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With just 7 pantry-friendly ingredients and a dead-simple technique, this matbucha recipe turns humble ol’ tomatoes and peppers into a sultry, jammy dip that you’ll wanna smear on everything (perhaps even your face). As a topping, the smoky, slow-cooked flavor is about to slap your hummus game into next week. One pan. Under an hour. Big tomato energy.
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Matbucha (Arabic for “cooked salad”) came from North Africa but took over Israeli and Middle Eastern tables like it owns the place. This Moroccan dish is also known as salade cuite in Jewish Moroccan culture and is a very popular mezze salad throughout the region. It’s proof that if you just let vegetables do their thing, with enough time and a little bit of heat, they’ll flex some serious flavor muscle.
The first time I had Matbucha, I ate half a container standing at the fridge door (ZERO regrets). After tweaking it through way too many batches, I lost count, I finally unlocked the supreme formula: this version has that sweet-spicy-smoky balance.
This smoky matbucha is like a roasted version of Turkish ezme, but with charred veggies bringing that deep, rich flavor. While ezme has that fresh bite, matbucha's got that smoky sweetness from slow-roasted tomatoes and peppers. Both are killer for mezze spreads, sandwich spreads, or those late-night fridge raids.
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🥰Why you’ll adore this matbucha recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all my vegan Middle Eastern recipes and gluten-free vegan recipes, this Matbucha is just 100% roasted veggie magic without a single animal involved and no gluten.
🔥 Charred Perfection: The initial charring of vegetables creates complex flavor compounds that give this side dish its signature smoky depth, impossible to achieve with standard cooking methods.
⏱️ Hands-Off Magic: Once the initial prep is done, this recipe practically makes itself while you just stir occasionally, making it perfect for multitasking kitchen warriors.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I share, after dialing in the final version, I let a lovable squad of hundreds of recipe testers around the world go wild with it. Spoiler alert: it was a serious hit with them.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍅Matbucha Ingredients
Tomatoes
Sweet, ripe tomatoes are the soul of this dish, so don't even think about making this out of season when tomatoes are mealy and flavorless. Go for the darkest, ripest tomatoes you can score—heirloom tomatoes or beefsteak are best for their meatiness, and Roma tomatoes are good to use because they have less water and will be less messy to char.
Make a big batch when tomatoes are at their peak, then portion and freeze for later so you can enjoy that jammy texture all year long.
Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate molasses helps give this condiment a more nuanced flavor and accentuates the natural sweetness and acidity of the charred peppers and tomatoes. It's kinda critical in recipes like kisir and Turkish cig kofte. If you can't find it, you can cook down ½ cup pomegranate juice with 1 teaspoon of sugar until thick and syrupy.
Aleppo Pepper
This Turkish/Syrian pepper brings moderate heat with fruity notes and a smoky finish that can’t be beat. It’s perfect for adding depth to dishes like zhoug, or bolani. Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) makes an excellent substitute with its similar heat level, seedlessness, and subtle sweetness. You can also use hot paprika or sweet paprika, depending on how much heat you prefer.
The Sweetener
Roasted tomatoes and peppers already bring their own natural sweetness, so I didn’t want to overdo it. Just a touch of brown sugar balances the acidity from the lemon juice, making the whole thing taste wayyy better.
I usually use coconut sugar or palm sugar since my wife avoids processed sugars, so these unrefined options fit the bill. If you’re looking for alternatives, date syrup or maple syrup work just as well.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Spicy Harissa Matbucha
Toss in 1-2 tablespoons of harissa sauce when you add the garlic. This citrus-kissed North African chili paste adds a whole other level of complexity to matbucha. If you're a fan of all harissa-y things, serve this alongside harissa hummus, harissa carrots, harissa chickpeas, or harissa cauliflower.
Roasted Eggplant Matbucha
This roasted eggplant version uses the same method I use for mutabal and shakshuka. Char one medium eggplant alongside the tomatoes and peppers. Peel, chop, and add it to the mixture when you add the tomatoes and peppers. The eggplant melts into the sauce, creating an even silkier texture.
📖How to make matbucha
Crush this thick tomato condiment on your first try with foolproof step-by-step photos and helpful tips. Or just hit the bottom for the printable recipe card—totally your call!
Step One
Flame of Thrones:
Broil or flame-char tomatoes and bell peppers, turning occasionally, until blistered and softened.
✅ This step makes a wee bit of a mess. I like to use a wire rack over the burner grate to minimize this and to make it easier to flip the veggies. Otherwise, you can do this on an outdoor grill, or even by using a grill pan indoors.
Step Two
Sweet Steams Are Made of These:
Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and let steam and cool for 15 minutes.
