Roasted Red Pepper Dip is a delicious, gluten-free, vegetarian dip. It is inspired by the famous Mediterranean dip called muhammara. Freshly roasted peppers are what makes this dip so unique.
What is Muhammara (or Mouhammara)?
Muhammara is a spicy Mediterranean-style dip. It is prepared with roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, and walnuts. It has a rustic texture. On a traditional mezze platter, Muhammara is served with pita bread, grilled meat, lavash, falafel, and kebabs.
My Red Pepper Dip
As I mentioned earlier, this roasted red pepper dip recipe is inspired by the Muhammara. But don’t confuse it with red pepper hummus. This dip is very similar to Muhammara and not hummus.
This roasted red pepper dip will perfectly complement your chips and crisps. It has a creamy mouthfeel with a basil pesto-like coarse texture. The smokey flavor of the red peppers, the nuttiness of walnut, the sweetness of honey, and the creaminess of the cheese together make this dip so delectable.
More Reasons To LOVE It
- gluten-free
- pure vegetarian
- easy to customize
- meal-prep friendly
- minimal cooking required
Ingredients Required
Red Bell Pepper: You can roast bell pepper at home or use the canned bell peppers for this dip. I prefer roasting them over the fire at home.
Nuts: Use slightly toasted walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, or pecan nuts.
Honey: The authentic Muhammara recipe requires pomegranate molasses. You can add honey or maple syrup (for a vegan dip).
Cheese: I add a dollop of cream cheese for the creamy mouthfeel and balance the pepper’s heat. Feta Cheese or Greek Yogurt also works well in this dip recipe.
Cilantro: Adds a refreshing touch to the dip. You can use sweet basil, parsley, or fresh coriander leaves.
Other Ingredients: Salt, Red Paprika, Cumin Powder, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, and Lemon Juice.
How To Make
Roasting Pepper: Roasting provides a very distinct flavor to the dip. You can roast them in the oven, BBQ grill, over the stovetop, or an air fryer.
Step 1) Wash the pepper with water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Place them in a cast-iron skillet or directly over the stovetop flame. Roast till the outer skin is charred. Keep rotating at regular intervals using a pair of tongs while roasting.
Step 2) Transfer the roasted bell pepper to a bowl filled with water. Allow to cool down a bit. Then, peel off the charred skin of the pepper.
Step 3) Roughly chop the pepper and drizzle olive oil. Store in the refrigerator or use immediately.
Toasting Walnuts: Dry roast the walnuts in a cast-iron skillet for 1 – 2 minutes over low heat to release their nutty flavor.
Blending: Add all the ingredients to a food processor with the blade attachment. And blend!
Serving & Storage
You can serve roasted red pepper dip with falafel, veggie sticks, fried snacks, fattoush, or any other flatbread.
You can make it a part of the mezze platter along with other Meditteranean dips like hummus, baba ganoush, and labneh. I also like to add a salad like tabouli or chickpea salad.
Roasted Red Pepper Dip if adequately stored, will keep in the fridge anywhere from 4 days to one week. Some say you can freeze it, but I haven’t personally tried that. Instead, I like to make a fresh batch each time we crave it.
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Roasted Red Pepper Dip Recipe
- cast iron skillet
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon red paprika
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet over the gas stove. Brush it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place the whole peppers on the pan and roast till the skin is nicely charred from all the sides.
- Transfer them to a bowl filled with water. Peel off the charred skin. Roughly chop the pepper. Drizzle olive oil.
- Dry roast the walnuts in the same cast iron skillet over low heat for 1 – 2 minutes. Keep stirring the walnut while roasting. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor with a knife blade attached, blend all the ingredients to a coarse paste.
- Transfer roasted red pepper dip to a bowl. Garnish with walnuts, cilantro, and olive oil.
- Serve roasted red pepper dip with crackers or bread.
Recipe Notes:
- Heat an oven at 220 degrees Celcius and grill the peppers on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or till nicely roasted. You can roast them on a BBQ as well.
- Use a food processor and not a mixer/blender to get a coarse texture of the red pepper dip.
- Honey and lemon juice together balance the flavor of the dip. Hence, are an essential ingredient.
Anonymous says
Hinu
wats red bell pepper, roasted over the flames/
oven
is it sum dal
Aparna Anurag says
amazing!!
Nikita says
Tried the recipe it was delicious! Thank you!
Hina Gujral says
I am so happy you like it Nikita. Don’t forget to give it a star rating 🙂
Smartblonde365 says
Great flavor. The walnuts add a nice depth and texture. I had 3 large peppers so I tripled the recipe, but thankfully used only 1T of maple syrup. Even at that level it seemed a bit too sweet, so next time I’ll add just a bit at a time after processing the other ingredients.
Hina Gujral says
I am so glad you liked it.