Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

Muhammara is a finger licking tasty roasted red pepper dip from Syria that is so healthy and easy to make. Packed with flavor and nutrients, this vegan recipe requires few ingredients. Use it as a dip, sandwich spread or to top flat breads.

A great dip to go in your collection with Creamy Hummus and Mast O Khiar (Yogurt Cucumber Salad ).

 What is Muhammara?

Muhammara is a hot red pepper dip, said to have originated from Aleppo, Syria and now popular in Levantine and middle eastern cuisines. It is made with red peppers, walnuts, bread crumbs, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, cumin, Aleppo red pepper flakes, garlic and olive oil.

It is great as a traditional dip with pita chips. But I also love it on plain sourdough or French bread. And fantastic with a little bit of cream cheese on bagels.

Traditionally muhammara is sometimes spread on flat breads to make something similar to manakish, the flatbreads made with zaatar.

How to Make It

1. Arrange the red bell peppers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
2. Roast the peppers at 425 degrees F until soft, well cooked and the skin is charred.
3. In a preparation bowl, cool the roasted bell peppers and peel the skin and remove the seeds.
4. Slice the roasted peppers into strips and place in a food processor.
5. Process roasted bell peppers with bread crumbs, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, red pepper flakes (if using, see note), cumin and grated garlic until slightly coarse.
6. Add finely chopped walnuts, Turkish red pepper paste (if using, see note), olive oil, some salt and process to combine well.
7. Transfer the muhammara dip into a  serving bowl and drizzle olive oil and garnish with chopped mint or chives and walnuts.

Cooking Expertise from Aleppo 

Incidentally I met a fine lady from Aleppo, Syria after I made this recipe. I excitedly mentioned to her about my recipe preparation and she shared with me several tips and experiences while making this dip here in the US.

She processes the red bell pepper pieces through a meat grinder and spreads it in a layer on a baking sheet and roasts the mixture in the oven.

The juices collected while grinding the peppers are separated and concentrated in a sauce pan over the stove and added back to the ground red peppers and mixed. Large batches of this mixture are portioned and frozen to use as needed. (I have not tried this myself).

In Aleppo, ground red peppers are sun dried and stored for use in winter time to make Muhammara. So she has found that the above method was the closest approximation for having a quick and ready source to make her favorite dip from Aleppo.

Pro Tips

• Use bright red and firm peppers. I roasted and removed the skin, since the bread crumbs and walnuts add texture. However, you can also skip the step of removing the skin except for the charred areas.
• Adjust the quantity of lemon juice, pomegranate molasses or even cumin and garlic to your taste preference, if needed.
• Muhammara is traditionally made using mortar and pestle and has a slightly coarse texture. So stirring finely chopped walnuts in the end will give you that texture. You may however, make it as a smooth dip if you prefer.
• Using only the pulse action in a food processor helps retain a slightly coarse texture and prevents the mixture becoming too smooth.
• One secret ingredient I used is readymade Turkish red pepper paste, which gives a nice deep flavor, texture and color to muhammara. It is available as hot or mild paste. And the lady from Aleppo told me that she does the same too!
• If using the Turkish red pepper paste, you may need to adjust or skip using the red pepper flakes or it may become too spicy hot.
• Ready made roasted red peppers may be used to substitute fresh peppers if necessary.
• Pomegranate Molasses: you can easily find this at middle eastern stores, whole foods and international sections of several grocery stores. Alternatively, you may concentrate pomegranate juice by evaporating. 

Is Muhammara Healthy?

Muhammara is a nutrient dense dip. Packed with omega-3 rich walnuts, it offers plenty of heart healthy fats. The peppers used for muhammara are a rich source of carotenoids, vitamin C and antioxidant nutrients. The other condiments used in the recipe further elevate the taste and nutrition profile of the dip.

What can you Serve With Muhammara?

• You can serve it as a dip with pita chips, crackers and fresh crisp vegetables.
• It works great as a sandwich spread. Adds an incredibly delicious flavor. Try it with paninis and wraps.
• You could top it on flat breads as a sauce and put other toppings on it.
• Make it into a thinner and smooth sauce for pizza and pastas.

