Roasted Eggplant Dip
Easy roasted eggplant dip made with five ingredients – roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
I am back with a new, incredibly simple recipe! It sort of sums up my entire attitude towards cooking in the summer: simple, uncomplicated dishes that are flavorful, fresh, and highlight produce at its best.
This roasted eggplant dip is delicious, simple to make, and makes a wonderful appetizer or snack.
Favorite Types of Eggplant:
Have I told you guys how much I love eggplant? It is probably one of my favorite foods.
My favorite varieties are baby Italian, graffiti, and Japanese eggplant, which are considerably sweeter and carry significantly less seeds than standard eggplants, which can occasionally be bitter and more bland.
It took a lot for me not to just dig into the roasted eggplant halves and call it a day, but I had an ounce of self control left in me.
Instead I turned it into a dip, which I promptly dug into with a spoon. The crackers were just sort of getting in the way, what can I say? Enjoy!
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small Italian or Graffiti eggplant approximately 1¼ lbs
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch ground cayenne optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and place on a half sheet pan. Brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast the eggplant for roughly 30 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Allow the eggplant to cool on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and scoop out the flesh from the eggplant and transfer to the bowl of a large food processor bowl. Discard the skins.
- Add the garlic clove to food processor along with the eggplant. Puree the mixture until it is mostly smooth. Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cayenne (if using) and pulse several times until mostly smooth. Season to taste, adding more salt or lemon juice if needed.
- Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature with chips or crackers.
13 Comments on “Roasted Eggplant Dip”
I despise eggplant, but I got a lot of it from my CSA and didn’t want to throw it out. I ended up making this recipe, and I loved it! Never ever thought I’d say that about any eggplant recipe. Delicious!
i am eating eggplant spread while i am leaving you this comment:) back home in Romania eggplant spread it is very popular, not so healthy but damn good tasty: grill the hole eggplant, remove the skin and put theme on a strainer so they live the juice. Meanwhile i prepare homemade mayonnaise , then mix it with very fine chopped eggplants and i grated a small onion(on the fine one) and salt……they are so good on a fresh backed bread …..:)) happy cooking:)
I am SOOOO excited to make this! Did you notice I used CAPS! Eggplant is the best! Thank you 🙂
This looks and sounds just lovely!! I love eggplant 🙂
Saw this post on Foodgawker and had to come check it out. I have eggplants growing in my container garden and was worried how I would use them. This looks like it would freeze well…. what do you think?
Hi Kerry! Sorry for the late response to your question—I’m not sure about freezing the dip. If anything, perhaps roast the eggplant, puree and freeze just that and wait to make the dip when you need it. I’d be a bit worried about the water content and the texture. But definitely let me know if you try it!
This sounds so delicious! A creamy, savory dip sounds like heaven right now!
I’m going through an eggplant phase at the moment. It’s such a versatile vegetable and this dip looks like it might be the next thing I make!
Eggplant dip, with a healthy dollop of tahini is like manna from heaven – delicious. I love it with simply cooked salmon. Or Turkish bread or, maybe you had it at spoon.
Looks so creamy and delicious!!! YUM!
I always buy eggplants and then stare at them hoping for inspiration to strike. It never works and I’m super sick of eggplant parm. This looks much more like what I was hoping for, so I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of this dip this summer.
mmmmmmmmmm Eggplant!
I love this post – that photo of the eggplants is beautiful, and this dip looks so good – I can’t wait to try this recipe!