Dukkah recipe with almonds, sesame seeds, coriander, fennel, anise, and salt. It’s my own take on Trader Joe’s dukkah.
This recipe comes together in minutes. And it makes enough to last you for a long while.
There’s only one problem with being a big Trader Joe’s fan.
Just as soon as you’ve fallen in love with a product, it’s often ripped away.
That happens when it’s something seasonal, if there’s a quality control issue, or if it just wasn’t selling well enough to stick around.
As a TJ’s enthusiast, you have to go in with a certain amount of detachment, knowing that today’s favorite may be tomorrow’s fond memory.
One recent example?
Dukkah nut & spice blend.
Trader Joe’s sold small jars of it near the spices for a few dollars.
It made its way onto my favorite Trader Joe’s vegan products list.
(You can check out that post to see a picture of the packaging, in case you want to keep your eyes peeled for it.)
For some reason, it’s a seasonal item. And it recently made its yearly exit.
I’m not sure when it will be back again. But it might not be until the spring.
How will I keep up my dukkah habit?
It was time to make my own again.
What is dukkah?
Dukkah is also spelled dukka and duqqa.
Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment that’s usually made with hazelnuts and seeds.
The word is derived from the Arabic “to pound.”
That’s a reference to the way a mortar and pestle is typically used to grind down the nuts and seeds into a blend.
It’s even easier if you use a food processor and spice/coffee grinder!
For my dukkah recipe based on the Trader Joe’s mix, I use almonds, sesame seeds, anise seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and salt.
How to use it
Dukkah is mostly used as a dip.
Think of it as the savory Middle Eastern version of Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip.
Except instead of dipping a candy stick into sugar dust, you’re dipping bread into oil to wet it, and then finally into a shallow bowl of dukkah.
The nut & seed mixture sticks to the bread.
When you bite into it, you’re greeted with notes of nuttiness, salt, sausage flavors from the fennel, a faint citrus flavor from the coriander, and licorice from the anise.
(If you’re not into the flavors of fennel, coriander, or anise, I give other spice options below.)
Step by step instructions
Here are the ingredients you will need for homemade dukkah.
Start by toasting coriander seeds, fennel seeds, anise seeds, and sesame seeds for a couple minutes in a dry skillet on a medium heat.
Stir frequently, so that they don’t burn.
Once they are fragrant, turn off the skillet.
Move them to a clean, dry coffee grinder or spice grinder.
Give it a pulse a few times.
Be careful not to over blend.
You don’t want it to be a powder. You want it to be coarsely chopped.
(If you’d rather use a mortar & pestle for this, go for it.)
Then put the roasted & unsalted almonds into a food processor.
Add the seed mixture, and smoked salt or kosher salt.
Trader Joe’s dukkah uses kosher salt. But smoked salt adds some savory, smoky undertones.
Use whichever you prefer.
Pulse the food processor several times. Or turn it on low.
You may need to stop and stir a few times, so that everything breaks down evenly.
You want the dukkah to have an even, pebbly consistency.
Don’t turn it into almond flour or almond butter.
Now it is ready to use & serve!
Put a few spoonfuls into a small, shallow bowl.
In another shallow bowl, drizzle extra virgin olive oil.
Dip hot bread into the oil, and then directly into the dukkah to pick it up.
This dukkah recipe makes a generous amount.
It will last you a while, even if you are a dukkah fiend like me.
Can I use ground spices instead?
I wouldn’t advise it.
Even though you will be grinding the spices, the texture you’re aiming for is just slightly crushed.
Not a smooth powder like you’d find in commercially ground spices.
It should adhere to the bread like pebbles, not dust.
I recommend visiting your grocery store bulk bins to buy a scoop of each of the whole spices. That way you don’t have to commit to an entire jar.
A spoonful of whole spices usually costs just change.
What to serve with it
One of our favorite dinners is a big kale salad with bread, oil, and dukkah on the side.
It makes a healthy dinner salad a whole lot more fun.
It’s also a tasty addition to a vegan charcuterie board or mezze platter along with warmed Castelvetrano olives, grilled artichoke hearts, dolmas, crudités, and fruit.
A sprinkling of dukkah on top takes store-bought or homemade hummus up a serious notch.
Of course, it’s equally delicious on top of baba ganoush.
Serve with pillowy pita bread.
Add a dash of dukkah to avocado toast with a drizzle of tahini, roasted cauliflower or other vegetables, and smooth soups like creamy vegan tomato soup.
You can even use it on top of hot, buttered corn-on-the-cob. (Using non-dairy butter, obviously.)
The limits are endless!
Finally, dukkah makes a great DIY vegan food gift.
Put it in a jar, and tie on a ribbon.
Then give it with a baguette & nice bottle of olive oil.
Make it your own
Make this dukkah recipe your own by switching up, swapping, or adding different nuts and seeds.
Instead of almonds, try hazelnuts, pistachios, cashews, pine nuts, and/or pumpkin seeds.
Instead of or in addition to the seeds listed here, try one to two teaspoons of cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or black peppercorns.
