was bold and made several recipe modifications with equally good results. Instead of two minced cloves of garlic I used half a dozen cloves of roasted garlic. As I found I didn't have any plain greek yogurt I substituted Mexican crema. I also added maybe 1/2 t. of cumin. Read More

Helpful

(1)

Susan Rinehart

10/22/2020

Exceptionally great easy recipe. I added grilled jalapeño peppers for a spicy taste. Read More

Helpful

(1)

bonnie

10/24/2017

Pretty good but it makes alot Read More

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- of Reviews

Chef John's Baba Ghanoush

Servings Per Recipe: 12
Calories: 110.8

% Daily Value *

protein: 6 %

carbohydrates: 5 %

dietary fiber: 32 %

sugars:

fat: 9 %

saturated fat: 4 %

cholesterol:

vitamin a iu: 3 %

niacin equivalents: 17 %

vitamin b6: 13 %

vitamin c: 13 %

folate: 14 %

calcium: 4 %

iron: 5 %

magnesium: 13 %

potassium: 16 %

sodium: 13 %

thiamin: 17 %

calories from fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Reviews for: Photos of Chef John's Baba Ghanoush

1 of 35

All Reviews

lkkharrat

08/04/2018

Helpful

(26)

Danaleigh

10/21/2017

Wow! So good. I cut the eggplant in half lenthwise and baked them on a cookie sheet at 450 for about 25-30 minutes. Then followed the recipe from there. Delicious!

Helpful

(19)

chef dad