Mutabal shawandar is a vibrant colored Syrian roasted beet dip. This Mediterranean recipe is a great appetizer when you are looking to switch it up from the usual hummus. Sweet beets are accompanied by fragrant roasted garlic in this vegan beetroot dip!
This Syrian dip is a great addition to your mezze platter, the traditional Middle Eastern way to serve appetizers as an assortment.
Did you know that beets are full of antioxidants, can reduce inflammation, and are even said to lower blood pressure? This Mediterranean beet dip is a great way to reap the benefits of this superfood with a unique, simple recipe.
Tahini makes this dip ultra creamy and a great accompaniment to your favorite cracker or raw veggie. For the best result, it is important to use a super smooth, high quality tahini, like this Seeds of Collaboration tahini that is sourced in the Middle East and contributes to Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow! Check it out here.
- 1 lb. beets
- 1 head garlic
- ¼ cup tahini**
- Juice of one lemon
- ½-1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil (+more for serving)
- 2 tbsp water (as needed)
- Preheat oven to 400F. Drizzle olive oil over washed and scrubbed beets, and cover with foil on a baking sheet. Cut the top off the head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the garlic with foil as well. Bake beets for 45 mins - 1 hour, until tender.* Roast garlic for 40 mins - 1 hour, until caramelized, soft, and fragrant.
- Place cooked beets and caramelized garlic in a food processor or high speed blender along with tahini, lemon juice, and salt. Process until smooth. Add water 1 tbsp at a time if too thick.
- Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Serve alongside pita bread, crackers, or raw veggies. Drizzle with extra olive oil. Enjoy!
**For my favorite super smooth, authentic tahini sourced from the Middle East, check out SoCo Tahini!
This is ‘da bomb’ and my new GO TO hummus alternative. My beets took a bit longer (75 min) to get the softness I wanted. In lieu of a garlic glove I had peeled cloves available so just drizzled them with oil and put then in a foil pouch in with the beets. Used Mediterranean sea salt that gave it a nice punch. After a good whirl in the food processor, tasted it, and added a pinch more salt, and some garlic confit that I had in the fridge. WOW! Had to stop myself from wolfing down the whole batch … definitely going to bookmark your site and try some other of your creations.