Step Three
Peel of Fortune:
Peel off the skins, discard the cores and seeds, and roughly chop the flesh.
Step Four
Oil of The Wild:
Heat olive oil in a non-reactive pan over medium heat. After 90 seconds, add garlic and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
Step Five
Pom and Circumstance:
Add chopped tomatoes and peppers, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar, pepper, and salt.
Step Six
Sim Simmer, Who’s Got the Keys to My Beemer:
Cook over medium for 60-70 minutes, stirring occasionally at first, then more frequently as it thickens.
✅ Make sure to use a metal spoon, and as the matbucha thickens, use the spoon to really scrape and re-incorporate any buildup back into the sauce. This is what leads to the deepest jam-like consistency.
Step Seven
To Serve and Protect:
When the mixture is thick and jammy, remove from heat. Cool slightly, transfer to a jar or bowl, and garnish with olive oil and Aleppo pepper flakes. Serve warm or at room temp.
💡Serving Ideas
Wanna feel like you're sitting at your grandparents’ table in the middle of nowhere in Morocco, enjoying the silence of the desert and the warmth of the locals? First, grab some pita bread or warm vegan challah.
This dip game goes wild with baba ganoush for that smoky eggplant goodness. Serve it alongside Middle Eastern salads. Cucumber beet salad, or taboule, has got your back with all the citrusy-herby action you can even handle.
And those yaprak sarma? Those little stuffed grape leaf parcels are the perfect two-bite wonders that'll have you reaching for "just one more" until they're mysteriously all gone (shhhh. I won't tell everyone it was you).
Don't let the name fool you, matbucha is versatile enough to be a main course when paired with warm bread and other sides, especially at Friday night dinners or on the Shabbat table.
👉Top tips
- Choose the Ripest Tomatoes You Can Find (In Season Is Key): Their natural sugars are crucial for developing depth of flavor during the long cooking time process. Use them at the height of tomato season for maximum flavor!
- Make the Charring Easier: Use a wire rack over your burner grate, or char the veggies on an outdoor grill to reduce the mess and to make flipping the tomatoes easier.
- Use A Wide, Heavy-bottomed Pan: Use a wide, heavy-bottomed pan to help moisture escape faster and give your matbucha that perfect texture. A thicker pan discourages burning, so you don’t have to worry about your veggies getting too crispy. Avoid cast iron though—its reactivity can unpleasantly mess with the flavor.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
It should have a thick, jam-like consistency (not at all like marinara) where a spoon drawn through leaves a trail that doesn't immediately fill in. The color will also deepen to a rich red-orange.
While technically possible with oven-roasted veggies, charring is essential for authentic flavor. Without it, you'll miss the signature smokiness that defines good Matbucha.
Traditional Matbucha has a mild to medium heat level. Adjust the amount of Aleppo pepper to suit your preference, or swirl in some shatta if you want it super-stupidly-hot.
Matbucha is a cooked-down spread or dip, while Israeli shakshuka is a dish where eggs are poached in a similar tomato-pepper sauce. Turkish shakshuka and soslu patlican are made with roasted or fried eggplant in a very pleasingly mild spiced tomato sauce, and it’s completely plant-based to boot!
🧊 Refrigerator Storage: Transfer cooled matbucha to a glass jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. For best flavor, bring to room temperature before serving.
❄️ Freezer Storage:
Portion matbucha into small batches in glass containers, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Freeze for up to 3 months. Label containers with the date and contents. This works especially well if you make a large batch.
into glass containers, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Freeze for up to 3 months. Label containers with the date and contents.
☀️ Thawing Instructions: Move frozen matbucha to the refrigerator and allow to thaw overnight. Alternatively, place the sealed container in a bowl of cool water for faster thawing.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating: Transfer matbucha to a small saucepan and gently heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating: Place a portion in a microwave-safe bowl, cover loosely with a plate or paper towel, and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until warmed to your liking.
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Matbutcha
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. ripe tomatoes
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or gochugaru
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoons salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
Instructions
- Char the tomatoes and bell peppers under the broiler or on a wire rack directly over an open flame on your stovetop, turning occasionally, until blistered and softened.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate or lid, and let steam for 15 minutes.
- Peel off the skins, then roughly chop the tomatoes and peppers, discarding the cores and seeds.
- Heat olive oil in a non-reactive pan over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and peppers along with the Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar, pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 60-70 minutes, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as the mixture thickens. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as it thickens with a metal spoon to avoid buildup.
- Once reduced to a thick, jam-like consistency, remove from the heat. Let cool slightly before transferring to a jar or bowl. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkle of Aleppo pepper, if serving right away. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
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