This easy dukkah recipe gives you a flavour powerhouse to upgrade so many dishes. The Egyptian spice blend takes just 15 minutes to make and once you have a jar in your cupboard, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.
What is dukkah?
Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of toasted nuts, seeds and spices, all blitzed up into a coarse, sprinkle-able mix. It’s DELICIOUS and one of the most used things in my kitchen. There are a lot of different versions of dukkah out there, with most recipes including sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds. The rest can be played around with, based on what you have in your kitchen.
A little sprinkling adds a gorgeous crunch and nutty fragrance to a host of dishes – think scattered on top of hummus, tossed through salads, as a crust for lamb, salmon or halloumi, mixed through roasted veggies, as a garnish for pasta and pizza…there are so many ways you can use it.
It’s also incredibly easy to make. It’s just a case of roasting your nuts, toasting your seeds then blending them. Traditionally, this was done with a pestle and mortar, but I’m using a food processor for ease.
Ingredients
The common elements you generally find in dukkah recipes are sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds, so they’re all present here. Aside from those, I’ve used a couple of extra ingredients to make it even more special. However, you can switch these ingredients up based on what you have.
- Almonds. I’m using almonds in the recipe, but you can use any nut you like or a mix. In the past I’ve used those bags of mixed nuts you can find in supermarkets, otherwise, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and pecans work well in place of the almonds.
- Nigella seeds. I LOVE a nigella seed. Sweet, oniony and seriously tasty, I’m including them because they fit well with the base four seeds (sesame, cumin, coriander and fennel).
- Ground turmeric. This just brings a lovely golden colour to the dukkah, but you can leave it out if you don’t have any.
How to make it
Start by roasting the almonds and toasting the seeds. This is an extra step I know, but it is the way to get the most flavour out of them. Get the almonds in the oven at 180C/360F fan for 10 minutes, until they’re smelling lovely and toasty. While they’re roasted, get the seeds into a large pan over medium heat. Toast them for 2 minutes, until they smell fragrant. You’ll want to watch the almonds in the oven – all ovens are different and they can very quickly burn. Likewise, with the seeds, make sure you’re stirring them so they don’t catch at the bottom.
Now it’s time to blitz everything together. Do the almonds first – they’re larger so need a little more time by themselves to break down. Blitz them for a minute, then add the toasted seeds, ground turmeric, salt and pepper. Blitz everything for another minute, until the seeds are breaking down and you’re left with a chunky powder. I like to stop the motor and give everything a little stir just so everything is being blitzed evenly – you’ll often find that it looks fine on the top but there are a lot of chunkier bits at the bottom. Once it’s at the texture you like, transfer it to a jar to store.
Three ways to use dukkah
- Scatter it over creamy, super smooth hummus
- Use as a garnish for shakshuka
- Make dukkah-crusted, oven-baked halloumi bites
Got a question?
It will last for months, stored in a clean jar at room temperature. The recipe makes a lot but you’ll be surprised how much you use it once you have it. It also makes a lovely gift! I gave my friends and family little jars last Christmas and they loved them.
Yes! Cashews, walnuts, pistachios or pecans are great – sometimes I’ll use a mix of different nuts, or use one of those mixed nuts bags you can find at the supermarket.
Like the nuts, you can switch out for something else – use more cumin seeds or nigella seeds in place of the fennel if you’re not a fan of the flavour.
You could make it using a pestle and mortar – but it will take a lot of elbow work and you’ll need to do it in batches. But yes, you definitely could do it this way!
Like this recipe? Here are some more ideas for you
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Easy Spiced Dukkah
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy dukkah recipe gives you a flavour powerhouse to upgrade so many dishes. The Egyptian spice blend takes just 15 minutes to make and once you have a jar in your cupboard, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.
A little sprinkling adds a gorgeous crunch and nutty fragrance to a host of dishes – think scattered on top of hummus, tossed through salads, as a crust for lamb, salmon or halloumi, mixed through roasted veggies, as a garnish for pasta and pizza…there are so many ways you can use it.
You’ll need a food processor for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almonds
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons nigella seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns (or a good grind of black pepper)
Essential equipment –
- Food processor
Instructions
- Roast the almonds. Heat your oven to 180C/360F fan and get your almonds into an oven tray that will fit them on a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes and set aside to cool slightly. PRO TIP: Watch the almonds in the oven – they can burn quickly and all ovens behave differently. Once they’re looking a little browner and you can smell them, they’re done.
- Toast the seeds. While the almonds are roasting, get 1/2 cup of sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon nigella seeds and 2 teaspoons fennel seeds into a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for two minutes until the seeds are starting to smell fragrant. Like the almonds, the seeds can quickly burn so make sure you are standing over the pan and stirring so they don’t catch. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- Blend the dukkah. Once the almonds are roasted and the seeds are toasted, transfer the almonds to the bowl of your food processor and blitz until they’re broken up into little chunks. We’re blending the almonds first because they need a little more work to break up than the seeds – this way, they get a head start. Add the toasted seeds, 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns (or do about 5 grinds of your pepper mill) into the bowl. Blitz for 2 minutes, until the seeds are broken up and it’s looking like chunky dust. Stop the motor and give the dukkah a mix to make sure it’s blitzing evenly. Once it’s at the texture you prefer, transfer it to a clean jar and store it in the cupboard. It will last for months!
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: You can use any nuts here – swap the almonds for cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, peanuts – or a mixture. You can also play around with your seeds and spices – use more or less or swap things out – just try to keep the ratio the same.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The dukkah will last for weeks in a clean jar at room temperature.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I use this dukkah a lot – it’s fabulous scattered over salads, shakshuka, hummus, and grilled meat…it will improve anything and add some lovely texture and spice. Try my dukkah-crusted halloumi bites or crispy dukkah potatoes to celebrate this lovely spice mix!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: seasoning
- Method: food processor
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Keywords: dukkah, spices, seasoning
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