This Instant Pot Baba Ganoush recipe is quick, flameless, and tastes delicious! Get the traditional flavor of a roasted eggplant dip in a fraction of the time.
What Makes This Instant Pot Baba Ganoush Recipe So Great
- Fast. Ready in under 30 minutes.
- Easy. A simple pour and cook recipe.
- Keto. Only 2 net carbs per serving.
- Vegan. Skipping the meat? No problem. This is full of protein and incredibly fulfilling.
There's a recipe for Instant Pot Baba Ganoush here that really intrigues me. I tried the basic method for my Eggplant Baingan Bharta, and honestly, the taste of that lacked for nothing. It tasted exactly as though I'd worked on it for hours over an open flame.
So I figured I'd try it for a Lebanese Baba Ganoush recipe, but I wanted to add a few ingredients to it.
Traditionally, when preparing eggplant for Baba Ganoush you pierce a whole eggplant, cover it in oil, and broil it in an oven, flipping from side to side. This takes a good 30-45 minutes.
Then you put the eggplant in a paper bag and let it steam, so the inside flesh cooks in that residual heat. Chalk up another 15-20 minutes of wait–which you could spend cleaning up the pan you just used to roast.
I have clear instructions on how to make perfect roasted eggplant here that you should also check out.
Making this Baba Ganoush recipe all in the Instant Pot held a lot of appeal. I mean, not having to go through the process of roasting the eggplant and having to peel it after it's been roasted not only saves time but makes the process far less messy. And getting a delicious eggplant dip in only 30 minutes is certainly a win for me.
Eggplant Frequently Asked Questions
The short answer is no, as you want the peel intact to keep the juices in. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to peel the eggplant after roasting if you don't want to as the peel is entirely edible, but it can be a little tough with larger eggplants
I tend to peel the eggplant after roasting as I typically mash the eggplant for most of my recipes.
You only need to salt the eggplant before roasting if you are cubing or slicing before roasting in order to get rid of some of the moisture. It's very common for people to salt eggplant before roasting it, and it's widely believed that salting before roasting can take away some of the bitterness in eggplant. In my experience, it doesn't seem to have any bearing on removing bitterness. So if you're cubing or slicing, salt away, but if you're roasting it with the skin on you can put the salt away.
Eggplant actually has a myriad of health benefits. It's chock full of nutrients like protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin K and vitamin C. It's rich in antioxidants which could help prevent heart disease and cancer. Due to the high fiber content of roasted eggplant, it can help lower blood sugar by slowing the rate of digestion and absorption of sugar in the body. Eggplant is also quite low in carbs, with only 8 grams of carbs in a 1 cup serving of chopped, cooked eggplant.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Eggplant
- Vegetable Oil
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
For Finishing
How To Make Baba Ganoush
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it's hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won't get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add the garlic, salt, and water.
- Pressure cook on High for 3 minutes, and release pressure quickly.
- If you have too much water at the bottom when you open it, turn your Instant Pot on sauté and let some of it cook away.
- Tilt the pot up slightly, and using an immersion blender, roughly purée the eggplant mix, taking care not to make baby food out of it (I mean unless you DO plan to feed it to a baby).
- Add the Tahini and liquid smoke, taste and adjust as needed.
- Pour into a bowl, top with parsley and the olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Serve with pita bread or raw veggies as a dip.
What Is Baba Ganoush Made Of?
Baba Ganoush (or Baba Ghanoush, whatever your preferred spelling may be) is a pretty straightforward dish in terms of ingredients. It consists of eggplant, tahini (also known as tahina), and lemon juice, but the ingredients can vary from recipe to recipe.
For this Instant Pot Baba Ganoush recipe, I went without the lemon juice and added in some smoked paprika and liquid smoke to give it that smokey flavor you get from using a char broil gas grill while making the recipe entirely in a pressure cooker.
How Long Does Baba Ganoush Last In The Fridge?
This eggplant dip should last about 3-5 days in the fridge when properly stored in an airtight container. But let's be honest, you're likely to finish it all up in a single sitting because it's just that good.
