Roasted Red Pepper Dip

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This Roasted Red Pepper Dip Recipe is smoky, creamy, and nutty. It's packed with fire-roasted red bell peppers, roasted garlic, roasted pumpkin seeds, gochujang, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a little egg-free Kewpie mayo for a rich dip with a really nice savory heat.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Total Time 40

Course Appetizer, Dips, Sauces, Side Dish, Sides, Snack, Snacks, Starters

Cuisine American, Fusion, Italian, Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Western

Servings servings

Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients

ROASTED PEPPER, GARLIC, AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

1 lb fresh red bell pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded (see notes)
1 head garlic roasted
Olive oil and salt for the roasted garlic
1/2 cup pepitas or hulled pumpkin seeds, 65 g
Olive oil for the seeds

DIP

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp gochujang adjust to desired heat
1 tbsp Kewpie mayo egg-free version, or vegan mayo of choice
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp maple syrup

GARNISH

Olive oil for drizzling
Smoked paprika
Chopped chives
Thin chiffonade mint leaves

TO SERVE

Pita homemade pita recipe here
Crackers
Vegetable sticks
Sandwiches wraps, or grain bowls

Instructions

ROAST THE GARLIC & PUMPKIN SEEDS

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Slice the top off the garlic head to expose the cloves, then drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt.
Wrap the garlic in foil and roast for 35-45 minutes, or until the cloves are soft, golden, and easy to squeeze out. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
For the pepitas/hulled pumpkin seeds, place these on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Drizzle some oil to coat the seeds. Bake at 350F/180 for 8-10 minutes, stirring the seeds, or until they start to smell nutty and are golden brown.

ROAST THE PEPPERS

Roast the red bell peppers over an open fire or gas stove flame, turning as needed, until charred all over and tender.
Transfer the roasted peppers to a bowl and cover. Let them steam for 10-15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. This helps loosen the skins.
Peel off the skins and remove the charred bits and seeds. You can use a paring knife to carefully scrape off the seeds and skins. Avoid rinsing the peppers if possible so you keep more of that smoky roasted flavor.

BLEND THE DIP

Add the roasted and seeded peppers, roasted garlic cloves, roasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, gochujang, egg-free Kewpie mayo, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a food processor.
Process for 5-6 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth and creamy. Taste the dip and feel free to season with more salt, lemon juice, maple syrup, or gochujang, to taste, if needed.

SERVE AND ENJOY

Transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, then garnish with smoked paprika, chopped chives, and thin chiffonade mint leaves.
Serve with bread, pita (homemade pita recipe here), crackers, vegetable sticks, or anything of your choice.
Enjoy!

Notes

RED PEPPER

I personally prefer roasting my own peppers since I find that some bottled ones have a slightly bitter taste, but if you'd like you can use bottled roasted red peppers (I like the ones from Divina).
If you aren't able to roast the peppers in open fire, roasting these peppers in the oven or in a broiler at a very high temperature of 200C or higher to get the skins nice and blistered would be the next best option.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

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