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.
Emily's Notes on Muhammara
I grew up in the Middle East and this is probably my favorite dip/mezze (even better than hummus!) The name muhammara comes from the word for red in Arabic - "ahmar" - the invitingly deep red/orange color is a hallmark of the dish.
Several variations of the recipe exist, but this is the traditional Aleppo-style recipe with roasted red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses.
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).
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.
Muhammara Recipe Ingredients
- Red Bell Peppers
- Walnuts
- Pomegranate Molasses
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Cloves
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Ground Cumin
- Salt
- Aleppo Pepper
- 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.
Roasted Red Pepper Muhammara Dip with Aleppo Pepper
Ingredients
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 1 cup walnuts plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses additional for garnish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or other red pepper flakes
- ½ cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- 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 chopped walnuts.
ElegantlyVegan Ⓥ says
Oh, I love Muhammara! I just haven't dared to try to make my own. It looks straightforward though.
Beautiful blog btw!
JJ says
About a year ago I went to restaurant serving mostly Syrian food. I love roasted red peppers and seeing this on the menu, I ordered it as a side. The main course was meh but this was amazing. Tonight is the 2nd time I've made your recipe. This is so easy to make and the only problem is that I might eat the whole batch in one sitting. THANK YOU!!!!!
Emily says
I am so thrilled you like this recipe! I've had several similar experiences with muhammara at restaurants where it's truly the standout dish. It's such a great combination of flavors!