The Best Muhammara Recipe
This Muhammara recipe is simple, quick, and bursting with authentic Middle Eastern flavors. It all comes together in your food processor in just a few easy steps. Serve it as a dip, spread, or sauce for an exceptionally sweet, smoky, and savory bite!Muhammara is a traditional Syrian red pepper dip made with roasted red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses. This easy-to-make recipe is vegan and gluten-free. Enjoy it as a dip, spread, or even as a pasta sauce. It's deliciously addictive!
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized red bell peppers
- ½ cup walnuts, lightly roasted
- ⅓ cup crackers, any type of lean cracker can be used
- 3 scallions, chopped (both green and white parts)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- To roast the bell peppers: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tops of the bell peppers and remove the stems from the tops. Using a paring knife (or a spoon) take out the core. Cut the bell pepper into three pieces. Place them on the sheet pan skin side up.
- Adjust oven rack 3 to 4 inches from the broiler element (or at the top rack) and heat broiler. Broil until the skin is well charred, 10 minutes. Be sure to rotate the sheet pan halfway through.
- Place the now-charred peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it steam for 10 minutes. At this point, it is up to you to whether or not remove the skin. If you like the charred flavor, feel free to keep the skins on. If not remove and discard them. You should end up with approximately 1 cup of roasted bell peppers.
- Place crackers into a Ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Place roasted peppers, walnuts, cracker crumbs, scallions, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper into the bowl of a food's processor.
- Process until pureed, 15-20 seconds scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through processing.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve with crackers, pita bread, and/or crudites.
Notes
- Best way to store: You can store this roasted red pepper dipping sauce recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Don’t have crackers on hand? Substitute ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs, which is actually more traditional. The crumbs are necessary to absorb extra moisture, so the finished dip isn’t runny.
- Want an even more smoky flavor? Replace the sweet paprika with an equal amount of smoked paprika.
- For a vegan red pepper dip, make sure to purchase crackers that are vegan compliant.
Nutrition
Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 2gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 227mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1358IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
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