Beet Mutabal (Roasted Beet Dip) — Omayah Cooks // Syrian Recipes + Photography by Omayah Atassi (2024)

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Beet Mutabal (Roasted Beet Dip) is packed with shredded roasted beets, tangy labneh (strained yogurt), garlic, nutty tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. It’s the perfect vibrant touch to your next mezze spread. I’ve also been serving Beet Mutabal to the baby since she was 6 months old. Read on for tips on how to modify for the whole family to enjoy!

Mutabal vs Hummus

I think it’s worth noting that this is NOT a beet hummus, it’s a beet mutabal. What’s the difference? It’s very clear: hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea, and this does not contain chickpeas, so it’s not hummus.

Mutabal, on the other hand, is derived from the Arabic word “tabala,” which means “add more aroma and spice.” When spices and aromatics are mixed with a vegetable, like eggplant or beets, it’s called mutabal.

Naturally Healthy and Flavorful

Beets are loaded with health benefits, including fiber, folate, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Labneh, or strained yogurt, is packed with probioitic, promoting gut health. Its tanginess also pairs perfectly with the earthy beets, and it gives such a luscious creamy texture.

Garlic, a prebioitic, which provides the good bacteria for the probiotics to work, obviously adds lots of flavor. Tahini is also rich in antioxidants and other nutrients. Olive oil adds a nice dose of good-for-you fat.

Mezze

Mezze is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers throughout the Levant. Typically friends and family gather around a table covered from end to end with bowls of hummus, mutabal, labneh, various cheeses, fried eggplant and cauliflower, pickles, and the most important part: fresh bread for dipping.

We don’t typically serve mezze in this fashion for our everyday meal. It usually adds a beautiful creamy touch to grilled meat or kibbeh as a side. Let’s do a run down of the ingredients.

Ingredients

Beets — I absolutely love beets for their natural earthiness and sweetness. Traditionally, they’re peeled and boiled before squeezing dry, but that seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it? Why submerge in water if you’re going to squeeze dry? I much prefer to wrap in foil and roast them, which really highlights their flavor.

Labneh — You can buy labneh at your local Arabic store. I’m now in the habit of making my own baby-friendly low sodium version. I mix 2 kg/4 lb tub of plain, full fat yogurt with about 1 tsp of kosher salt. I line a colander with a few layers of paper towel, set it on top of a bowl, and dump the contents inside. I allow it to strain overnight, and then I store it in the fridge for about a week.

In the US, we use a Bulgarian full fat yogurt, which makes such a creamy, tangy, and delicious labneh. In the UAE, I use Almarai. My favorite store-bought brand is by Baladé Farms.

Tahini — Tahini, or sesame butter, adds a wonderful nutty note to the dip. Sesame is also a common allergen, which is important for allergy prevention in babies. Any Arabic brand at the supermarket works great.

Like any natural nut butter, separation is normal. You’ll want to give it a good stir once you open the package. You can store it either in the pantry or in the fridge, just allow it to come to room temperature before using.

Garlic — Garlic is so flavorful in this recipe. It’s a common misconception that babies can’t “handle” garlic. Babies can love garlic just as much as we do. Since it’s a prebioitic (along with onions), it’s super healthy, but advisable to introduce slowly. When I’m making this for the baby, instead of using raw garlic, I sauté a clove in olive oil over low heat for a couple of minutes and then use the oil.

It should be noted that there are some risks of garlic with botulism, primarily when using garlic stored in oil (more about that here). So when using the sautéed garlic oil, use it within 2-3 days.

Lemon Juice — You should only be using fresh lemon juice. Believe me, it makes such a big difference! It’s absolutely necessary to brighten and balance out the flavors in Beet Mutabal.

Olive Oil — You’re going to add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the dip and top with an additional drizzle. You can use a slightly grassy Italian olive oil, or a more fruity one grown in Palestine or Syria. The quality matters, since you’re using it fresh.

Salt — Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is my absolute favorite for its low saltiness profile, and the super fine granules dissolve quickly.

Method

My favorite method to cook fresh beets is by wrapping each individually in foil and roasting them. The method allows them to cook evenly while drawing out their natural sweetness. This will take about an hour, so if your schedule is tight, you can do it a day or 2 ahead of time. The skin also falls off so easily after roasting them, so don’t even bother with a vegetable peeler.

Then, using the grater attachment on your food processor, grate the beets. If you don’t have a food processor, that’s fine, you can use a box grater (but really, what are you waiting for?). Then tip the beets into a large bowl.

It’s really important to squeeze your beets dry so you have ultimate control over the texture and moisture content. Using gloves (believe me), take a handful of grated beets, squeeze them between your hands, and transfer them to another bowl. Repeat with the rest.

Then mix with the remaining ingredients and serve!

Substitutions

Make this vegan by using my Vegan Cashew Labneh.

You can use canned instead of fresh beets in this recipe, too.

Serve It With

I love this dip with homemade or store bought pita chips as the bright, colorful part of an appetizer spread. It can also be served for lunch next to a gorgeous tabbouleh. Or, have it with kibbeh bil sanieh or grilled meat at dinner.

I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, don’t forget to put it in the comments so everyone knows how it worked out. I also love to see your creations! You can tag me on social media at #omayahcooks, @omayah.atassi on Instagram, @omayah on Pinterest, and @omayahatassiphoto on Facebook.

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Other mezze recipes:
A mezze dinner party!
Bulgur and Yogurt Dip (Kishkeh)
Stewed Green Beans in Olive Oil (Loubieh bi Zeit)
Vegan Series: Yalanji (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Tabbouleh