Why It Works
- Straining the bell pepper and onion mixture through a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer removes excess moisture, ensuring that the muhammara has a thick yet spreadable consistency.
- Using panko that’s been finely ground in a food processor instead of regular breadcrumbs helps thicken the muhammara without making it too dense or pasty.
- Letting the dish rest for an hour before serving melds and amplifies the dish’s flavors.
Mezze isn’t just a collection of dips and small bites, it’s a way of languorously lingering over food and conversation, turning a meal into something unhurried and shared. While hummus may be the most familiar mezze in the West, another staple that has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years is muhammara. Thought to have originated in Aleppo, Syria, muhammara is made from red bell peppers, raw onions, walnuts, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and spices such as Aleppo pepper, cumin, coriander, and allspice, all blended together into a rich and tangy spread. The name is believed to come from the Arabic word ḥamra, meaning “red,” a likely nod to its vibrant color.
I grew up in Amman, Jordan, where there was no shortage of mezzes to choose from when eating out at a restaurant. Everyone in my family had their non-negotiables: My dad’s was hummus, my mom’s was mutabal(a smoky eggplant dip made with tahini, garlic, and lemon juice), my sister’s was kibbeh, and mine was always muhammara. As a kid, I would quietly and anxiously pull on my mom’s top and whisper, “Did you order the muhammara?” She would assure me that they ordered two.
Mezzes are often served at restaurants that also offer grilled meats. The table would first fill up with an assortment of dips, thoughtfully garnished with herbs, garnet-red pomegranate seeds, and a generous dousing of olive oil, along with mini savory pastries, fried kibbeh balls, and warm pita. After what felt like forever, the table would be cleared to make way for the second act: the grilled meats. I always requested that the muhammara be left on the table, as it was the perfect accompaniment to the shish tawook, kebabs, and grilled lamb to come.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
Key Techniques for Making Muhammara at Home
While some versions of this dip call for roasting the peppers before blending to produce a sweeter, smokier flavor, the muhammara I grew up with in Jordan and had during visits to Syria were always made with unroasted, fresh peppers. The dip I love has a fresh and punchy flavor and is thick yet spreadable. To achieve this fresh flavor, I use raw red bell peppers as well as raw onions. To give the muhammara a silky texture, both the peppers and onions are processed as finely as possible in a food processor. And because red bell peppers and onions are naturally watery, it’s crucial to thoroughly drain both—otherwise, the muhammara will be soupy.
To further thicken the dip, I finely process panko breadcrumbs before folding them into the pepper-onion mixture. The panko helps thicken the muhammara without making it dense or pasty. Unlike regular breadcrumbs, panko is made from crustless bread and baked to create light, airy flakes that absorb moisture without weighing the dip down.
Once all of the muhammara’s remaining ingredients are processed and combined together, letting the dip rest for at least an hour before serving gives the flavors time to meld and deepen. You might be tempted to skip this rest and dive into the dip right away but I implore you, the final flavor is well worth this brief wait.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
Serving Suggestions for Muhammara
Until this day, I haven’t met a soul who’s tried muhammara and hasn’t fallen in love with it. The dip captivates with its bold, layered flavors—the loud punch of sweet pomegranate molasses, the rich nuttiness of ground walnuts, the gentle warmth of spices, the assertive depth of olive oil, and the fruitiness of red bell peppers. It practically dares you to find new ways to eat it. Try it the traditional way by topping it with good olive oil and scooping it up with pita bread. Or, get creative and spread it on sandwiches, use it as a pasta filling, serve it alongside grilled meats and fish, or enjoy it however your muhammara-loving heart desires.
Muhammara: The Bold Middle Eastern Spread You’ll Want on Everything
Cook Mode
(Keep screen awake)
-
1 cup (4 ounces; 113 g), plus 2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce; 21 g) unroasted walnuts, divided
-
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (1.5 ounces; 43 g)
-
2 pounds (907 g) red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
-
1 small yellow onion (6 ounces; 170 g), chopped
-
1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
-
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon Middle Eastern jarred mild red pepper paste or spread (2 1/2 ounces; 71 g) (see notes)
-
1/4 cup (60 ml) pomegranate molasses (see notes)
-
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
-
2 3/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
-
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
-
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper (see notes)
-
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
-
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (1 ounce; 28 g), optional
-
Mint sprig or 5 to 7 picked mint leaves for garnish, optional
-
Pita bread for serving
-
In the bowl of a food processor, process 1 cup walnuts until very finely chopped (do not process into a paste), about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
-
Add panko to the now-empty food processor bowl and process until fine, about 45 seconds. Transfer to the same bowl with the walnuts; set aside.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
-
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a separate large bowl. Process peppers until very finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl as needed, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to prepared strainer. Process onions in now-empty food processor bowl until fine, scraping sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Add onions to strainer with processed peppers. Allow mixture to strain, occasionally pressing it with a rubber spatula and discarding liquid as it accumulates, until mixture is thickened and most of liquid has drained, about 30 minutes. Once strained, wrap the cheesecloth around the mixture and squeeze firmly over strainer until only a light stream of liquid is released.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
-
Transfer drained pepper-onion mixture to bowl with walnuts. Add olive oil, red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, salt, coriander, cumin, Aleppo pepper, allspice, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
-
Transfer muhammara to a serving dish and drizzle generously with olive oil. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons walnuts in half lengthwise. Top muhammara decoratively with walnuts and pomegranate seeds, if using. Garnish with a mint sprig or leaves for decoration, if using. Serve with pita.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
Special Equipment
Kitchen scale, food processor, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, rubber spatula
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled or halved. Process bell peppers and onions in two batches if doubling muhammara.
For the best results, use pure pomegranate molasses without added sugar. Pomegranate molasses is available at Middle Eastern and Iranian grocery stores and is increasingly stocked in American supermarkets.
Red pepper paste, also often labeled as jarred mild pepper spread, can be found in Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Greek grocery stores, and is also often available in many American grocery stores.
Ground Aleppo pepper can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores. If unavailable, substitute 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper with 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Muhammara can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.