Muhammara Recipe (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
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A delicious smoky-sweet red pepper and walnut spread. Scoop up this Middle Eastern dip with warm flatbread, or serve on a mezze platter.
This beautifully colored muhammara dip is a true classic in my recipe file, based on a recipe from Paula Wolfert’s stellar book The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean.
I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit over the years, and it’s turned into something I make regularly.
It’s hard to describe how good this dip is.
What is muhammara
Muhammara is a smoky roasted red pepper sauce from Syrian cuisine, although it’s enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean.
It’s thick and savory, a perfect dip to add to an appetizer tray or mezze spread.
Serve it in a bowl along with warm flatbread and some soft, salty cheese like feta or Mexican cotija.
The muhammara has a deeply savory and slightly smoky taste from the roasted pepper, and it’s creamy, rich, and ever so sweet and spicy at the same time.
Paula writes that its name is the Arabic word for “brick-colored” — the exact color of the finished dish.
Roasted sweet red bell pepper contributes part of that color, along with paprika.
Pomegranate molasses
The “secret” ingredient in this dip is pomegranate molasses, a Middle Eastern condiment that’s made by boiling down pomegranate juice until it becomes thick and syrupy.
It has an intriguing, sweet-sour taste and a deep, dark treacly consistency. Pomegranate molasses is definitely something you’ll want to add to your pantry!
It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator, and aside from using it for this recipe, you can add it to salad dressings, marinades and as a glaze for barbecued meats.
How to roast a red bell pepper
- To roast a red bell pepper, place under a broiler, on a hot preheated grill or directly on a gas flame on the stovetop.
- Roast the pepper, rotating it as it turns black on all sides.
- Place the pepper in a bowl and lightly cover to steam as it cools. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and seeds and discard.
Tips and storage:
Look for pomegranate molasses brands that have no added ingredients other than 100 percent pomegranate juice.
The dip will keep in the fridge for up to a week (if you don’t devour it all at once).
If you make muhammara and end up loving it, double up the recipe next time and use it a sauce for fish, a sandwich spread or tasty addition to a healthy grain bowl.
Muhammara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Makes about 3/4 cup
- 1 large red bell pepper (about 9 ounces), roasted and peeled
- ¼ cup (7 g) coarsely crumbled sourdough bread, about 1/2 slice
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup (60 g) walnuts, toasted
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Garnish
- Chopped pistachios
- Paprika
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the roasted red pepper, bread, garlic and walnuts in a food processor work bowl and process for about 1 minute, scraping down sides once halfway.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth, another minute or two. Taste and season with additional salt and lemon juice if needed.
- Garnish with pistachios, a swirl of olive oil and a dusting of paprika, if desired.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- To roast a red bell pepper, place under a broiler, on a hot preheated grill or directly on a gas flame on the stovetop. Roast the pepper, rotating it as it turns black on all sides. Place the pepper in a bowl and lightly cover to steam as it cools. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and seeds and discard.
- Substitute 3/4 cup jarred, fire-roasted red peppers (drained) in place of the freshly roasted pepper.
- Toast walnuts for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Can I use black strapp molassess as a substitute for the pomegranate molasses?
Hi Chami – No, I wouldn’t recommend substituting blackstrap molasses. Pomegranate molasses is actually more of a sweet-tart taste, probably more akin to balsamic vinegar than a sweet syrup. If you have some balsamic, or better yet, some balsamic syrup or reduction I’d substitute that in proportion by half the amount pomegranate molasses in the recipe
Vermont cider jelly (it tastes like gasoline) works beautifully as a substitute for the pomegranate molasses.
I just made it and it is a bit watery-I am serving it Thursday-any suggestions? It is so pretty. What can I do?
Tracy, try adding a little bit more nuts and or bread crumbs to your mixture and running through the food processor again – it should thicken up.
I live in the middle east and have Muhammara often. And I thought it is divine dip.But then I went on vacation to Turkey recently and had this alternate version with same ingredients but a completely different tasting heaven. It had roasted red and green bell pepper chopped finely, with the pom molasses, lemon, salt and pepper and walnuts (chopped as well) with lots of good olive oil. I betrayed Muhammara ever since.
But here I’m still looking at Muhammara and may be a bit guilty of how I left my beloved behind ;).
Thanks for confusing me again !! :D:D
My family LOVED this dip.
This looks so rich and delicious!
Love this dip! will def. be making it soon 🙂
So glad this will be what you make! Hope it makes your meeting spectacular. Cheers, Lil.
So simple and yet so rich in flavor. I will definitely be making this for my family.
I can’t wait to make this. I love this dip!
The color is stunning!
Karen- do you roast the peppers yourself or do you think jarred roasted peppers would be fine in this recipe? Thanks.
Nupur – I usually roast them myself, but you could easily sub the jarred for convenience. You lose a little of the smoky flavor, but still good!
Wow, that looks delicious! I’m always on the lookout for new, healthy dips to try with my daily snack of veggies (plain hummus just gets old sometimes!) and this one is definitely going in my to-try pile. Beautiful photo, too!