Sweet savoury and slightly smoky homemade Muhammara recipe. Muhammara is a Middle Eastern vegan dip made with walnuts, roasted red peppers, breadcrumbs, olive oil, and spices that can be prepared in no time.
Muhammara is a traditional Middle eastern hearty walnut and roasted red pepper dip. You can use it as a dip or spread. The taste of the vibrant red dip is a burst of many different flavours and textures. It's a mix of savoury, tangy, sweet, slightly smoky, and perfectly spicy hot.
This muhammara recipe is simple to make. You can enjoy this middle eastern red pepper and walnut dip with warm pita as part of a Mezze plate, on sandwiches, or on top of grilled chicken or fish.
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What is muhammara?
Muhammara is a traditional Middle Eastern dip prepared with walnuts and roasted red peppers. This dip is a staple on Mezza menus in Lebanon, and it's frequently served with toasted pita or pita bread.
The word is pronounced "mhamara" in Arabic. We don't pronounce the "u," and the "h" sound in Arabic is actually a distinct sound that sounds similar to h but isn't quite the same. The name muhammara means "red," and the bright hue you'll receive from creating the dip is aptly described.
Why we love this recipe
- Delicious and super easy to prepare
- Delicious smoky flavours
- Healthy, vegan and gluten free
Ingredients
- Walnuts – one of the main ingredients. You'll have to roast them on a panif you buy them raw. But if you don't want an extra step, you can roast walnuts.
- Breadcrumbs – this acts as thickener for the dip and makes it all rich and creamy. You can buy breadcrumbs or make them from stale bread
- Red bell peppers: you can use roasted red bell peppers from can or make freshly roasted bell peppers fresh on stove.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pomegranate molasses – if this isn't available you can substitute it with lemon and honey.
- Garlic clove
- Spices - Cumin, cayenne pepper or Chilli flakes, black pepper
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Pomegranate Molasses
To make pomegranate molasses in a small saucepan heat pomegranate juice on slow heat until it reaches a low boil. Keep cooking to reduce it on a low/medium-low heat. It will take 20-30 minutes. Allow cooling before using.
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a pan over heat and set them aside.
- You can use roasted bell peppers from can or jar. Otherwise simply place them in a preheated oven roast for 20-25 minutes at 425F. When done allow them to cool and then remove the skin, chop and remove the seeds and keep them aside.
- If you do not have oven you can simply place them over direct fire using a grill and cook them on slowest heat till charr marks appear and bell peppers are soft.
- Now in a pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add chopped onions. Saute for a bit and add , chilli flakes and 1 tablespoon tomato paste.
- Add toasted walnuts and bread crumbs. Also add salt, roasted cumin powder, and black pepper, little bit more of olive oil, mollasses, and lemon juice in a food processor.
- Blend and pulse for a few times to mix the roasted peppers. Keep the texture a little coarse side.
- Serve with fresh pita, flatbread, crackers, or your favourite vegetables.
- It tastes best fresh. You can refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Before serving Allow to cool to room temperature.
Recipe notes
- Toast the breadcrumbs and walnuts. If you have some additional time, toast the walnuts first, then toast the breadcrumbs separately in the same pan. The toasted flavour of the walnuts and breadcrumbs adds a lot to the dip's flavour.
- For this dish, make every effort to use pomegranate molasses. the sweet and tangy flavours of this ingredient gives it a distinct taste and aroma. If you can't find it, reduce some pomegranate juice in a skillet instead. You can also use lemon juice (for the tartness) and honey as a substitution (for the sweetness).
- As the flavours combine and the dip chills, it gets even better. You can serve it right away, but chilling it for an hour or more to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture improves the flavour so I would 10/10 recommend you to cool it.
Substitutions
- Instead of pomegranate molasses, you can use lemon juice and honey as the sweet and tangy addition.
Serving suggestions
It's most commonly consumed as a dip. You can serve it with
- pita chips
- pita bread
- pretzels and crackers
- Crudite
It works great as a spread. Slather it on to a toasted bread or use as a spread for sandwich. Use it in the wraps or make a grilled mozzarella sandwich with it.
You can use it as a sauce to marinade chicken, shrimp, or fish, or to toss it into a dish of pasta or a salad. It's similar to hummus in that it may be used in a variety of ways.
Storage
Muhammara can be kept in the fridge for up to one week if refrigerated properly. Some say you can freeze it, but I've never tried it because we've always been able to clean that dish!
More Such Recipes
- Homemade Tzatziki
- Guacamole Recipe
- Chilli Oil Yogurt Dip
- Lebanese Falafel Pita Pocket Sandwich
- Persian Fasenjan Recipe
- Falafel Recipe
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📖 Recipe
Muhammara Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 Red bell Peppers
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses substitution: 1tsp lemon juice +1tsp brown sugar +1tsp balsamic
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pita bread or pita chips for serving
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a pan over heat and set them aside.
- You can use roasted bell peppers from can or jar. Otherwise simply place them in a preheated oven roast for 20-25 minutes at 425F. When done allow them to cool and then remove the skin, chop and remove the seeds and keep them aside.
- If you do not have oven you can simply place them over direct fire using a grill and cook them on slowest heat till charr marks appear and bell peppers are soft.
- Now in a pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add chopped onions. Saute for a bit and add , chilli flakes and 1 tablespoon tomato paste.
- Add toasted walnuts and bread crumbs. Also add salt, roasted cumin powder, and black pepper, little bit more of olive oil, mollasses, and lemon juice in a food processor.
- Blend and pulse for a few times to mix the roasted peppers. Keep the texture a little coarse side.
- Serve with fresh pita, flatbread, crackers, or your favourite vegetables.
- It tastes best fresh. You can refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Before serving Allow to cool to room temperature.
Notes
- Toast the breadcrumbs and walnuts. If you have some additional time, toast the walnuts first, then toast the breadcrumbs separately in the same pan. The toasted flavour of the walnuts and breadcrumbs adds a lot to the dip's flavour. But it's completely optional, and the dip will still be delicious!
- For this dish, make every effort to use pomegranate molasses. the sweet and tangy flavours of this ingredient give it a distinct taste and aroma. If you can't find it, reduce some pomegranate juice in a skillet instead. You can also use lemon juice (for the tartness) and honey as a substitution (for the sweetness).
- As the flavours combine and the dip chills, it gets even better. You can serve it right away, but chilling it for an hour or more to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture improves the flavour so I would 10/10 recommend you to cool it.
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