Healthy and Delicious Hummus Recipe
Sending your kids to school with different treats and lunches each day can be a chore. Especially if you’re also making your own lunches for work. Finding one thing that everyone agrees on and that’s healthy saves a ton of time. That’s why we love this hummus recipe.
Hummus is loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals, and it can be served with a variety of items that can be customized to taste or to diets. It’s already vegan and vegetarian.
It can also be tweaked a bit, so it becomes your very own creation. Some kids are more sensitive to the taste of garlic, or they don’t like tahini, those ingredients can be removed. If you want a little kick, adding pepper flakes or a pepper-infused olive oil will do the trick. Other popular modifications include adding olives or cucumbers or pretty much any cut up vegetable.
We’re giving you a very basic hummus recipe and then you can customize it any way you want. We recommend making a big batch and then smaller ones that are adjusted to have different flavor profiles. Then, grab one of our handy write-on labels and jot down what flavor it is or who it’s for. This makes grab-and-go snacks and meals super-easy to prep.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of canned chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained
- 1/3 cup of tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or more)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- A pinch of salt
Directions
Begin by putting all of the ingredients in the food processor except the olive oil. Run the processor at a slow speed and then add one tablespoon of the olive oil and check the texture. Adding more olive oil will thin the hummus to the right consistency. Scrape the sides at least once after adding oil to make sure it’s incorporated. If one tablespoon has been added and it still feels thick, add a little more olive oil.
If you don’t like the idea of more olive oil because you’re avoiding the calories, you can add more lemon juice to thin the consistency, but that does alter the flavor a little bit.
Hummus Flavor Variations
We mentioned that you can change the flavor of your hummus with some additions. These are a few of our favorites – but feel free to create your own. By the way, some of them change the color of the hummus which can be more exciting and fun for little ones.
Pesto Hummus (Green color)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup spinach (this gives the green color)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts (optional)
Roasted Beet Hummus (Fuchsia color)
Ingredients
- 1 small roasted beet, cooled and peeled
Black Bean Hummus (Dark brown color)
For this one, you actually replace the chickpeas with canned black beans that are rinsed and drained.
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Sweet Red Pepper Hummus (Orange color)
Ingredients
- 2 whole red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
Blend most of the red peppers in the food processor with the hummus but reserve a handful to sprinkle on top of the finished product.
Olive Tapenade Hummus (Slight black or darker hue)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
Like the red pepper version, blend most of the olives into the hummus but reserve a few finely chopped pieces for the top.
Helpful Tips
- Homemade hummus doesn’t have any preservatives, which makes it better for you, but it also means it doesn’t last very long. Expect your batches to last 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Do play with the recipe to adjust it to your tastes and come up with your own creations. Let your kids experiment a little, too. It’s a lot of fun and you’ll be surprised at their creativity.
- Roasting the garlic adds a step to the process but the flavor is often more pleasant than raw garlic.
- Don’t just use hummus as a dip – it’s great on sandwiches too!
