Description
Muhammara is a vibrant Middle Eastern roasted red pepper dip featuring a delightful blend of toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and warm spices. This flavorful dip offers a perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and tangy notes combined with a rich, nutty texture, making it a delicious addition to mezze platters, sandwiches, or grain bowls. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s an easy and healthy recipe that elevates any meal or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Peppers
- 1 (16-ounce/450g) jar roasted red bell peppers (OR 3 medium/large fresh red bell peppers)
Nuts & Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup (112g) walnuts
- ½ cup (40g) panko breadcrumbs, fresh breadcrumbs, or fine breadcrumbs
Other Ingredients
- 1 fat clove garlic, chopped (or 2 regular sized cloves)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons pure pomegranate molasses
- ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper (use 1 tsp for mild heat)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or heaping ½ tsp sea salt)
- 1 small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped or torn (or flat-leaf parsley)
- 1 small handful pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Prepare Peppers: Drain the jarred roasted red peppers without rinsing to avoid watering down the dip. Pat dry with a clean towel to remove excess moisture, then tear into pieces by hand. If using fresh bell peppers, roast and peel them before use as described in Note 1.
- Toast Walnuts and Breadcrumbs: Set aside 1 or 2 walnuts for garnish and finely chop them. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast for 3 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add breadcrumbs and toast together for 3 more minutes until walnuts are aromatic and breadcrumbs are golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat promptly.
- Process Walnut Mixture and Garlic: In a food processor, combine the toasted walnut-breadcrumb mixture with chopped garlic. Blend until the mixture breaks down into fine crumbs.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add drained roasted peppers, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and salt to the food processor. Use the pulse function repeatedly until the dip reaches a mostly smooth but slightly chunky texture. Adjust seasoning as needed with extra pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, or salt.
- Serve and Garnish: Transfer the dip to a serving plate and use the back of a spoon to create decorative waves. Drizzle with quality olive oil and garnish with the reserved finely chopped walnuts, fresh mint leaves, and pomegranate seeds.
Notes
- Using jarred roasted red peppers is convenient and ensures consistent smoky flavor, but roasting fresh peppers enhances the dip’s freshness and complexity. To roast fresh peppers, char them on a grill or open flame until blackened, then place in a sealed container to steam and loosen skins before peeling.
- Panko or fine fresh breadcrumbs absorb moisture and add a subtle texture to the dip. Avoid stale or overly large breadcrumb pieces to keep the dip smooth.
- Pure pomegranate molasses provides essential sweetness and tang. Substitute with a mix of pomegranate juice reduced to syrup or a blend of honey and lemon if unavailable, though flavor will vary.
- The level of Aleppo pepper controls the heat intensity; adjust according to preference. For a milder version, use 1 teaspoon, for more heat increase up to 2 teaspoons.
- Enjoy Muhammara as a dip with warm pita bread, a spread on sandwiches or wraps, or as a flavorful topping on grain bowls or salads.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons (approx. 30g)
- Calories: 189
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 354.2 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.56 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
