Easy Vegan Kashk Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)

This Vegan Kashk Bademjan recipe is a dairy-free version of the traditional Persian eggplant dip, made using plant-based yogurt. It includes fried onion, garlic, and mint for a delicious garnish. To serve, pair it with Persian rice or bread

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Why You’ll Love Vegan Kashk Bademjan

• Kashk Bademjan is a flavorful Persian eggplant dip that is served as an appetizer with warm bread.
• Kashk is a dairy product made of drained yogurt and has a salty and tangy flavor. Bademjan means eggplant. This dish is traditionally made from the combination of these two ingredients. 
• Our version skips the dairy and creates an easy vegan version using plant-based yogurt with lemon juice and salt to achieve the same flavors. Alternatively, you can make a more authentic version using our traditional Kashk Bademjan recipe, making your own yogurt and kashk.

Ingredients/Equipment Notes

To make this delicious Vegan Kashk Bademjan, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements are in the recipe card below):

• large eggplant (or several small ones as pictured)
• Cooking oil
• medium yellow onion thinly julienned
• garlic cloves minced
• turmeric (divided)
• black pepper
• dry mint (for garnish) – You can get this at the Persian store or on Amazon.
• finely chopped walnuts (for garnish)

“Vegan Kashk”

• plain, unsweetened almond yogurt (we recommend KiteHill brand)
• lemon juice
• salt
• garlic powder
• water

You will also need the following equipment:

• This recipe uses an air fyer, even though the eggplant can also be roasted in the oven. This is the air fryer I like on Amazon.

How to Make the Best Vegan Kashk Bademjan

Prepare Eggplant

• Add 1/2 Tbsp. oil to a medium bowl. Add egg plant and fully coat.
• Cook eggplant in air fryer at 400 F for 20 minutes, turning eggplant over halfway through the cooking time.
• Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Add eggplant and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Remove the eggplant stem, and gently peel the eggplant.
• Mash the eggplant in a bowl with a fork. Set aside.

Fry Garnish

• Add 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil to a medium pot on medium/high heat. Now, add the onion, and fry the onion until golden. Add 1/2 tsp. turmeric and fry another 1-2 minutes. Set aside 3 Tbsp. of the fried onion for the garnish.

• Add the mashed eggplant to the pot with the fried onion and fry 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper, stir, cover, and cook on medium/low heat for 10 minutes. Add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup water if needed.
• Add 1 Tbsp. oil to a small pan. Now, add the garlic and fry on medium/high heat until golden. Now add 1/2 tsp. turmeric and fry another 1-2 minutes.
• Take 1 Tbsp. of the fried garlic, and add to the pot with the mashed eggplant mixture. Set aside the rest of the fried garlic for garnish.
• In the same small pan you fried the garlic, add 1 tsp. oil, and fry the dried mint over medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside the fried mint for garnish.

Prepare Vegan Kashk

• Prepare the Vegan Kashk – Combine almond yogurt, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and water and mix.
• Set aside about 1-2 Tbsp of the Vegan Kashk for garnish. Add the rest of the Vegan Kashk to the pot with the mashed eggplant mixture. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
• Put the mashed eggplant mixture in a medium bowl, and garnish with the fried onion, fried garlic, fried mint, chopped walnuts. Add a little water to the Vegan Kashk that was set aside and drizzle to garnish.

How to Serve Vegan Kashk Bademjan

This Vegan Kashk Bademjan is delicious with Persian rice or bread like lavash. See our Persian rice recipe below:

• Persian Rice (Polo 101)

Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag us on Instagram @plant_basedpersian or share it on Pinterest!

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