Muhammara Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Roast the peppers skin-side up. Watch for the char — that uneven blistering, the way the skin cracks and pulls back from the flesh. Forty-five minutes, maybe 55. The smell gets smoky and you know it’s right before you even look.

Why You’ll Love This Muhammara Dip

Takes 15 minutes to prep if you don’t overthink it. The roasting does the work. Gluten free. No weird ingredients. Just peppers, oil, vinegar, paprika. Works as an appetizer for literally anyone — vegans, people avoiding gluten, people who just want something that tastes like something. Leftover red bell pepper hummus keeps for five days. Actually tastes better the next day, maybe because everything settles and the paprika’s smokiness gets deeper. One bowl. Food processor. Done. Cleanup isn’t much. Mediterranean flavors without fussing. Not complicated. Just roasted.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Ingredients

Three large red bell peppers. Not the small ones. They’re watery. Golden one too — adds sweetness without turning it orange.

Fifty milliliters olive oil split two ways. Some for brushing the peppers before they go in. The rest goes in at the end when you’re blending. Better oil distribution that way.

Seven milliliters of sherry vinegar. Not red wine vinegar. Too sharp. Not white vinegar. Way too aggressive. Sherry sits between — brings brightness without the attack.

Half a teaspoon smoked paprika. Not regular paprika. The smoke matters. It’s the whole point of the roasting anyway.

Salt and pepper. Coarse salt works better — sticks to everything instead of disappearing into the dip. Grind the pepper fresh.

How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Set your oven rack to center. Get it to 185 Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment because cleanup.

Brush the peppers’ skin with olive oil. Not much. Just enough so it glistens. Skin side up on the sheet. The cut side down.

Roast 45 to 55 minutes. This is where time gets flexible. Your oven might run hot. Mine runs slow. Watch the skin — you want it blistering, bubbling, getting patchy char at the edges. Not black. Uneven char is right. The skin should be loosening from the flesh and smelling actually smoky. That faint aroma, kind of acrid in the best way.

The second you pull them out — and they’ll be hot, so be careful — throw them into an airtight container or cover a bowl tightly with plastic wrap. This traps the steam. It matters. Ten to 15 minutes and the skin comes off almost like you’re just peeling it away.

Roasted Bell Pepper Dip Technique and Texture

Peel the skin off with your fingers or a paring knife. Some people use their thumbs. It doesn’t matter. The steam did the work already.

Pat them dry with a paper towel. Any excess moisture makes the dip watery. You want creamy, not wet.

Food processor. Add the peeled peppers, the remaining olive oil, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika. Pulse it. Don’t blend it smooth. Slight chunkiness is good. You want it creamy but with some texture still there — something to feel in your mouth.

Taste it now. Add salt a pinch at a time. Pepper too. Remember — the vinegar’s sharpness and the paprika’s warmth kind of expand after it sits for an hour. Don’t oversalt.

Roasted Red Pepper Dipping Sauce Tips

Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle a small swirl of oil on top if you want. Not necessary. Just looks intentional.

Serve it with crusty bread or raw veggie sticks. Cold vegetables work better than you’d think. Carrots especially.

Storage — covered in the fridge, five days easy. Sometimes the oil separates on top. Just stir it gently when you’re ready to eat. It comes back together.

If you want it thicker, use less oil. Want it thinner, add more. It’s not precise. Depends how you like it.

Muhammara Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Dip

By Emma

Prep:

15 min

Cook:

55 min

Total:

1h 10min

Servings:

375 ml

Ingredients

• 3 large red bell peppers, halved, seeds removed
• 1 large golden bell pepper, halved, seeds removed
• 50 ml olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) sherry vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 1 Set oven rack center; preheat oven to 185 C 365 F. Line baking sheet with parchment.
2. 2 Brush peppers' skin side lightly with olive oil; skin side up on sheet. Roast about 45–55 minutes. Watch for skin blistering, bubbling, patchy char edges that crackle with heat. Peppers should char unevenly but not blacken solid; best sign is skin loosening from flesh with a faint smoky aroma.
3. 3 Immediately transfer hot peppers into airtight container or bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap—traps steam. Let cool 10–15 minutes; skin softens, peeling becomes easy.
4. 4 Peel skin carefully using fingers or paring knife; discard skin. Pat dry any excess moisture with paper towel to avoid watery dip.
5. 5 In food processor, add peeled peppers, remaining olive oil, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika. Pulse briefly until mixture looks creamy but retains some texture; avoid overblending — slight chunkiness is good.
6. 6 Taste, season with salt and pepper incrementally; remember vinegar sharpness and paprika's smoky warmth rise after resting.
7. 7 Transfer to serving bowl. Drizzle small olive oil swirl on top if desired. Serve with crusty bread or raw veggie sticks.
8. 8 Store leftovers covered in fridge up to 5 days. If dip separates, stir gently before serving.

Nutritional information

Calories

120

Protein

1g

Carbs

6g

Fat

11g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Can I use jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own? Yeah, but don’t. The roasted red pepper hummus from scratch tastes smokier. Jarred ones are kind of bland. If you’re in a rush, sure. It’ll work. But the roasting is why you make it.

How long does it take from start to finish? Fifteen minutes prep. 55 minutes roasting if your oven runs normal. Cool time is 10 to 15 minutes. So total’s about an hour and 10 minutes. Most of that’s waiting though.

Can I make this ahead? Three days in the fridge easy. Five if it’s cold enough. Actually gets better on day two. The paprika settles in overnight.

What if I don’t have sherry vinegar? White wine vinegar works if you use less. Red wine is too much. Apple cider vinegar changes the flavor entirely — more sour, less complex. Sherry’s really the one here.

Does this roasted bell pepper dip freeze? Haven’t tried freezing it. Oil separates weirdly when it thaws probably. Doesn’t seem worth it. Make it fresh when you want it.

Can I use yellow or orange bell peppers instead of red? Yellow works. Tastes brighter. Orange is fine too. Red just has more sweetness and depth. If you only have what you have, use it. The roasting technique matters more than the exact pepper color.