Dukkah, du’ah, do’a, or duqqa is an Egyptian and Middle Eastern condiment consisting of a mixture of seeds, nuts, and spices, toasted and ground together into one perfect mix. And after trying it once, it quickly became the condiment I reach for every time something needs a little extra punch of spice, flavor or crunch. This pistachio dukkah is my take on the Egyptian staple, and I only hope I can do the classic recipe justice.
The best thing I’ve heard about dukkah is that you can tell a family’s house by the smell of their own distinct recipe. I’ve learned dukkah is deeply personal, highly customizable and incredibly cultural. The beauty of it being personal is that you can riff on it, add and subtract ingredients as you wish, and still end up with a pretty great result.
This recipe is more like a template for the kind of dukkah that I’ve grown to love, but you can definitely taste, adjust and season to make it your own. Think of this as a guideline dukkah, but definitely not the only way you can make it.
Table of contents
Let’s talk more about dukkah
Dukkah is derived from the Arabic word “to pound,” because it was originally made with mortar and pestle, and the texture is never supposed to be too fine. It’s meant to be crumbly, rough, and crunchy, but the textures can also vary greatly from family to family and vendor to vendor.
Traditionally it is made with nuts, spices and seeds, but it is not limited to just that. Many people have found varieties with cheese, flour and even chickpeas incorporated.
All that to say, dukkah is something people have been customizing for centuries, so definitely try to find some different varieties if you can!
Ingredients for this pistachio dukkah
Pistachios are of course the main ingredient here, but I’ve seen many successful recipes use a wide variety of nuts, so feel free to use what you have!
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp white hulled sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/2 tsp Morton’s
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
How to make this pistachio dukkah
I toast my ingredients in the oven for this, making it just a bit easier on myself and also skipping the step of needing to pull out my cast-iron pan.
Begin by preheating the oven to 350F. On a baking sheet, evenly spread out the nuts, spices and seeds. Everything except the salt and cayenne should go here.
Toast the nuts, seeds and spices in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the sesame is golden brown and the spices are fragrant. Transfer everything to a food processor. Pulse for about 15-30 seconds or until the mix is coarsely ground, but not yet fine. You want the texture of rough sand.
Add the mix to a bowl or jar and add the salt and cayenne. Mix or shake to combine. Taste, and add more salt as needed.Store this in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place. It should keep for about a month!
What recipes I use this pistachio dukkah on
You have definitely seen dukkah already on the blog, even if I might not have said it out-right. Here are some of the recipes I tend to put it on!
And that’s it for this pistachio dukkah!
And if you make any of my recipes, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Pistachio Dukkah
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp white hulled sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 tsp Morton's
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- On a baking sheet, evenly spread out the nuts, spices and seeds. Everything except the salt and cayenne should go here.
- Toast the nuts, seeds and spices in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the sesame is golden brown and the spices are fragrant.
- Transfer everything to a food processor. Pulse for about 15-30 seconds or until the mix is coarsely ground, but not yet fine. You want the texture of rough sand.
- Add the mix to a bowl or jar and add the salt and cayenne. Mix or shake to combine. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
- Store this in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place. It should keep for about a month!
