If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual creamy dips, this muhammara dip is such a good one to try. It’s made with roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and stale sourdough bread. It’s sweet, savory, a little tangy, and full of flavor.
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Quick + Easy – Once you’ve toasted the walnuts, everything goes straight into the food processor. It comes together in around 10 minutes with very little hands-on work.
Uses Pantry Staples – I love that most of the ingredients can be kept in the pantry, so it’s a handy recipe to have up your sleeve when you need a last-minute snack or appetizer.
Uses Up Stale Sourdough – Muhammara is traditionally made with breadcrumbs, so those last few slices of sourdough that are a little too stale for sandwiches are perfect here!
Ingredients
- Roasted Red Peppers – I use canned or jarred roasted red peppers because they make this recipe so easy. Make sure you drain them really well so your muhammara doesn’t become watery. You can also roast your own red peppers if you prefer.
- Walnuts – Toasting the walnuts brings out their natural nutty flavor and makes such a difference to the finished dip. Keep a close eye on them because walnuts can burn quickly.
- Stale Sourdough Bread – Muhammara is traditionally made with breadcrumbs, but I love using stale sourdough bread instead. If your bread is still fresh, you can dry it out in the oven first. You can also use store-bought breadcrumbs, but obviously I think sourdough bread is the best way to make this dip.
- Pomegranate Molasses – This is an important part of the flavor of muhammara, adding concentrated sweetness and tang. If you’re having trouble finding pomegranate molasses, a combination of balsamic vinegar and honey will give a different flavor, but will work fine.
- Olive Oil – Use a good quality olive oil that you enjoy the flavor of because you’ll really taste it in the finished dip.
- Garlic – One fresh garlic clove adds plenty of savory flavor without overpowering the roasted red peppers.
- Lemon Juice – Adds a little extra acidity to balance the rich walnuts and olive oil.
- Chili Flakes – I use chili flakes to add a little heat, but Aleppo pepper is a lovely option if you have it. You can also leave this out for a milder muhammara.
- Cumin – You only need a little cumin to add warmth and complement the roasted peppers and walnuts.
How To Make Muhammara Dip
There’s really not much to making muhammara dip. I think that’s one of the best things about it!
I highly recommend toasting the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they’re fragrant and lightly toasted. This brings a deeper nutty flavor to the dip. Keep them moving and don’t walk away from the pan because they can go from perfectly toasted to burnt very quickly!
Kate’s Pro Tip
Using Stale Sourdough Bread
If your sourdough is already stale and dry, it’s ready to use. If you’re starting with fresher sourdough bread, you’ll need to dice it up and pop it into the oven to dry it out first. You don’t necessarily want it deeply toasted and golden, you’re just trying to remove some of the moisture. I like to put it into a 200ºC (400ºF) for about 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the Muhammara, add the toasted walnuts and stale sourdough bread to your food processor along with the well-drained roasted red peppers and remaining ingredients. Pulse everything together until well combined, but don’t blend it completely smooth. Muhammara should retain some texture from the walnuts and bread, so you’re looking for a slightly coarse consistency rather than a smooth, creamy puree.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Texture Tip
Muhammara isn’t supposed to be completely smooth. Stop while it still has a little texture from the walnuts and sourdough. Give it a taste and adjust the salt, lemon, or chili flakes to suit your preference.
You can serve your muhammara straight away, but if you have time, I recommend popping it into the fridge for an hour or so first. This gives all those lovely flavors a little time to come together.
What To Serve With Muhammara
Muhammara is delicious served with warm sourdough pita bread or sourdough flatbread. The soft, toasty pita is perfect for scooping up the thick dip.
You can also add it to a Middle Eastern-inspired mezze platter with hummus, labneh, olives, fresh vegetables, and my seeded sourdough discard crackers. I love this option when I’m putting together something for everyone to share.
And don’t think of muhammara as just a dip! It’s delicious spread onto sandwiches and wraps and pairs really well with grilled vegetables, chicken, or lamb. You could even add it to sourdough gozleme for something a little different.
How To Store Muhammara
Store muhammara in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. It’s a great dip to make ahead when you’re entertaining. You can prepare it ahead of time, keep it covered in the fridge, and pull it out when you’re ready to serve. I actually think the flavor gets even better after it’s had a little time to sit.
I don’t recommend freezing this muhammara as the texture can change once it’s been frozen and thawed.
Muhammara Dip
Ingredients
- 100 g Walnuts
- 65 g Sourdough Bread, (stale, preferably day-old)
- 530 g Roasted Red Peppers, (I used jarred peppers, drained well)
- 20 g Pomegranate Molasses
- 50 g Olive Oil
- 2 g Salt
- 6-7 g Garlic, (about 1 large clove)
- 5 g Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Chili Flakes
- ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to a small frying pan and toast over medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- If your sourdough bread is fresh rather than stale, place it into a 175°C (350°F) oven for around 10 minutes, or until it has dried out. Allow it to cool slightly before using.
- Add the toasted walnuts, stale sourdough bread, roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt, garlic, lemon juice, chili flakes and cumin to a food processor.
- Process for around 1 minute, or until everything is well combined but the dip still has a slightly coarse texture. You don't want the Muhammara to be completely smooth.
- Taste and adjust the salt, lemon juice or chili flakes to suit your taste.
- Transfer the Muhammara Dip to a serving bowl or airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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