Muhammara (Syrian Red Pepper Dip)

Muhammara is a delicious, lightly spicy dip made from roast red bell peppers and walnuts. It's originally from the Levant countries of Syria and Lebanon.

Muhammara is a delicious, all-purpose dip. You can serve it with pita or crudités or on top of roast chicken. 

Jump to:

• What is Muhammara?
• Muhammara Recipe Ingredients
• How to Make Muhammara
• Tips for Making Muhammara
• Syrian Muhammara Recipe

What is Muhammara?

The name muhammara comes from the word for red in Arabic - "ahmar" - the invitingly deep red/orange color is a hallmark of the dish.

Some variations of the recipe exist, but this is the traditional Aleppo-style recipe with roasted red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses.

The only non-traditional aspect of this recipe is the use of a food processor to combine the ingredients - it's often made with a mortar and pestle. 

Muhammara Recipe Ingredients

To make a traditional muhammara dip, you'll need the following:

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon walnuts, divided
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, additional for garnish
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or other red pepper flakes)
• ½ cup bread crumbs

How to Make Muhammara

Turn the oven broiler on and place an oven rack in the upper ⅓ of the oven. 

Toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. 

When the oven is hot, place the whole red peppers on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until charred. Halfway through roasting them, flip them over so both sides are charred.

Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately place them in a paper bag or large Tupperware and seal them for 10 minutes so their steam is trapped. This will loosen the skin and make it easier to peel them.

Add the 1 cup walnuts, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and pepper flakes to a food processor. Pulse several times to combine.

Remove red peppers one at a time and remove stem and seeds from each pepper and then gently peel off the skin and discard.

Add the peppers to the food processor and blitz together till the mixture is smooth. Add the bread crumbs and pulse till combined. If the mixture is too loose, add a bit more bread crumbs and if it’s too thick, add a little more olive oil and lemon juice. 

Spread the muhammara in a serving bowl. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses, garnish with pomegranate seeds, and 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts. 

Tips for Making Muhammara

The only finicky part of making this is roasting the red peppers and removing the skin - it cuts down on any bitterness if you get rid of the skin (although if you're running short on time - it's not absolutely necessary).

If you want to make it really easy for yourself, you can buy the red peppers pre-roasted and prepared. 

The red peppers give this the bulk of the flavor, but the pomegranate molasses and the toasted walnuts are what really take it over the top. If you can't find the pomegranate molasses, you can make your own by reducing pomegranate juice.

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