Dukkah is a blend of nuts, seeds, and spices that hails from Egypt and the Middle East. Crunchy and flavorful, it's delicious on dips, veggies, and more!
I made a full batch of this simple dukkah recipe last week, and within a few days, the whole thing was gone. It’s the sort of seasoning that you can sprinkle on everything, from your morning scrambled eggs and avocado toast to roasted veggies at dinner. Basically, anytime you want to pep up a simple meal, dukkah can help you do it.
What is dukkah?
Dukkah (also spelled duqqa) is a Middle Eastern and Egyptian nut, seed, and spice blend. The exact ingredients tend to vary, though various toasted nuts, sesame seeds, coriander, and cumin are among the most common additions. As Amy Chaplin writes in her cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, dukkah is traditionally served as a dip with olive oil and bread, though the ways to use it don’t end there (see some of my favorites below!). Today, pre-made dukkah is available in many spice shops and grocery stores, though for the best flavor, I recommend making your own at home.
Dukkah Recipe Ingredients
I make my version of this Egyptian spice blend with 7 simple ingredients:
- Hazelnuts and pistachios – They add crunch and rich, nutty flavor.
- Sesame seeds – Use a mix of black and white if you have them!
- Ground cumin and coriander – I use ground versions of these spices because I always have them on hand, but if you happen to have whole coriander or cumin seeds in your kitchen, feel free to sub them in! Start with 3/4 teaspoon of each whole spice instead of 1/2. After you blend the dukkah together, adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Fennel seeds – They add great savory flavor to this simple spice mix.
- And sea salt – To make the earthy, nutty, and toasty flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Dukkah
This dukkah recipe is SO simple to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, toast the nuts and seeds. Place the hazelnuts and pistachios in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant and beginning to brown. Add the sesame and fennel seeds and toast for 1 minute more. Stir often, or the seeds will burn!
Transfer the toasted nuts and seeds to a food processor, and add the cumin, coriander, and salt.
Next, grind up the spice blend. Traditionally, dukkah would be made using a mortar and pestle. In fact, according to Serious Eats, its name actually comes from the Egyptian Arabic word meaning “to crush” or “to pound.” However, using a food processor achieves a similar effect with a fraction of the effort, so that’s what I use to make dukkah at home. But if you have a mortar and pestle and you prefer to use that, go for it! Pulse or pound the mixture until the nuts are coarsely ground, with some larger nut pieces still remaining.
Season to taste with more salt, cumin, or coriander…and that’s it! Store the dukkah in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this flavorful spice blend:
- As a dip. Dunk a little pita or crusty bread in olive oil, and then dip it in the dukkah. The oil will help the nuts and spices stick to the bread, making it a rich, satisfying appetizer or snack.
- On a dip. Sprinkle it over hummus, baba ganoush, or homemade labneh before serving.
- On eggs. Scrambled, poached, or even soft-boiled.
- On avocado toast. Dress it up more with roasted chickpeas, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- On grilled or roasted vegetables. You’ll find this dukkah in this roasted carrot recipe. It’s also fantastic on roasted butternut squash, broccoli, or cauliflower and grilled eggplant or zucchini.
- In simple salads. Sprinkle it over this roasted beet salad or this shredded carrot salad.
How do you like to use dukkah? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Homemade Spice Blends
If you love this dukkah recipe, try making one of these homemade seasoning blends next:
Dukkah
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw hazelnuts
- ¼ cup raw shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the hazelnuts and pistachios for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the sesame seeds and fennel seeds and toast about 1 minute more, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Transfer the nuts and seeds to a food processor and add the coriander, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Pulse until well chopped. Season to taste with more salt, if desired.
- See the blog post above for serving suggestions.
This is the second time I’ve made this! I love to use it on puréed soups, like butternut squash or potato… I also sprinkle it on my salads. It is so delicious and nutritious.
Hi Debra, I’m so glad you’re loving it!
Yummmmm. I didn’t have hazelnuts so I used piñon nuts instead and since I had some toasted Chile Pistachios on hand, I through some of those into the blend. Since the Chile Pistachios came salted, I didn’t add any salt to my blend. Delicious! Thank you!!
*threw (eek!)
This was quick and easy.
My favorite way to use dukkah is topping a bit of (goat or sheep) yogurt, on top of fresh peaches or nectarines (which could be pan grilled, but don’t need to be). The combination is a very grown-up approach to highlighting the sweetness of the fruit, while adding excellent nutrition, and no extra sugar at all. Looks pretty too. Sophisticated snack or dessert.
Yum, that sounds delicious, I love peaches, thank you for the idea!
I can’t eat cumin. Can you suggest a substitute spice? Thank you
Hi Missy, you could just skip it, the other spices are plenty flavorful!
Hi there…looking forward to making the dukkah and roasted carrots on Easter Sunday…should the hazelnuts have the skin removed before pan roasting with the pistachios?
Hi Bet, sometimes I leave the loose skins behind but I don’t really remove it. You can see how much skin is left on mine in the food processor photo up in the post.