baba ganoush

Baba ganoush is easy to make, but even easier to mess up. This post shows you how to fix the most common mistakes with one simple method: double-roasting. It’s super easy and delivers rich, smoky flavor every time. Skip to the recipe if you’re convinced, or read on if you want to understand why this recipe works so well.

Baba ganoush seems straightforward enough! It’s just roasted eggplant, right? Smash it up, swirl in some tahini, and boom—you’ve got a dip.

Except, not quite. It is easy to make baba ganoush with a few simple tricks. But there are so many things that could go wrong. The biggest problem? Moisture. Eggplants are basically little water balloons. If you don’t deal with all that water, you’ll end up with a sad, soggy sludge.

Every good baba ganoush recipe deals with this problem one way or another. Some drain it after roasting. Some salt it before roasting. Some poke a million little holes in each eggplant. But most of these methods make one or two compromises:

Either:

A. They drain the flavor right along with the water, or
B. They don’t do enough to remove moisture effectively.

But fortunately there is a better way! And this way also happens to be easy and delicious.

Why double roasting makes the best baba ganoush

Let me introduce you to the magic of double-roasting. I know, it sounds like a hassle. Two rounds of roasting? Who has the time?

But stay with me—because double roasting is not only the easiest method (more on that in a sec), it’s also the most reliable way to remove excess moisture, dial up the flavor, and get a perfectly creamy texture.

Here’s how it works:

1. You roast the eggplant over an open flame until the skins get all wrinkly and burnt.
2. Then you peel those burnt skins away and split the eggplants open.
3. Next, you lay them cut-side-up on a sheet pan, and pop them in the oven for a second roast.

The second round does two very important things: It cooks off even more moisture and it adds an extra layer of roasty, smoky depth that takes the flavor from good to “how did you make this?!”

why double roasting is also the easiest method

1. It actually saves on dishes:

It seems like it would involve a lot of cleanup, but if you play your cards right, it barely makes a mess.

1. Line your sheet pan with foil, so you don’t have to wash it.
2. Skip the food processor! Double-roasted eggplant gets so buttery-soft, you can just mash it with a fork. I sometimes go the food processor route, but you truly don’t need it. You can even tear the parsley instead of chopping it if you’re really feeling the laziness.
3. You fire-roast the eggplant directly on an open flame—no skillet, no tray, no nothing. You can do this on a gas stove or grill, and as long as you don’t let the eggplant get to the point of dripping everywhere, cleanup is easy.

By my count, that results in a pairing knife, garlic press, plate, and mixing bowl! Plus a serving bowl if you’re feeling fancy. This is a much better dish situation than recipes that call for a strainer, salad spinner, or a bunch of kitchen towels.

2. It takes the guess-work out of fire-roasting

Fire-roasting sounds intimidating if you’ve never done it. How do you know when the eggplant is “done”? Is it cooked all the way through? With double-roasting, you don’t need to look for signs from the eggplant gods.

With double-roasting, you don’t need the eggplant to be cooked through in round one. You’re just trying to get a solid char and start the softening process.

Think of it like roasting marshmallows as an unsupervised eleven-year-old. You’re not aiming for golden-brown perfection. You’re lighting that thing on fire. Blacken the outside, peel it off, and toss the eggplants into the oven to finish roasting.

Other baba ganoush tips for extra flavor

1. Peel, don’t scoop

When it comes time to remove the charred eggplant skins, try to peel rather than scoop whenever possible. Here’s why:

Scooping tends to dig out just the soft, watery interior, leaving behind the golden brown layer you just worked hard to create. It’s just under that charred skin, and it’s where the magic lives. It’s smoky, concentrated, and full of depth. When you scoop, you’re often tossing out the most flavorful bits without realizing it.

Instead, start by peeling off any skin that comes off easily with your hands. If there are any stubborn patches that won’t budge, then you can scoop. And if a little skin clings here and there, that’s totally fine.

See the above photo for an idea of what you’re missing out on if you choose to scoop.

2. Use fresh garlic, but with restraint

Raw garlic adds a punch, but it can also hijack the whole dip if you’re not careful. 2 cloves might not sound like a lot, but it gives it plenty of garlicky flavor. And remember—you can always add more later.

3. Lemon and tahini proportions

If you want to cut back on either the lemon or tahini for some reason, make sure you cut back slightly on both (or add a little extra of both). They need to be in balance for the dish to have the right texture and flavor. If you cut back on the tahini without cutting back on the lemon juice, the dish will be watery and tart (even though you’re not actually adding any extra lemon). And if you cut back on the lemon juice without cutting back on the tahini, it will set up and taste very stodgy. There are plenty of great recipes for baba ganoush that don’t include tahini, but they use a lot less lemon that this recipe. Lemon and tahini balance each other out.

A note on eggplants varieties for baba ganoush:

I developed this recipe using Italian eggplants. They’re smaller than those giant American eggplants and much easier to work with. But if you have a couple American eggplants on hand, you can use them to make this recipe (as long as they are not grotesquely large). I have done so once or twice, and it worked well.

Fire-roast your eggplant first (American eggplants will take a bit longer than Italian eggplants), but when you go to split it open, think of it more like opening up a scroll rather than splitting it in half. You want as much of the inside of the eggplant to be exposed as possible. Spread it open on the sheet pan. It might look ugly, but as long as it’s in a spread-out layer, it should work great.

You can also try other varieties, but keep in mind that not all eggplants will have the right texture. But if you’re not afraid of an experiment, I say go for it! I just can’t guarantee it will turn out well. With Italian eggplants, on the other hand, it’s hard to go wrong!

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I originally posted this recipe to my blog in 2017, but I updated it and re-posted it in 2025.