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    Home / Appetizers & Snacks

    Oil Free Baba Ganoush

    Last updated: Jan 24, 2020 Β· Published: Apr 8, 2019 by Elizabeth Shah. This page may contain affiliate links.

    646 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    If you’re like most plant-based epicurians, you probably have a thing for hummus. I do! But did you know that there are plenty of other Mediterranean dips that are just as wonderful? This creamy, slightly smoky Oil Free Baba Ganoush is every bit as flavorful as the best oil free hummus recipe.

    oil free baba ganoush

    Recipe nutrition

    Can a dip that tastes this good really be healthy? Oh yeah. For one, unlike most traditional baba ganoush recipes, this one uses no oil. Not even olive oil. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that all oils are damaging to the endothelial lining of our arteries. And it’s pretty easy to cook without it. So why use it?

    The main star it this appetizer--the stunningly beautiful, deep purple eggplant (or 'aubergine')--is a nutrient dense food that’s high in fiber and antioxidants, and low in calories. You probably know by now that the most colorful fruits and vegetables tend to have the most antioxidents, and this is certainly true for eggplant.

    oil free baba ganoush

    Probably its most powerful antioxidant, nasunin, is found in its dark purple skin. Among nasunin’s numerous benefits are its ability to fight inflammation and oxidative stress in our bodies. This can can help us ward off diseases like cancer and premature aging.

    To optimize your baba ganoush nutrition, choose smaller, younger eggplants (their skins aren’t as tough) and don’t peel them when making your roasted eggplant dip.

    Like most recipes, this oil free baba ganoush features tahini and garlic, both of which are healthy additions to a whole food plant-based diet. Tahini, or ground sesame paste, contains healthy, immune boosting fats and amino acids. And garlic has myriad health benefits as well.

    oil free baba ganoush

    Unlike traditional recipes though, this one incorporates miso. Miso not only stands in for the oil and helps marry the flavors together, it’s a ‘green light’ salt per Dr. Greger of Nutritionfacts.org. Too much salt can lead to hypertension and stomach cancer, but the soy in miso appears to be protective. So you can use miso to add saltiness to dishes without risking your health. This is especially good news for salt lovers!

    What to eat with oil free Baba Ganoush

    Baba ganoush is traditionally served with a drizzle of olive oil and pita bread. But in a WFPB diet, we skip the oil altogether and consider baba ganoush the perfect accompaniment for sliced raw veggies.

    As mentioned above, in addition to fiber and antioxidants, this oil free baba ganoush gets healthy fat from tahini. Including some healthy fat with our veggies actually helps us better absorb their nutrients. Go dips and dressings!

    oil free baba ganoush

    This smoky, creamy oil free baba ganoush is so delicious and satisfying, it’s gonna make you want to eat more (and more!) raw veggies. To serve my roasted eggplant dip, I created this platter with overlapping layers of English cucumbers and small beauty heart radishes. I can’t imagine anyone NOT wanting to dig right in and eating up their veggies with this lovey, appetizing platter.

    oil free baba ganoush

    I’ll be taking this oil free baba ganoush platter to parties all spring and summer long. If you do too, let me know! Leave me a comment below or post your creation on Instagram and tag @healthymidwesterngirl.

    If you like this whole food plant-based recipe, you might also like:

    • Oil Free Hummus
    • Oil Free Za'atar Sweet Potato Fries
    • Inside Out Guacamole
    • Vegan Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Oil Free Mayonnaise & Aioli
    • Vegan Easy Cheezy Sauce
    • Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce

    πŸ“– Recipe

    Oil Free Baba Ganoush

    Oil free baba ganoush is a thick & creamy roasted eggplant dip with healthy fat, that's the perfect accompaniment to sliced raw veggies. Vegan, WFPBNO, GF.
    4.87 from 23 votes
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    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 80kcal
    Author: Elizabeth Shah
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    Ingredients