Variations

• Vegan: Use vegan bread crumbs
• Gluten Free: Use gluten-free bread crumbs
• Nut Free: Replace walnuts with sunflower, pumpkin or hemp seeds.
• Other Options: Some people use tomato paste to add a bright color and smooth texture and/or to replace the sweet tangy pomegranate molasses. I always have the muhammara ingredients handy, so I never use tomato paste and personally prefer the traditional ingredients. 

More Delicious Dips

• Butter Bean Mash Dip
• Mast O Khiar (Persian Cucumber Yogurt)
• Tangy and Spicy Walnut Red Pepper Chutney
• Mast O Musir (Persian Yogurt Dip with Shallots)
• Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant Dip)

Full Recipe Tutorial Video

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5 from 11 votes

Muhammara

Full tutorial video above. Muhammara is a finger licking tasty red pepper dip from Syria that is so healthy and easy to make. Packed with flavor and nutrients, this vegan recipe requires few ingredients. Use it as a dip, sandwich spread or to top flat breads.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

1x2x3x

Print SaveSaved!

Course :Appetizer

Cuisine :Middle Eastern

Servings: 16 (2 tablespoon each)

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Roxana Begum

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 red bell peppers large
• ▢ ¾ cup bread crumbs (vegan or gluten free as needed)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• ▢ 1½ tablespoon Aleppo red pepper or regular red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic small, grated
• ▢ ¾ cup walnuts very finely chopped
• ▢ 3½ tablespoon red pepper paste Turkish (optional)
• ▢ 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoon mint or chives, fresh, chopped

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking Sheet
• ▢
  Preparation Bowl
• ▢
  Food Processor

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the red bell peppers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast for about 35 to 45 minutes.
• Turn the sides of peppers at least once, and roast until they are soft, well cooked and the skin is charred.
• Transfer the roasted bell peppers to a preparation bowl and cover with a cling wrap. Once cooled, peel the skin and remove the seeds.
• Cut the roasted peppers into strips or pieces and place in a food processor. Add the bread crumbs, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, red pepper flakes (if using, see note), cumin and grated garlic.
• Use the pulse option on the food processor and process the ingredients into a slightly coarse but cohesive mixture.
• Next, add finely chopped walnuts, Turkish red pepper paste (if using, see note), olive oil, about ⅓ teaspoon salt and pulse it again to combine well.

  Tip: Lightly toast the walnuts for flavor.
• Adjust the amount of pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic and seasonings to your taste.
• Transfer the muhammara dip into a shallow serving bowl and use the back of a spoon to create some curvy patterns.
• Drizzle some more olive oil. And garnish with chopped fresh mint or chives and some walnut halves. Store it in refrigerator for about 5 days.

Notes

1. Use bright red and firm peppers. You can also skip the step of removing the skin except for the charred areas.
2. Stirring very finely chopped walnuts in the end will give you a slightly coarse texture. You may also make it as a smooth dip if you prefer.
3. Using only the pulse action in a food processor helps retain a slightly coarse texture.
4. Adding some ready made Turkish red pepper paste gives a nice deep flavor, texture and color to muhammara. It is available as hot or mild paste. If using the paste, adjust or skip the red pepper flakes or it may become too spicy hot.
5. Ready made roasted red peppers may be used to substitute fresh peppers.
6. Pomegranate Molasses: you can easily find this at middle eastern stores, whole foods and international sections of several grocery stores. You can alternatively concentrate pomegranate juice by evaporating.
7. Variations:
   1. Vegan: Use vegan bread crumbs
   2. Gluten Free: Use gluten-free bread crumbs
   3. Nut Free: Replace walnuts with sunflower, pumpkin or hemp seeds.
   4. Nut alternatives: hazelnuts, pecans, almonds etc.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1175IU | Vitamin C: 39.1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Did you make this recipe?I would love to know about it. Tag me @thedeliciouscrescent.

*This post was first published on The Delicious Crescent on August 25th 2018 and has been updated with new information and media.