What is dukkah?
Dukkah (pronounced doo-kah) is an Egyptian nut, seed, and spice mix used as a topping and dip for meat, fish, and vegetables. It’s often made with peanuts, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, cumin, and coriander – but there are multiple variations made with different ingredients.
Dukkah, in Arabic, means “to crush” or “to blend”. In Egypt, dukkah is used as an all-purpose spice and often families and vendors have their own blends. Because the seeds, spices, and nuts are crushed, they meld together to create an aromatic blend. The versatile blend can be used as a rub on fish or meat, sprinkled on salad, or stirred into a dip (hummus, yogurt, or muttabel) to add some complexity.
Recipes Using Dukkah
Dukkah is such a good all purpose spice. It’s wonderful on top of dips, spread across roasted veggies, and in salads and soups. If you’re wondering how to use dukkah, check out these excellent recipes:
- Athena’s Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Dukkah and Watercress Pesto from Dolly and Oatmeal
- Avocado and Dukkah Toast from Dishing Up the Dirt
- Baked Camembert Focaccia with Dukkah and Honey from Honest Cooking
- Butter Bean Purée with Dukkah from Ottolenghi
- Butternut Squash Soup with Dukkah from Lychee & Plum
- Dukkah Asparagus & Hot Smoked Salmon Potato Salad from The Brick Kitchen
- Dukkah Roast Pumpkin Salad from Herbie’s Spices
- Dukkah Rubbed Snapper with Morrocan Lentils from Taste
- Dukkah Spiced Yogurt Dip from Love and Lemons
- Dukkah-crusted squash wedges from BBC Good Food
- Farro with dukkah, things from the garden, and grilled lemons from My Name is Yeh
- Grilled Halloumi and Peaches with Dukkah from My New Roots
- Honey-roast pumpkin with tahini yogurt and dukkah from Nadia Magazine
- Roasted Cauliflower with Dukkah from Steamy Kitchen
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pumpkin Seed Dukkah from Dolly and Oatmeal
How to Make Dukkah
Dukkah Spice Mix
This dukkah spice mix is infinitely useful and tasty!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a lined cookie sheet (use a silpat or parchment), sprinkle the pine nuts, hazelnuts, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and thyme. Bake for 8 minutes or until the hazelnuts are dark brown.
- In a mortar and pestle, combine the hazelnut mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Crush to combine.
Where to Buy Dukkah
Dukkah is available in most grocery stores and from several online vendors. When buying spices, it’s important to make sure you are buying from distributers that sell high-quality spices. One I trust is this Egyptian Dukkah Spice Blend.