    • 2 medium eggplants Β½ inch sliced (peeled or unpeeled, see notes)
    • 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
    • Juice and zest of 1 large lemon about ΒΌ cup of juice. Plus more, if desired
    • ΒΌ cup tahini
    • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves plus more for garnish, if desired
    • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves plus more for garnish, if desired
    • Β½ teaspoon cumin
    • β…› teaspoon smoked paprika (or more, to taste)
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • 3-4 tablespoons water to thin while processing or use a little more lemon juice if desired. See notes
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (See notes for grilled eggplant and garlic.)
    • Place the eggplant slices and unpeeled garlic cloves on the two baking sheets, spreading them out evenly, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn over, and continue roasting on the other side about 10 or 15 more minutes, or until thoroughly cooked and very soft. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
    • While the eggplant and garlic are roasting, combine the tahini, lemon juice and zest, miso, parsley, mint, cumin and smoked paprika in in a food processor or blender. Pulse to blend and allow to rest in the food processor.
    • When the eggplant and garlic have finished cooking, peel the garlic, then add them to the food processor. Process until completely smooth and creamy, adding water and/or more lemon juice a little at a time to thin as needed.
    • Garnish with more chopped parsley and mint if desired.

    Notes

    • Eggplant skins contain a powerful antioxidant called nasunin, but can be tough, especially on larger eggplants. Look for smaller, younger eggplants if you want to leave the skin on. For this recipe, you can peel, leave unpeeled, or even peel half of the eggplant, as desired. 
    • In the summer, I love to make this recipe with grilled eggplant. Eggplant slices will cook on the grill in about 10 minutes on medium high setting. To grill garlic, I put the cloves in a foil pouch or small grill basket.
    • Since we're not using oil, you will need to thin the dip either with water or more lemon juice. I usually just use water, but you add a little more lemon juice with the water for a more lemony dip.

    Nutrition (approximate)

    Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    Tried this Recipe? Please share it!Mention @HealthyMidwesternGirl or tag #HealthyMidwesternGirl!

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    646 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathryn Morgans

      September 02, 2022 at 2:35 pm

      5 stars
      Best baba ganoush I have ever tasted! I used mint as suggested in the recipe. The whole family (who all hate aubergine) loved it too. Thank you

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        September 02, 2022 at 3:17 pm

        Wow, thanks so much for your review, Kathryn. I'm thrilled to hear this was a hit with the entire family!

        Reply
    2. Eleanor

      June 17, 2022 at 10:12 am

      I haven't tried the recipe yet - but is it 80kal person serving, so 1/8th?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        July 21, 2022 at 1:17 pm

        This recipe is 80 calories per serving.

        Reply
    3. Mark

      March 16, 2022 at 7:44 pm

      3 stars
      Nice combination of flavors, but I find the lemon a bit overpowering as it masks the flavor of the eggplant.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        March 25, 2022 at 2:34 pm

        I'm a lemon lover myself, but it's easy to cut back on the lemon if you want more eggplant flavor to shine through.

        Reply
      • Sharon

        March 27, 2022 at 9:36 am

        5 stars
        I stumbled upon your site when searching for 'eggplant dip' and so happy I did! This was delicious and I'll be making it again. Thank you for sharing and now I'll browse around for more great ideas.

        Reply
        • Elizabeth Shah

          March 28, 2022 at 2:05 pm

          Thanks Sharon, so glad you found us!

          Reply
    4. Elke

      November 10, 2021 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and it was so delicious. Will also use this as a spread in my veggie wraps. Going back to the store tomorrow to get more eggplant to make another batch. πŸ† This will be a a regular at my house. Hubby said there was a flavor explosion in his mouth. He loved it as well.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        November 11, 2021 at 10:24 am

        Hi Elke, love hearing this!!! I hope there was no damage from that flavor explosion :))))))

        Reply
    5. May

      September 08, 2021 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      I halved the recipe to use up a big Asian eggplant from our garden that would have otherwise gone bad. OMG it is SOOOO good!! Now I need to grow like twenty more eggplants πŸ˜€

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        September 11, 2021 at 1:20 pm

        Hey May! Thanks for the kind words, and you can send some of those eggplants my way!!! πŸ™‚

        Reply
      • Ang

        September 17, 2022 at 7:27 am

        I grow the small Japanese eggplants that very in size. Is there anyway you can tell me the actual weighted amount of the "2 medium eggplants" in the recipe so I can make sure I'm using the right amount?

        Reply
        • Elizabeth Shah

          September 17, 2022 at 11:39 am

          Sure, a medium eggplant weighs about 1 pound, so 2 would be about 2 pounds total. If you use smaller eggplants, you'd have more skin. This will probably be fine, but you could peel some if you want the recipe to turn out closer to the original. And of course yours are going to cook faster. Happy cooking!

