Instant Pot Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)
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This Instant Pot baba ganoush will be your new go-to Instant Pot eggplant recipe! So creamy and flavorful, it tastes amazing!
Ever had that creamy eggplant dip, baba ganoush, at a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant and loved it? Looking for a new, difference and delectable dip for a party? Try this quick and oh-so easy Instant Pot Eggplant Dip – you’ll be in healthy gourmet heaven!
This Instant Pot eggplant dip is simply my classic baba ganoush recipe adapted to the Instant Pot! Instead of baking eggplant in the oven, you simply let the Instant Pot cook the eggplant twice as fast as the oven!
Baba Ganoush, say that three times. It’s such a fun word! The name has a delightful sound to it but what’s even better is the taste of this creamy eggplant dip. And your Instant Pot makes it a breeze to whip up. It’s rich and almost nutty tasting, with a touch of garlic. It’s the type of appetizer dish you’ll want to dig into with a slice of pita!
I’m told that In Arabic, “baba” means father and “ghanoush” means spoiled. The name of this Eggplant Dip comes from an old tale about a daughter who made mashed up a cooked eggplant for her toothless old father. Toothless or not, he was treated well with this one!
If you’ve been hesitant about eggplant in the past, let this Instant Pot Eggplant Dish be a gateway to eggplant, an ambassador from the other side. If you are like most folks, once you try a bite of this, on piece of pita bread, a cracker, or a crunchy veggie, you will be hooked. You may even hear your taste buds (or are those angels? ) singing?
This silky, flavorful dip is a wonderful, and healthy, addition to an appetizer tray. Make extra, because I can guarantee that everyone is going to be ladling this Instant Pot Eggplant Dip onto their plates!
How can something this good also be so good for you? Let me count the ways, as I savor yet another bite of my Instant Pot Eggplant Dip: It’s lower in calories and carbs than your old favorite, hummus – only about 120 calories in a ¼ cup serving. Its gluten free and vegan. Eggplant is full of nasurin, a powerful antioxidant that helps improve the flow of blood to your brain and also protects brain cell membranes from free radicals. Eggplant is high in vitamin C, which supports your immune system, and also contains anthocyanins which support heart health. It’s also a good source of fiber.
Tip: when you’re selecting eggplant, pick one that is firm, not hard or squishy. Look at the skin – it should be taut, shiny, and glossy – not dull or wrinkled or with spots or blemishes. And lastly, pick one that seems heavy for its size. Eggplants don’t keep long, so make your Instant Pot Eggplant Dip within a couple of days of buying your eggplant. If you’ve never used tahini (sesame seed paste) before, you can find it in Middle Eastern markets and health food stores; many grocery stores have started carrying it as well, either in the peanut butter / nut butter section or the “International Foods” area.
Try this Instant Pot Eggplant Dip as a sandwich spread with some soft cheese and crunchy veggies, like cucumber slices. It’s also great served alongside grilled chicken and/or grilled vegetables. You’ll be licking the bowl! Good thing it’s so quick and easy to make!
If you like this Instant Pot Baba Ganoush, you will also love these easy Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Lobster Tails -treat yourself to a lobster dinner at home thanks to your Instant Pot! Lobster is ready in less than 5 minutes!
Instant Pot Corn On The Cob In The Husks – omg this is perfect for lazy people :) Cook the corn in its husk and then it will slide right off!
Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli – Chinese takeout fakeout! So easy to make and tastes amazing!
Instant Pot Asparagus – perfectly cooked in minutes, you are going to love cooking asparagus in your Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Pasta – once you try cooking pasta in your Instant Pot, you’ll never make it any other way! Perfectly cooked pasta and you don’t even need to drain it!
Instant Pot Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 cup water
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp tahini can substitute with sour cream or yogurt
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika or pepper
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
Instructions
- Put eggplant and water in the Instant Pot. Close the lid and turn the valve to Sealing position. Press the "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" button and set the time to 20 minutes.
- When the eggplant is done cooking, quick release (QR) the steam and open the lid.
- Drain the eggplant and let cool until cool enough to handle.
- Remove and discard the skin of the eggplant (the skin will slide right off).
- Put the eggplant flesh, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and paprika in a food processor and process until smooth.
Nutrition
Please don’t ever substitute sour cream or yogurt for tahini. They are nothing alike. If you want to make authentic baba ganoush, you MUST use tahini. Otherwise it’s just “eggplant dip.” I do look forward to trying this recipe, though. Seems much easier than roasting the eggplant on the grill like my mother and aunts used to, though I worry that some of the delicious smoky flavor might be lost with this convenient method.
Maybe add some liquid smoke.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried it last night and am very happy with the results.
This was great. Quick and easy with a very authentic flavor. I don’t like tahini all that much, and didn’t want to buy a can. Substituting yogurt worked well. Great tip!
The base of the eggplant salad is salt, pepper, and lemon juice. To this base, you can add grated onions and oil and make one type of salad or onions and mayo for another variation, or garlic, oil, and tahini for another.
Do I put the eggplant on a trivet or right on to the bottom of the instant pot with the water? Thanks!
I put mine directly in the water, but you can do it on a trivet too if you’d like.
Can I process this in a vitamix? I don’t have a food processor. p.s. love your eggplant garlic recipe.
Yes! Any blender will work.
The second time I have made this and WOW it is really great.
Really really good and super simple. I had my doubts when I opened the instant pot and saw that the aubergine was cooked to pulp but the end result is so yummy.
YUM! Really easy! Put the eggplant in a steamer basket. Used peanut butter because I’m out of tahini. Added a few good dashes of aleppo pepper for some extra spice.