This roasted red pepper and walnut dip is one of my favourites – quick, flavourful and naturally gluten-free and vegan. Muhummara is a classic Middle Eastern mezze made from roasted peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses and warming spices. While the traditional method involves roasting and peeling fresh peppers, this speedy version uses jarred roasted red peppers so you can have it ready in about six minutes.
Muhummara comes from Aleppo in Syria and is beloved across the Middle East as part of a mezze spread. The core flavours are sweet roasted red peppers, toasty walnuts, tangy pomegranate molasses and fragrant spices. Using peppers as the base and nutrient-dense walnuts makes this dip both satisfying and nourishing, a reliable recipe to keep in your repertoire for entertaining or everyday snacking.
If friends drop by or you need a quick nutritious snack, keep a jar of roasted red peppers in the pantry. Using jarred peppers is the trick to making muhummara fast — I’ve pulled this together more than once just as guests arrived. It blends in moments and tastes authentic and delicious.
How to pronounce “Muhummara”
I once pronounced this dish with the emphasis in the wrong place for years. The common pronunciation places the emphasis on the middle syllable: mu-HUM-ara. The name appears in different spellings, commonly muhummara or muhammara; I use muhummara here.
Main Ingredients
- Jarred roasted red peppers – the shortcut that makes this recipe so fast. If you prefer, roast your own fresh peppers, but jarred peppers let you finish this dip in minutes.
- Walnuts – lightly toasted to remove bitterness and add depth.
- Garlic – fresh garlic gives a bright, savoury note.
- Extra virgin olive oil – for flavour and silkiness.
- Spices – ground cumin and smoked paprika bring characteristic warmth and smokiness.
- Pomegranate molasses – a classic Middle Eastern ingredient; balsamic vinegar can be used in a pinch.
- Lemon juice – for fresh acidity to balance the richness.
Please refer to the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Basic instructions
Toast the walnuts for 5–6 minutes until lightly browned. You can use the oven, air fryer or a dry frying pan. Then place the toasted walnuts and the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to your preferred texture – chunky or smooth. That’s it: a homemade dip that tastes like you spent much longer preparing it.
This is a summary — please see the recipe card below for full instructions.
If you prefer the traditional route, roast fresh peppers until charred, sweat them in a sealed bag so the skins peel away easily, then remove skins and seeds and proceed with the recipe. That produces an even deeper roasted flavour but takes more time.
Chef’s Tips
- Choose the best-quality jarred peppers you can find: better peppers equal a better dip.
- An air fryer is handy for toasting walnuts quickly and evenly.
- Adjust the blender time to achieve the texture you like — a bit chunky or completely smooth both work well.
Serving Suggestions
This muhummara is perfect on a graze board with crudités and crackers, spread on corn or rice cakes, or even on toast for breakfast. It pairs wonderfully with seeds-and-nut crackers and makes an excellent addition to mezze platters.
Storage
Store the dip in a sealed container in the fridge for 4–5 days.
📖 Recipe 📖
Super Speedy Muhummara
A quick roasted red pepper and walnut dip that is naturally vegan and gluten-free — perfect for last-minute entertaining or keeping in the fridge for nutritious snacking.
Ingredients
- 60g walnuts
- 300g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped (300g drained weight)
- 2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped (or 1 large)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a few grinds of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 200°C (392°F).
- Spread the walnuts on a small baking tray and roast for 5–6 minutes at 200°C until lightly browned. In an air fryer this can take around 4 minutes. Alternatively, toast in a dry frying pan, turning frequently until golden.
- Place the toasted walnuts and all remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Adjust the texture to your preference.
- Serve with crudités, crackers or as a spread.
Notes
- Use the best-quality jarred roasted peppers you can find for optimal flavour.
- If you prefer, roast, peel and de-seed fresh peppers and use them in place of jarred ones.
Nutrition (per portion)
Calories: 100 kcal | Carbohydrates: 4 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 9 g | Saturated fat: 1 g | Fiber: 1 g
If you like this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card!
More Recipes for Dips
Here are some other quick, easy, vegan and gluten-free dip favourites:
- Simple Guacamole
- Ultimate Hummus
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Zingy Green Olive Tapenade
Zingy Green Olive Tapenade-
Vegan Whipped Feta Dip with Pistachios, Lime Leaves & Rosemary
-
Black Chickpea Hummus with Black Garlic & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
-
Roasted Cauliflower with Chimichurri Sauce
Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to emails for more recipes.