How to store it
Keep the dukkah in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, so that the oils in the nuts stay good.
Sesame seed & almond dukkah
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds whole
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds whole
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds whole
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup almonds dry roasted & unsalted
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt or kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Baguette warmed, or pita bread
Instructions
- Bring a dry skillet to a medium heat. Add fennel seeds, coriander seeds, anise seeds, and sesame seeds. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until fragrant. Make sure to stir occasionally, so that none of it burns.
- Put the seed mixture into a clean, dry coffee grinder or spice grinder. Pulse a few times. Be careful not to blend too much. You don't want it to turn into a powder. It should have a gritty texture.
- Put the almonds, spice mixture, and smoked salt or kosher salt into a food processor. Put the food processor on low, or pulse until the dukkah has a mostly even, pebbly consistency. You may need to stop occasionally to stir, so that everything gets evenly mixed.
- To serve, put a few spoonfuls of dukkah into a small dish. Pour extra virgin olive oil into a separate small dish. Dip the warmed bread into oil & then into the dukkah, so that the nuts & seeds adhere to the bread.
David
I love Dukkha! And am always sad when my favorite TJ’s products disappear for the season. But this recipe has helped with that! 🙂
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear that. Now you need to work on a popcorn pickle recipe!
Susmitha
Ohh this is so interesting! I’ve never heard of Dukkah before. But I’m already loving the idea of dipping bread in olive oil and then this. Yum. Thanks for sharing, Cadry. I’ll be trying it very soon.
Also, yeah TJ’s disappearing products are such a frustration. 🙁
Cadry
Thank you, Susmitha! I really hope you enjoy it, and thank you for dropping by and commenting. It’s so nice to “see” your smiling face!
Shell
I’m fascinated. Dukkha is brand new to me. I definitely love the idea of trying it with pumpkin seeds. Dukkha feels like fall to me, so not sure why TJ thinks it is a good idea to take it away!
Cadry
Some of the things they mark as seasonal seem very random. David is really in love with their pickle flavored popcorn. It’s seasonal too. But obviously, there’s nothing especially seasonal about pickles or popcorn. Who knows? Anyway, let me know if you try the dukkah recipe with pumpkin seeds!
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, Cadry, I have got to make this ASAP! I love any excuse to dip bread in olive oil. I love that you found a quicker way to make this and have it year-round!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! I hope you enjoy it & get as addicted to dukkah as I am!
Susan
I don’t have a TJ to rip things away from me, but I also don’t have them to begin with. So I love when people make versions of their favourite products so that I can make them at home and experience them too.
Cadry
That’s a silver lining, right? 🙂 I hope you enjoy the dukkah if you decide to try it!
Dianne
I didn’t get to Trader Joe’s for a few weeks, and I missed the dukkah! (Or perhaps it was regional and the stores here didn’t get it.) I’m glad you were able to recreate it and share with us how to do it, so I make my own. I’m looking forward to sprinkling it on avocado toast!
Cadry
Excellent! I hope you love it as much as I do, Dianne.
Mandy
I can’t wait to make this!!!! Love dukkah and I was so happy to see you recreated it! I will definitely make extra for gifts – what a great idea!
P.S. – Trader Joe’s and Costco make me so sad with their disappearing products!!
Kimberly
Made this today – as I canNOT see myself paying $29 for a container online while waiting for TJ to bring this back (why do they keep removing things we like?). Anyways, for the almonds – the container I bought says it is 1-3/4 cup, but the weight is 5.5 ounces. I ended up having to double the spices, and add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds to make it how I remember it tasting.
How did you measure the almonds for your recipe?
Cadry
Hi, Kimberly! That is a problem with Trader Joe’s – that things you fall in love with go away for a time. After all, there’s no reason why dukkah would have to be seasonal. People could easily eat it all year ’round. I can totally understand not wanting to pay $29 for a small container of nuts, seeds, and spices!
I used a measuring cup for the almonds.
If you used 1 3/4 cup of almonds instead of the cup of almonds called for in the recipe, it would make sense that you’d need to increase the spices too. That said, I happened to have a wayward container of TJ’s dukkah in my fridge that I tried again AFTER making my version. And I noticed that mine isn’t as licorice-forward (with anise & fennel) as the Trader Joe’s version. I prefer it that way, but feel free to adjust to your preferences. Anyway, I hope your tweaked version satisfies you until TJ’s brings theirs back! 🙂
Becki
I was just asking them for this the other day! They said it would be back in January, but I don’t want to wait that long. I actually already ordered the ingredients and planned to figure it out…but you’ve already done that, and given me some additional ideas of how to use it. Thanks! Christmas gifts sounds like a great idea!
Cadry
It’s mystifying to me why some of their items are seasonal, especially small jars like this. It’s always a good time for bread, oil, and dukkah. It seems like there would be room in their spice section. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the recipe, Becki!
dagmoon
Your recipe is the first time ever I’ve tried Dukkah. OMG, one batch and I know I’ll be forever hooked. Really great recipe, Cadry. Me and my taste buds want to hug you.
Cadry
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for letting me know!