Baba ganoush, a vegetarian recipe from Lebanon

Name: Baba ganoush
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Lebanon
Ingredients: 3 medium aubergines (about 900 g); 3 tbsp tahini; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 garlic clove, crushed; ½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; Pomegranate seeds or paprika, to serve

Baba ganoush

Local name: بابا غنوج

Flame-charred aubergine flesh beaten with tahini, garlic and lemon into a silky, smoky dip finished with parsley and olive oil.

Published on 5 December 2025·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#aubergine#tahini#smoky#mezze#dip

Method

Prick the aubergines with a fork and set them directly on a gas flame, a barbecue or under the oven grill. Char for 25 to 30 minutes, turning, until the skin is completely blackened and the flesh is soft.
Put them in a colander and let them cool for 10 minutes so they drain their liquid.
Peel away all the burnt skin without rinsing, to keep the smoky flavour. Drain for a few more minutes.
Chop the flesh with a knife or mash with a fork, depending on the texture you like.
Mix with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt.
Spread on a plate, make a well in the middle, pour in a drizzle of olive oil and scatter with parsley and pomegranate seeds.

In Lebanon this tahini version is called moutabal, while baba ganoush more often means an aubergine salad with chopped vegetables. The more the skin blisters over the flame, the smokier the result.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make this without a gas hob or a barbecue?

The oven grill is the best option: put the pricked aubergines on a high shelf at full heat and turn them until the skin blisters and blackens all over. Roasting at 200°C gives very soft flesh but no smokiness at all, since the charred skin is what creates it.

Why did mine turn out runny?

The aubergine was not drained enough. Grilled flesh holds a lot of water, and mixed with tahini it stops the dip setting. Give it the full ten minutes in the colander before peeling, then let the peeled flesh drain a few minutes more, discarding the brown juice that collects.

My tahini makes it taste bitter. What can I do?

The bitterness comes from the tahini itself, either from over-roasted seeds or from a jar that has gone rancid after long storage. Taste it on its own before mixing it in. A little more lemon and salt will mask mild bitterness, but nothing rescues genuinely rancid tahini.

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Baba ganoush

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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