          Reply
    6. Amy

      August 08, 2021 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made this last night and it came out extremely well. I used 3 medium-ish eggplants, halved them, then cooked them until very soft, about 45 minutes (I pulled the garlic at about 20 minutes). I then scooped out the insides, yielding about 2.5 cups flesh with a lot of liquid. They pureed up really nicely and I didn't need to add additional liquid, nor did I need to adjust the seasoning much.

      I did add an extra clove of raw garlic in with the cooked (I really like garlic), which tasted great, but as I woke up this morning still clearly tasting it I think I'll stick with just the roasted stuff next time.

      Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        August 15, 2021 at 6:45 pm

        You're so welcome, Amy! Glad this recipe came out well--with or without the extra garlic πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. Andra

      May 17, 2021 at 11:48 pm

      4 stars
      A bit too much lemon and tahini for me, but was still pretty tasty πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        May 23, 2021 at 5:45 pm

        Thanks Andra. Glad you enjoyed it, and it's easily adaptable to your taste by using a bit less of each. You can always add a little water, aquafaba and/or miso to replace.

        Reply
    8. Ophelia Everhardt

      March 11, 2021 at 2:03 pm

      I agree with you

      Reply
    9. Karen

      February 17, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this. I think my eggplants were too big because I needed to practically double the spices. Unfortunately, my garlic got hard in the oven, so I added some roasted garlic I made a few days before. It came out incredibly tasty. I'm really happy with it and can't wait to make it again.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        February 20, 2021 at 9:38 am

        Hi Karen, Very happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks for stopping by.

        Reply
    10. Audrey

      September 08, 2020 at 9:47 am

      This looks delicious! I have not tried it yet, but I have a lot of eggplants coming ripe at once. Can this be frozen? I can freeze my baba ganoush with oil and it is good for a year. How about this version?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        September 10, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        Yes, Audrey, you can freeze it. I'd recommend about 3 months for the best results, and you'll want to give it a good stir if it gets at all watery after it thaws.

        Reply
    11. Paula

      August 28, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      Sorry, forgot to leave the rating a moment ago.

      Reply
    12. Paula

      August 28, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      Absolutely delicious, my husband says it's the best baba ghanoush he has ever had!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        August 29, 2020 at 1:46 pm

        Hi Paula, Wow, thanks so much for the compliment! Tell your hubby I'm so glad to hear it.

        Reply
    13. Angela Goodson

      May 17, 2019 at 3:54 am

      5 stars
      I’m so excited to try this! Question: step 4, should that be β€œcooled” instead of β€œcooked” on the first line? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • elizabeth

        May 17, 2019 at 6:41 am

        Hi Angela, So glad you're going to try out this Baba Ganoush! The instructions are correct, you add the eggplant and garlic when it's cooked. I slightly changed to say 'when finished cooking' to make this clear. Thanks for your question and happy cooking!

        Reply
    14. Dave

      April 13, 2019 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      Loved the recipe!! Was a little worried about leaving the eggplant skins on, but they incorporated into the spread just fine. Great creamy texture! We enjoyed it with raw cauliflower and slices of raw sweet potato, cucumber, jicama and Granny Smith apples. Will definitely be making it often.

      Reply
      • elizabeth

        April 15, 2019 at 9:38 am

        Hi Dave! I'm thrilled that you tried this one and really liked it. I love your choice of accompaniments--I imagine the apple and jicama slices worked really well here. So creative! And I'm glad you were pleased with the extra-healthy skins-on version. Isn't it astounding how versatile whole foods can be? Thanks so much for your feedback...and for inspiring my plant-based journey. It has been nothing short of life changing, and I will be forever grateful. -Elizabeth

        Reply
    15. bilberryelf

      April 09, 2019 at 6:08 am

      5 stars
      Hahaha, I laughed so hard when I saw that they've named the antioxidant nasunin - must've been japanese researchers, since "nasu" is the japanese word for eggplant xD that was a fun fact I didn't know πŸ™‚ thank you for sharing, as well as the lovely recipe of course! Those radishes are just too cute too :3 Have a wonderful day <3

      Reply
      • elizabeth

        April 09, 2019 at 10:24 am

        Who knew? I guess you did! πŸ™‚ A bit redundant then, like chai tea? I'm a bit obsessed with beauty heart radishes lately; they make me think of spring. Peace.<3

        Reply
    4.87 from 23 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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