As an ultra fan of hummus, I proclaim this roasted eggplant hummus the second-best thing. You can char or bake the whole eggplant which gives it a smoky, deep flavor that is just fabulous! Ready in 45 minutes, it's a flavorful and healthy dip recipe!
I can eat hummus every single day. Or something along those lines. I am a true fan. And used to be a purist. i would stick to the original recipe I got from a friend, with real chickpeas (not from a can), tahini, no oil in the mix but only to serve, and so on.
Despite my efforts, other ingredients (avocado hummus anyone?) found their way into it and I was declared a hummus fake. Well, it didn't matter much as I get to eat this eggplant hummus. So it's a definite win.
Before we dive into this super easy recipe, should we say it's eggplant hummus or chickpea baba ganoush?
The eggplants
I use Italian eggplants (image above) which are the most common and popular.
When raw they are bitter and astringent and a bit sandy. Not much to like in my opinion. And I can't think of a good way to eat them raw. But bake or char them, and boom! they become this fantastic soft, fleshy thing, with a smoky flavor. A sexy thing.
- How to choose good eggplants: they should be firm, have a shiny and smooth surface, and be even colored.
For other eggplant varieties check out this link.
How to cook the eggplants
As I mentioned above, they can be baked in the oven or charred in an open flame.
Charring:
This is my absolute favorite way of cooking eggplants for hummus. Why? Because the smoky flavor is much deeper. And I think that is what makes all the difference. And it's done in 10 minutes or so.
- Put the whole, unpeeled, raw eggplant over an open flame, a burner in this case, but you can do it in the grill too. It will be somewhat messy if you do it directly, with bits of charred skin falling off the eggplant, and sticking to the burner or grill. But that is cleaned in no time after you're done. Trust me. I wouldn't do it this way if I had to spend ten minutes scrubbing the burner afterward.
- You can cover the burner with aluminum foil or use a heat diffuser, necessary if you have an electric stove. I do it directly and then clean it up with a wet cloth. It takes thirty seconds.
- The skin starts to char and, with the help of kitchen tongs, you turn it periodically so that all sides char.
- It might take more or less depending on the size of the eggplant, so it's best to use a low/medium flame. You need to cook the inside before the skin becomes a mess. Make sure the inside is soft. You can feel it when you poke with the same tongs.
- You need to keep turning and holding it over the flame until it's all charred and soft. It doesn't matter if in some parts the skin falls and the flesh is directly over the flame.
- The charred skin is then easily taken off with a spoon or smooth bladed knife. The pulp is chopped before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
These are the kitchen tongs I use and love.
Baking:
Another way of cooking the eggplants is by baking them in the oven. This is probably the most common way.
The results are also great.
- I like to line the oven pan with aluminum foil so I don't have to scrub it afterward.
- The eggplant is cut in half and a crisscross pattern made with the tip of a knife. Some freshly ground pepper, a little salt, a drizzle of olive oil (image above, left), and into the oven for 45-60 minutes.
- It takes a while, much more than the charring does. But the flavor is amazing.
- Garlic: the recipe calls for roasted garlic cloves, so I just pop the whole head of garlic, top cut off (image above), and drizzle with olive oil.
Once the eggplant is roasted long enough for the flesh to darken and soften, the pulp comes off easily with a spoon.
This is the best way if you have other things to do while making this step. You simply pop the pan in the oven and wait.
It's really hard to overbake the eggplant, though you might need to check on the garlic clove as it will be ready before.
- I prefer the charring method, but don't get me wrong, both make a super flavorful eggplant hummus.
Mixing it
This step is as easy as putting all the ingredients in a bowl and processing them until smooth.
- Immersion blender: this is my favorite way because it's fast and I can use any jar or bowl to do it.
- Blender: I like how it makes it ultra smooth, but it's hard to take all of the hummus from the jar after it's blended.
- Food processor: this will make a chunkier or not-so-smooth hummus in my experience. Which is great if you're going for a more rustic dip.
Top tips
- Eggplants: use firm, unblemished, shiny ones. Those are signs of a good eggplant.
- Charring: if you use this method, it's better to use medium/small eggplants because they will soften inside faster.
- Ratios: I give you my favorite recipe, but the ratio of eggplant, garlic, and other ingredients can be varied according to your taste. I like it with a lot of eggplant pulp and that means more lemon. the same with salt and pepper. Your taste is what matters.
- Keeping: it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator, well wrapped.
- Uses: it's a great spread for sandwiches, as a dip before a meal with pita chips and for wraps.
- Dried garbanzo beans: if using dried beans put ¾ cup dried chickpeas in a medium bowl, cover with water almost to the top of the bowl, and soak overnight. Drain, put in a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until soft, about 1 hour. Drain and cool. Makes 2 cups cooked chickpeas.
