Instant Pot Baba Ganoush
This Instant Pot baba ganoush is a crowd pleasing dish you will want to make again and again. You will love this Lebanese eggplant dip for its pressure cooked flavor as well as fast preparation.
We had expected to save time by using a pressure cooker, but we were impressed with the flavor in comparison with our previous oven baked method. For our family, this Instant Pot baba ganouj is definitely the way to go from now on.
Content in this Post
Ingredients in Instant Pot Baba Ganoush
- Eggplant — large eggplants, skin on, chopped in approximately one inch cubes.
- Tahini — sesame seed paste
- Lemon Juice — freshly squeezed lemon juice is best.
- Garlic — we use one minced clove of garlic. You can use more or less depending on your preference.
- Hot Sauce — optional, we use Frank’s red hot or use a half teaspoon of cayenne.
- Salt — Himalayan, ground
- Olive Oil — cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
This recipe is inspired by Lebanese eggplant tahini dip. Our recipe is untraditional in that we pressure cook the eggplant straight away without any charring or baking of the eggplant first.
This is a personal preference as we don’t like to eat any food that is charred. In fact, this method produces a really nice flavor without any charring. If you really miss the smoky charred flavor you can add in a couple of drops of liquid smoke but we wouldn’t recommend doing so, because it is really good as is.
Health Benefits of Baba Ganouj
Baba Ganouj is a hearty vegan and gluten free dish. Adding cold pressed extra virgin olive oil also increases its heart healthiness.
Eggplants are rich in potassium and fiber. They are low calorie and contain an assortment of vitamins and minerals. Keeping the skin on ensures you won’t miss the antioxidants that are found in that part of the vegetable only. Tahini (sesame seed paste) contains healthy fat, protein and selenium.
Baba ganoush is a healthy dish in itself, but even more so when served with additional vegetables to dip.
Kitchen Tools Needed for Eggplant Tahini Dip
This dish was made in a 6 quart Instant Pot. You can also use a 3 quart or an 8 quart Instant Pot. Keep in mind though, that a 3 quart Instant Pot might only hold one diced eggplant rather than two.
How to Make Instant Pot Baba Ganoush
This recipe for Instant Pot baba ganoush can’t be simpler. The first thing is to dice and pressure cook your eggplant in a cup of water. Use HIGH Pressure for 3 minutes and a quick release! Be sure to drain and squeeze out most of the water from the eggplant. Add remaining ingredients to the pot or other deep bowl. You can use an immersion blender or transfer all of the ingredients to a food processor. I just about always use an immersion blender as I find it quick and easy, also easy to clean.
Save Time by Chopping Vegetables While Instant Pot is Cooking
The Instant Pot will naturally take a few minutes to come to pressure, as well as a short cook time of three minutes. During that time, you can prepare your vegetables to serve with your baba ganoush. Some great options are carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced cucumber, radishes, broccoli and cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers. Or you could prepare your parsley and ingredients for quinoa taboulleh.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Baba Ganouj
Baba Ganouj makes a perfect appetizer or side dish for any occasion. Serve with crudites, pita bread wedges and olives.
It is so good with any combination of salad, soup, meat, rice and vegetable dishes. I especially love it as part of a vegan meal with green goddess hummus, quinoa parsley salad (taboulleh) and red lentil soup.
For the best quick lunch you can put it in sandwich wraps with meat or vegetables, taboulleh and pickles. It’s so easy to bring some baba ganouj to work in a snack container to eat with vegetables and pita bread wedges. Or even bring some to your next potluck lunch or dinner!
Whatever you choose to do with it, you really can’t go wrong with Baba ganouj on the menu. It’s definitely a crowd favorite!
Serve eggplant tahini dip with more Lebanese inspired dishes:
- Quinoa Parsley Salad (Taboulleh)
- Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Eggplant Chickpea Stew (Maghmour) (pictured below)
- Fava Bean Hummus Dip
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice With Vermicelli
- Instant Pot Green Goddess Hummus
- Labneh Dip
Storage Tips
Keep uncooked eggplant in the refrigerator for maximum freshness. To reduce the risk of spoilage, I like to plan to cook the eggplant within a day or two of purchase. Tahini can also be kept in the refrigerator to keep it fresh for a longer time, usually many months.
Cooked baba ganoush can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. It can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to six months.
You’ll Also Love
Cooking eggplant (aka aubergine) in an Instant Pot leads to quick and delicious meals that can easily be added to your weekly rotation!
This is an easy and super comforting recipe for Instant Pot eggplant chickpea stew (inspired by Lebanese maghmour). Give it a try!
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Instant Pot Eggplant Tahini Dip (Baba Ganouj)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Eggplants, large, chopped in 1 inch pieces, skin on
- ⅓ Cup Tahini, sesame seed paste
- ¼ Cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt, Himalayan, ground
- 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce , Frank's or ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, cold pressed extra virgin
Instructions
- Add trivet (silicon or metal) to Instant Pot.
- Add diced eggplant cubes and 1 cup of water to Instant Pot.
- Fasten lid securely. Set pressure valve to SEALING and set to high pressure for 3 minutes. While the Instant Pot is cooking, you can prepare your vegetables to serve alongside this dish.
- Once complete, turn the pressure valve to VENTING and quick release the pressure. NOTE: You can complete the remaining steps of the recipe right in the Instant Pot or transfer to a deep bowl.
- Open lid and drain the water from the pot. Make sure to squeeze out most of the excess water from the eggplants.
- Add remaining ingredients except olive oil (garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, hot sauce).
- Use an immersion blender to roughly blend, just a few pulses (keep it somewhat textured) until it gets to the consistency of a dip.
- If you prefer a smoother puree you can blend for longer until you reach your desired consistency.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and optionally garnish with pomegranate arils. Serve with pita bread wedges, vegetable crudites and olives.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
