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Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip)
Eggplant charred whole over a flame until the flesh is soft and smoky, then mashed with tahini, garlic, lemon and a spoonful of yogurt, finished with olive oil and pomegranate seeds.
Jordanian · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 30 min · plus 15 min hands-off time
~148 cal · 4g protein · 13g carbs · 10g fat · 6g fiber · 6g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Mutabbal is one of the dips that crowd the table in Jordan, set out with hummus, salads, pickles and a stack of warm bread at the start of a meal. It is shared with Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, and every family and restaurant in Amman has its own balance of smoke, sesame and sourness.
What makes it is the fire. The eggplants are charred whole over a gas flame or on a grill until the skin is black and blistered and the insides collapse, which gives the dip its smoky taste. The soft flesh is scooped out, drained, and mashed with , raw garlic, lemon juice and salt. Jordanian versions often add a spoonful of yogurt, which makes it paler and silkier.
It is spread in a shallow dish, swirled, and finished with a pool of olive oil, and often with pomegranate seeds, parsley or a pinch of or paprika. It is eaten by scooping with torn bread.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 2 (about 1 kg) large eggplants
- 4 tbspHard to find? 4 tbsp Greek-style tahini or any pure sesame paste - the same thing under another label; stir it well, as the oil separates
- 1 garlic clove, crushed with a pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp thick plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to finish
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 rounds warm Arabic flatbread, to serve
Instructions
- 1Prick the eggplants a few times with a fork. Char them directly over a gas flame or on a hot grill for 20 to 30 minutes, turning with tongs, until the skin is black and papery all over and the eggplants have collapsed and feel completely soft.✎ Chef’s noteNo flame? Grill them under a very hot oven grill, turning often. The smoke from the blackened skin is the whole character of the dish, so do not stop early.
- 2Put them in a bowl, cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to steam and cool. Split them, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Leave the flesh in a sieve for a few minutes to drain off the bitter juice.
- 3Chop the flesh roughly, then mash it with a fork in a bowl. Beat in the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, yogurt and salt until creamy but still a little textured. Taste and add more lemon or salt.✎ Chef’s noteMash by hand rather than in a blender; a little texture is right, and a blender turns it gluey.
- 4Spread it in a shallow dish, make a well with the back of a spoon and fill it with olive oil. Scatter with pomegranate seeds and parsley and serve with warm bread as part of the mezze.
Jordanian and Levantine mezze tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Amman. Al-Mansaf in Jordan went onto UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2022, and the listing covers the manner as much as the food: five to seven people standing to one platter, eaten with the right hand while the left is held behind the back, and served to seal a reconciliation as often as to mark a celebration.
🗺️
Jordan. Jordan's national pride is mansaf, lamb cooked in fermented dried yogurt over rice and flatbread, eaten communally. Levantine mezze, flatbreads, and the Bedouin tradition of hospitality shape its warm, generous cuisine.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Jordan
Maqluba (Upside-Down Rice)Layers of chicken, fried eggplant, cauliflower, and spiced rice cooked in one pot, then flipped tableside.
FattehLayers of toasted bread, warm chickpeas, and garlicky yogurt topped with sizzled butter and pine nuts.
MansafLamb cooked in a tangy fermented-yogurt sauce over rice and flatbread, Jordan's national dish of hospitality.
Browse all Jordan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Grill or barbecue, Steamer.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Jordan meal
Qamar al-DinDrink
MahalabiaDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip)?
Eggplant charred whole over a flame until the flesh is soft and smoky, then mashed with tahini, garlic, lemon and a spoonful of yogurt, finished with olive oil and pomegranate seeds.
Where does Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) come from?
Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) is a Jordanian dish from Amman, Jordan.
Can Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Mutabbal (Jordanian Smoky Eggplant and Tahini Dip) take to make?
About 1 h in all: 15 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking, plus 15 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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