Muhmmara is a Middle Eastern walnut and roasted red pepper dip that’s all sorts of savory, sweet, slightly smoky, and just enough spicy! It is almost a cousin to Spanish romesco sauce. This muhammara recipe is easy to make, and I love serving it with warm pita as part of a Mezze platter, spread it on your sandwiches, or scoop it on top of grilled chicken or fish.
A couple of things make all the difference. Be sure to read through and watch my video below.
My love for muhammara began a few years ago. I was raving to a friend about roasted red pepper hummus when she asked, “have you tried muhammara yet?”
She got me going on a muhammara hunt!
I have tried all sorts of it and have been playing around and perfecting this homemade muhammara recipe, which is now a constant on my table.
This is a different kind of red pepper dip–next level delicious. If you’re a fan of flavorful dips and spreads to serve with your veggies or pita, you’ll want to give this one a try. Leftover muhammara is great to spread on your sandwiches or serve with chicken or fish.
What is Muhmmara (or Mouhammara)?
Muhmmara is a hearty walnut and roasted red pepper dip or spread that’s all sorts of savory, sweet, slightly smoky, and just enough spicy!
The word muhammara is from the Arabic word ahmar, which literally means red. This red dip, originally from the Syrian city of Aleppo, this delicious dip made its way from the heart of the Levant to many parts of the world including Europe and the U.S. You may have even seen muhammara jars at the grocery store–word to the wise, make your own!
What’s in this Muhammara recipe?
To get our heads around just how different and exciting this roasted red pepper dip is, let’s walk through the ingredients and what they each bring:
- Roasted red peppers– I roast my own here, but you can use store-bought jars of roasted red peppers
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Walnuts (shelled)
- Bread crumbs- this adds heft and texture giving muhammara a rustic finish
- Pomegranate Molasses– adds a certain acidity, tang and sweetness. In a pinch you can substitute with a mixture of lemon juice and honey.
- Aleppo pepper– distinctly Syrian chili pepper flakes from Aleppo. It is fairly mild and has the sweetness and roundness of the best sun-dried tomatoes you’ll try. Aleppo pepper is also slightly spicy, the heat will build slowly leaving a fruity flavor. Find Aleppo pepper at our online shop here.
- Other flavor makers (this will vary somewhat from one recipe to another): tomato paste (I like this for added depth and color, but Turkish Red Pepper Paste works here as well), garlic, and sumac (for extra tang), and a little cayenne pepper for more spice.
The more you make muhammara the more you’ll adjust the spices to your liking. If you enjoy hot dips, you can absolutely kick the Aleppo pepper and cayenne up a couple notches.
What can I substitute for Aleppo chili pepper
I’m such a big fan of the sweet, tangy, and just enough spicy Aleppo pepper flakes. You’ve seen me use it in chicken kofta, shrimp and rice, white bean salad, and even on baked eggs. And it’s a key element in muhammara.
Some say you can substitute Aleppo pepper for a bit of ancho chile pepper mixed with a pinch of salt and some cayenne. I cannot personally vouch for how close a substitution that will be.
(Note: check our online shop for all-natural Aleppo-Style Pepper).
What to serve with muhammara?
You will typically find muhammara served as a mezze dish with other dips like baba ganoush and hummus, of course. I also like to add a salad like tabouli, fattoush, or chickpea salad.
Storage
Muhammara will keep in the fridge anywhere from 4 days to one week, if properly stored. Some say you can freeze it, but I haven’t personally tried that, we’ve always been able to wipe that bowl clean!
My father, who has been to Aleppo, Syria some years ago, speaks of the hospitable culture and the vibrant flavors of the city. I believe this muhammara recipe is just a tiny taste of that.
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Muhammara Recipe (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil divided
- 1/4 lb shelled toasted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Brush the bell peppers with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and place in a lightly oiled oven-safe pan or cast-iron skillet. Roast the peppers in the 425 degrees F heated oven for 30 minutes or so, turning them over once or twice.
- Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes. This traps the steam from the roasted peppers, making them easy to peel. When cool enough to handle, simply peel the peppers, remove the seeds and slice the peppers into small strips.