Looking For More Great Eggplant Recipes? Check These Out!
- Indian Baingan Bharta - Wonderfully smoky and made in your Instant Pot.
- Malai Baingan - A creamy, spicy, hearty Indian Instant Pot recipe.
- Tomato Eggplant Soup - A great vegan soup recipe.
So the next time you get the urge for some dip, put away that store-bought stuff and make yourself this delicious Baba Ganoush recipe instead! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (1) Eggplant, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise
- 1/3 cup (72.67 g) Vegetable Oil
- 5 cloves (5 cloves) Garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) Water
For Finishing
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Tahini, (sesame paste)
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Liquid Smoke
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Chopped Parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 1 sprinkle (1 sprinkle) Smoked Paprika, if desired
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it's hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won't get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add the garlic, salt, and water.
- Pressure cook on High for 3 minutes, and release pressure quickly.
- If you have too much water at the bottom when you open it, turn your Instant Pot on sauté and let some of it cook off.
- Tilt the pot up slightly, and using an immersion blender, roughly purée the eggplant mix, taking care not to make baby food out of it (I mean unless you DO plan to feed it to a baby).
- Add the Tahini and liquid smoke, taste and adjust as needed.
- Pour into a bowl, top with parsley and the olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Serve with pita bread or raw veggies as a dip.
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Nutrition
I have more Instant Pot Fast and Easy Recipes as well as Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes in my cookbooks you might want to check out, as well as other best selling cookbooks here.
Alejandra
The oil was just too much. Next time I'll prepare the eggplant in the oven. Cooking the eggplant in the IP was fine.
Nadia
Thank you for the recipe! I just made it and it is tasty! I did not use liquid smoke because I never have it in the house, but definitely put lemon juice because that's how we used to do it when I was growing up.
Based on other comments, I went against my own instinct and put a pinch of cumin but shouldn't have. Never been keen on it except in very specific dishes. Next time I'll omit it.
All in all a success. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Nancy
Oh and what if I omit the liquid smoke?
URVASHI PITRE
It just be less smoky tasting but not a bad way to test and see what you think.
Nancy
I have a whole bunch of the tiny round purple eggplants. How many should I use as a substitute?
URVASHI PITRE
I honestly am not sure. I’d guess the equivalent of 3-4 cups worth?
Victoria Kazarian
Just made it today to go with some home baked lavash. Added the cumin and lemon, as commenters suggested. So quick and now I can't stop eating it myself! The smoky flavor wasn't quite what I'm used to, but the convenience can't be beat.
URVASHI PITRE
I agree with you. It’s not as smoky as grilling. But my gosh it’s fast.
Lisa
This is fantastic--by far the best baba ghanoush I've ever made and that is what I was striving for. I added the juice of one fresh lemon and some curry and cumin. Dee-lish!
Stacy
I did just as the recipe instructs except I added 1 tsp cumin. Absolutely delicious!
B Brandt
Sorry I submitted a comment without rating the recipe. Would't want anyone to thing I gave it zero stars. I would give it 4 stars.
B Brandt
I charred over flame with skin on and then skinned slices and charred again then reduced the amount of liquid smoke. This Instant Pot method is great (since my stove is not working) BUT I must say "WHERE IS THE CITRUS"? I always add lots of lemon or lime to mine. My original recipe is from friends in the Middle East and it definitely calls for Lemon. Some places also add pomegranate syrup. I also add grated onion.
URVASHI PITRE
Now that, is an excellent idea! It might zip it right up. I will try with lemon juice and update the recipe if that works out. Thank you!
Elle
I just made this but I added the juice of 1/2 a large lemon, and also some cumin. Really good! I definitely think the acid from the lemon is a must, and it makes the eggplant sing 🙂
Shellie
I tried this and it worked great! I made one change to the recipe. I skipped the liquid smoke and sauteed eggplant in the Instant Pot. I sliced the eggplant in half and stuck in my gas oven broiler, it cooked soft and got a light char. This came out perfect for me.
URVASHI PITRE
Oh I love that idea. I do think the char under a broiler is hard to replicate in an IP.