Muhammara is a Middle Eastern dip made from roasted red bell peppers. It's tangy and smoky with a tiny bit of heat. It's totally addictive!
Fellow bloggers: tell me, has this ever happened to you? You've come up with an idea for a recipe, then tested and wrote the recipe. You've even fully photographed the food with the intent to put the recipe on the blog, but then you just kind of forget about it.
Or maybe you thought that you wrote and published said blog post, but actually hadn't?
That's what happened to me with this Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Muhammara). I took these photos MONTHS ago. Then the other day, I searched my blog to find the recipe - I was sure it would be there. But nothing.
I quickly checked my post drafts. Nope. I immediately blamed the internet, because it must not be my fault. Wrong again. I checked my photo folders, and there they were. One photo was edited, but the rest just sitting there, completely forgotten.
What is Muhammara?
Muhammara is a slightly spicy Middle Eastern dip made from ground walnuts, roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs (you can use gluten free breadcrumbs to make yours gluten free if needed).
I have made this muhammara many times. I love that it's a little sweet, but slightly smoky from the charred red peppers. There's also just a little bit of heat from the cayenne. Plus the ground walnuts and bread crumbs give it a nice, thick texture.
My favorite thing to dip in it is homemade pita bread (store bought is fine too if you have access to good, very fresh pita). It's also good with fresh, raw veggies or crackers.
You could even make a large batch of roasted red peppers at once, and store the leftovers in the freezer for the next time you need some fresh muhammara. And yes, it does work with canned roasted red peppers (usually packed in water in a jar, you might find them near the pickles in your grocery store), but the dip might turn out a little more watery. Make sure you dry them off very well if you choose to use them.
How to make Muhammara:
Making this addictive dip will take a little bit of time, because the red bell peppers need to be roasted first. This helps give the dip it's smoky flavor. You'll also need a blender or food processor to puree the ingredients together.
Muhammara Ingredients:
- Red bell peppers - alternatively, you can skip roasting them yourself if you're in a rush, and buy roasted red bell peppers in a jar. Just make sure you dry them very well.
- Walnuts
- Bread or cracker crumbs - Use gluten-free crumbs to make your muhammara gluten-free
- Pomegranate molasses - find it online, or in well-stocked grocery or specialty stores, typically in the Middle Eastern section.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Ground cumin
- Cayenne
Want more dip recipes?
Muhammara Nutrition Notes:
Although muhammara is made mostly from roasted red peppers, it is still high in calories due to the generous amounts of walnuts and olive oil in the recipe. However, these are healthy sources of fat, and overall this dip is a better choice than others made with saturated fat (like cheese or dairy-based dips).
Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Muhammara)
Equipment
- Food Processor or blender or immersion blender
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large red bell peppers
- 1 cup walnuts toasted
- ¼ cup bread or cracker crumbs (use gluten free bread to make your dip gluten free)
- 3 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses (see note)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Cut tops and bottoms from 4 medium to large red bell peppers. Remove the core and seeds from the peppers and slice the main part of the pepper to form one long strip. Remove the stem from the tops of the peppers. Arrange all the pieces on a baking sheet covered with foil.
- Move oven rack to highest level and roast peppers under the broiler until skin becomes black and bubbled in spots (7-10 minutes).
- Remove peppers from oven and transfer to a bowl. Cover with foil and allow to steam for at least 10 minutes. Peel skin from cooled roasted pepper pieces (don't worry if there are small pieces of skin that you can't remove - your muhammara will be great as long as you remove the majority of the skin)
- Combine the peeled bell pepper pieces, 1 cup walnuts, ¼ cup bread or cracker crumbs, 3 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne in a food processor, blender or large bowl. Pulse in the food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) to puree the ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until chilled. Serve with fresh pita, pita chips, crackers and/or raw vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Maureen says
Hi, I would love to try your Muhamarra recipe but am allergic to walnuts - what would you suggest as a substitute, please?
Carissa says
Pecans are the obvious culinary answer, as they have the most similar taste and texture. However, if you're also allergic to those, I would try sunflower or pumpkin seeds. The taste will be different, but you'll get a similar texture.