- Now in the bowl of a large food processor, combine the roasted red pepper strips with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, garlic, walnuts, tomato paste, bread crumbs, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, sugar, sumac, salt and cayenne. Blend into a smooth paste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. You may cover the muhammara and refrigerate, but be sure to bring the dip to room temperature before serving.
- When ready to serve, top the dip with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with a little more walnuts and fresh parsley, if you like. Serve with pita bread or pita chips. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage: You can refrigerate muhammara in a tight-lid container for 4 days and up to one week. A thin layer of extra virgin olive oil to cover the top of the dip will help preserve it.
- Find Aleppo-style pepper here and extra virgin olive oil here.
- Visit our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including all-natural and organic spices, extra virgin olive oil and more.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit
My mouth is already watering!!!I can’t wait to make this recipe. I will also definitely try all the other ons!!
Thank you for sharing!
Just back 2 days from Egypt where I fell in love with this. I have to say that this recipe is better than any that I had there.
Thank you!
What a compliment! Thank you so much!
Forgot to put the stars there, after reading the comments below, I used fresh breadcrumbs that I made from a stale loaf of bread, the consistency was good.
Made this last night, so tasty, thanks for the recipe, it will be something that I will make time and again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Margaret!
I had neither pomegranate molasses nor sumac and instead added lemon juice and a bit more Aleppo pepper :-). Made bread crumbs from shop bought Grissini. Served it with crudités and homebaked French baguettes.
Easy to make and absolutely delicious!! Family and friends loved it, and now I’ll have to make it again and again… 🙂 Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I’ve made this recipe twice so far. The first time I didn’t have enough red bell peppers, so I made do with what I had. The second time I made sure I had every single ingredient on hand. Delicious!! Mine is a little thick because I didn’t use any olive oil (trying to keep it WFPB), but it’s still delicious. I wanted to use pecans and pistachios just to be different, and it’s great!!
Awesome! Thanks so much, Denise!
Fabulous recipe Suzy!! We love this and will be making it again!!!
Delicious but it’s not Spanish the romesco sauce it’s CATALAN!!!
I tried this recipe and although it tastes really nice, there are waaaay to many breadcrumbs in it. It became more of a dough than a paste unfortunately… I recommend by starting with 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs and adding them bit by bit until you reach that smooth dip consistency.
Hi 🙂 Would it be possible to replace the molasses with something else? unfortunately I can’t find it where I live
Thank you:)
Hi, Nadia. Pomegranate molasses is actually a cinch to make… we have a great recipe for it here. The pomegranate molasses is very traditional in this recipe. We have seen recipes that omit the pom molasses all together, or that use a tiny bit of honey or a different molasses…but if you go that route, do so carefully. You don’t want the dip to be too sweet. Enjoy!
I read the other comments and used 1/3 cup panko. I couldn’t get bell peppers so used an equivalent amount of long sweet peppers orange and yellow. After roasting I realized if I peeled the there would be nothing left, so left skins on. I ended adding another half tablespoon of oil at the end to help the consistency. Tried some on bread and wow! What a complex delicious flavor profile. This would make anything taste better.
Hi, can you make this ahead of time and freeze it? Thanks!
Hi, Mollie! Absolutely! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Flavourful and so easy to make!
So I have made this recipe about 7-8 times, it’s amazing! It’s a crowd pleaser and requested anytime I am bringing something to a party!
Last night I used Aleias gluten free panko bread crumbs and it was amazing too! Just though I would share.
Thanks for sharing that, Avneet! We often get questions about gluten free substitutes!
This dip is delicious and was the star of our Turkish dinner. I cannot eat walnuts so substituted cashews. I looked for Aleppo pepper but used the 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes plus 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. I like heat but some of the guests are not as adventurous. A wonderful recipe which is easy to prepare and I will definitely serve it again.
Thanks so much, Joanne!
Oh Wow, this is a taste sensation. Had everything except Aleppo pepper so used paprika. Thanks so much, Sean
“Taste sensation”! LOVE it! Thanks, Sean!
About how many cups does this recipe yield?