Turkish Beetroot Dip Recipe

About The Ingredients

• Beetroot: You can use any cooked or soft type you want to. This can be fresh, canned, or vacuumed. As long as it isn’t salted or in an acidic brine, it will work well! For the canned and cooked vacuumed beetroot options, you don’t need to further roast them.
• Yoghurt: Use either regular plain yogurt or strained yogurt. The consistency would be a little different depending on how thick or thin your yogurt is.
• Garlic: It is what gives this beetroot dip its slightly spicy flavor and super savory profile. It is a must-add in any dip recipe and there is unfortunately no substitute. We use it raw in this recipe, but you can roast them in the same foil pack with beetroots.
• Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. We use it both when making the dip and when serving it.
• Spices: We use cumin, coriander, pepper and salt. You can also use cinnamon, paprika or chili powder too.

Alternative Add-Ins: There are loads of delicious and simple ingredients that you can add to this beetroot sauce. This includes green onions (scallions), za’atar spice, crushed chilies, cinnamon and fresh or dried mint and dill. You can even add some boiled chickpeas or other beans as we do when making roasted beet hummus.

If you want to give your Turkish beetroot dip a Greek touch, you can even add in some feta cheese.

How To Make

This easy beetroot dip recipe only uses simple ingredients to create an incredibly well-balanced earthy, savory, and slightly sweet spread. It is versatile in its uses and can even be made in advance!

1. Bake the beetroots: To start, preheat your oven to 428ºF (220ºC). Wrap each beetroot (with its skin on) in foil. Place them on a roasting or baking tray and bake them for roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour or until they are tender. Once baked, allow them to cool.

2. Peel and chop the cooked beetroots: Once cooled, peel the beetroots with your hands. Make sure to wear gloves because they will stain everything! The thick skin will easily slide off the beetroot and can be discarded immediately. Chop the peeled beetroots roughly.  

3. Make the beetroot dip: Place beetroots into a food processor along with yogurt, spices, 2 cloves garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.

4. Serve: To serve this beetroot and yoghurt dip, place it inside a small serving bowl. Then, garnish it with toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs like dill or mint if you want. 

Turkish beetroot dip goes really well with chips, but you can also serve it with pita breads or pide bread.

Expert Tips

• For this beetroot dip recipe, you can also use canned beetroots or vacuum-packed cooked beetroots. As long as the beetroot is soft and relatively flavorless (not salted or in a vinegar-brine), it will work just fine.
• If you don’t have an oven, you can also boil the beetroots to cook them. Steaming is also a fantastic way to preserve their nutrients and vitamins. 
• You can substitute the Greek yogurt with cream cheese, or sour cream. All of them will add creaminess and a slight tang. And use your choice of plant-based yogurt if you want to turn it into a vegan beetroot dip.
• If you want to thicken your beetroot dip, add in some chickpeas in the food processor when the mixture is still in it.
• You can store our amazing beetroot spread in an airtight container for two days. Keep it in the fridge to prevent it spoiling much quicker.
• If you end up with more dip than you need, you can freeze some of it for later. Put it in resealable freezer bags and keep it in the freezer for 2 months. Make sure to defrost it for a few hours before serving.

Variations

There are two main variations you can try for this beetroot dip recipe. The first is to make the spices from scratch, and the second is to add cheese.

1. Making the spices from scratch:

To make the spices from scratch, first toast them in a frying pan. Only use low-medium heat to prevent the spices from accidentally burning.

Then, once they are toasted (when they start becoming very aromatic) you can place them in a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or mortar. Grind them until you have a uniform fine powder.

You can also sift the spices through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any larger pieces. Using homemade ground spices will give you a much more fragrant dip.

2. Making it with cheese:

Another great way to make this dip more flavorful is to add some cheese. You can add feta cheese, goat cheese, or parmesan. Personally, we would prefer feta cheese for its tangy flavor.

More Dip Recipes

• Fava Bean Dip
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Hummus Without Tahini

More Beetroot Recipes

• Beetroot Hummus
• Pickled Beets
• Roasted Beets in Foil

You might also like: