This quick and easy Egyptian beetroot dip is healthy and looks beautiful on the table, which makes it perfect to serve at holidays, parties and family get togethers. Nobody will be able to resist that vibrant color. Serve it with crackers for a crunchy, creamy combination.
I can never resist a good dip on the table. And I think dips are the perfect party food because they are so shareable. People can actually stand around a dip, keep dipping their crackers in while the conversations going.
And they are always a cinch to make. The food processor does most of the job really. At most parties, I usually have three or four dips along with bowls of crackers to keep people munching while they get to know each other. My garlicky yogurt dip, this egyptian beetroot dip, a quick salsa, and my favorite creamy hummus (remind me to share the recipe with you) usually make an appearance!
In fact at the last party there was a round of which dip is the best going on. I have no idea what the winner was! I was just happy to know that people were fighting over them.
The ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple and inspired by Egyptian flavors. The most time consuming part is cooking and peeling the beetroot, and I have a few options below.
Cooking Beetroot for this dip
There are various ways to cook beets for this dip. The first is roasting them in the oven, which is my favorite method because slow roasting really concentrates the flavor of the beetroot and makes them sweeter, and taste earthier. However, if you don't have an oven, you can boil them unpeeled in water for 30 minutes or till they are fork tender. You can also microwave them for 10 minutes with a little water in the dish - this effectively creates steam in the microwave, and is the fastest way to cook beets. Another way to cook beets is to steam them in a steamer for 30 minutes. This reduces any nutrient loss and keeps most of the color intact too.
Once you have the beets cooked, peel and chop them into smaller pieces and then just blend everything in a food processor till smooth and creamy. I like using greek yogurt in this recipe because it keeps things healthier, but I have tried this dip with cream cheese if you want to be more indulgent. The salt in the cream cheese really balances the sweetness of the beets. However, if you are using cream cheese, don't add any extra salt to this recipe.
Tell me, can anybody resist that beautiful pick color? Or that sweet and salty earthy flavor that's going to make this Egyptian Beetroot Dip so irresistible that you'll be saying - maybe one more dip.
More Party Dips:
- Green Coriander Chutney
- Blender Mango Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Lebanese Pecan Red Pepper Dip | Muhammara
- Garlicky Yogurt Party Dip
- Hummus
- Creamy Sundried Tomato Hummus (No Tahini Required)
Watch Egyptian Beetroot Dip Recipe Video
This post was originally published on October 29, 2018 and was updated with a new recipe video and minor changes to the recipe to improve it on 15 October 2020.
Egyptian Beetroot Dip
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 4 Beetroots medium sized
- 6-7 Garlic Cloves
- 1 cup Greek Yoghurt
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- ½ teaspoon ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground Pepper
- Toasted Pine Nuts, Almonds, Pistachios and Feta for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius.
- Cut off the beetroot stems 1 cm from the roots. Scrub the beetroots and wrap them individually in aluminium foil. Wrap the garlic pods also in foil.
- Bake the beetroots for 1 hour in the oven. Place the wrapped garlic pods also in the oven 30 minutes after placing the beets to bake.
- Cool and peel the beetroot. Chop the beets roughly. Place the beets, garlic, yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika in a food processor and process till smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill till required. Serve with warm, crusty bread or crackers.
Video
Notes
- Look for beetroots which have fresh, green leaves and roots which smooth and firm and are not bruised
- Cook the beets either in the oven, or with a little water in the microwave at high for 10 minutes
- You can also boil the beets in water on the stove till tender. Make sure to drain any excess water really well before using.
Nutrition
Malou says
I used some plain breadcrumbs to soak up any excess liquid which turned out beautifully. Thank you for sharing your recipe