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Eggplant Hummus
Ingredients
For the hummus:
- ¼ cup tahini, sesame seed paste
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ to ½ cup warm water
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained if canned or ¾ cup dried and cooked until tender (see notes, below)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roasted eggplant pulp, about 1 medium
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, for garnish
- Smoked or regular paprika, for garnish
- Chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
For the hummus:
- Put tahini, lemon juice, water and garlic in cup of immersion blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Cover and process until smooth.
- Add chickpeas, eggplant pulp, salt and pepper and process until smooth. If necessary scrape down sides of bowl and add a bit more water.
- The mixture will thicken when it is refrigerated. Check seasoning.
- Put the hummus into a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
- To serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika and parsley if using. It keeps fora week in the refrigerator.
For the eggplant:
- Charring method: put 1 medium whole washed eggplant directly on the burner flame.
- The skin starts to char and, with the help of kitchen tongs, you turn it periodically so that all sides char
- It might take more or less depending on the size of the eggplant, so it's best to use a low/medium flame. You need to cook the inside before the skin becomes a mess. Make sure the inside is soft. You can feel it when you poke with the same tongs.
- You need to keep turning, even hold it over the flame until it's all charred and soft. It doesn't matter if in some parts the skin falls and the flesh is directly over the flame.
- Baking method: cut eggplant in half and put on an oven pan lined with aluminum paper (for easier cleaning).
- Score each half in a criss-cross pattern, drizzle with olive oil, and add some salt and black pepper.
- Roast in a 180ºC / 350ºF oven for about 45 minutes, until the pulp is soft.
- Let cool and scrape the pulp with a spoon.
Notes
- Eggplants: use firm, unblemished, shiny ones. Those are signs of a good eggplant.
- Charring: if you use this method, it's better to use medium/small eggplants because they will soften inside faster.
- Ratios: I give you my favorite recipe, but the ratio of eggplant, garlic, and other ingredients can be varied according to your taste. I like it with a lot of eggplant pulp and that means more lemon. the same with salt and pepper. Your taste is what matters.
- Keeping: it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator, well wrapped.
- Uses: it's a great spread for sandwiches, as a dip before a meal with pita chips and for wraps.
- Chickpeas or garbanzo beans: if using dried beans put ¾ cup dried chickpeas in a medium bowl, cover with water almost to the top of the bowl, and soak overnight. Drain put in a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until soft, about 1 hour. Drain and cool.
Makes 2 cups cooked chickpeas. - These are the kitchen tongs I use and love.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Just tried this recipe and LOVED IT! Thank you for sharing!
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you liked it Shadi!
Traci says
I absolutely love eggplant and chickpeas together… It's the best of both worlds! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Julia says
I absolutely love hummus - either the real deal or mixed/substituted with other ingredients so putting this on my menu for next week! Yum!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I just rediscovered your blog....someway along the line you disappeared from my reader. Love baba ganoush and hummus and this sounds like a great combination of the two. I've spent about an hour pinning lots of recipes that I have missed. 😀
Paula Montenegro says
So nice to see this comment Karen! Have a great week!
Cocoa and Lavender says
Eggplant is soooo underutilized in my opinion. This sounds fantastic - and healthy, too. The crackers are amazing looking,,, ~ David
kale says
that is too funny, because I love red pepper but I ALWAYS have some left over too! super smart cleaning out the fridge tips! I hate wasting food.
Laura Dembowski says
Love the idea of eggplant hummus. I'm not typically a hummus fan but the addition of eggplant sounds great! Such a good idea to use up leftover doughs too!
Liz : strayed from the table says
I love cleaning out the fridge, like you most of the things end up in soup or sauces. I never think to make dip with the leftovers. I do like the combination of eggplant, chickpeas, tahini and lemon.
Kate@Diethood says
YUMMO!! I love this... homemade crackers, homemade hummus...it just doesn't get better!
Carol | a cup of mascarpone says
The eggplant hummus is driving me crazy...love it, Paula! I MUST make this - and soon!!!
thelittleloaf says
I love the idea of adding aubergine to hummus - two delicious dips combined!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Paula,
I love this "cleaning the fridge" series b/c it's so practical. Now that we are cooking so often, I have so much food and leftover stuff in the fridge and I hate wasting food. . . I love these whole wheat dough crackers. . and eggplant hummus?! How have I never tried this?! OMG, I need to make this this week! LOVE!
Savory Simple says
I always have too many leftover veggies. Great way to use them up!
yummychunklet says
What great little crackers!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
Eggplant and chickpea are two of my favorite ingredients. And your whole wheat crackers look so delicious! This would be such a perfect midday snack!
Guru Uru says
I wish I had your fridge to clean my friend, this is brilliant 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Deb says
You have the best leftovers ever! The crackers look ready for cocktail hour! Great ideas with fantastic results!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Now that's a snack! I've made hummus and I've made baba ganoush, but never combined the two. Looks fabulous.
Caroline - All That I'm Eating says
What a great thing to make from clearing out the fridge. I like how it's a baba ganoush and a hummus of sorts.
Jeannie Tay says
Morsels of deliciousness! Love the look of those crackers~ bet it taste good with that hummus!