This Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is an incredibly easy snack that’s high in protein and fiber and terrific for light lunches or party dips! It’s chickpea-based with smooth earthy tahini, roasted red bell peppers, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon. It’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and made in minutes.
If you’ve never had hummus, you’re missing out on an ultra-healthy snack that goes well with crackers, pitas, raw cut vegetables or on sliced Overnight Sourdough Bread. It has a creamy, smooth texture and a robust taste with roasted sweet bell peppers.
Hummus can be spiced in many ways, so I’ll give you some ideas if peppers aren’t your thing. But really, this hummus isn’t spicy, and roasting the peppers adds depth with a little sweetness, and hints of savory, smoky notes.
Ingredients
- Red bell peppers
- Tahini
- Water
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Garlic
- Chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to roast peppers
- Place red bell peppers on a baking sheet and broil.
- Once charred, place the peppers in a Ziploc bag to steam.
- Peel the skin from the peppers and discard with seeds and stems.
- Chop and set aside.
If you don’t want to roast your own bell peppers, you can also buy jarred roasted red peppers and substitute ⅓ cup – just make sure to drain off any liquid, so you don’t water down your hummus.
How to make hummus
- Add tahini and water into the food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add lemon juice, garlic, chickpeas and roasted peppers and pulse until minced.
- With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is your desired texture.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
It takes about 15 minutes to prep the ingredients, 10 minutes to make and it yields about 1 1/2 cups.
How to store
You can store homemade hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. If it’s store-bought, it will stay good once it’s opened for up to 6 to 7 days.
According to the FDA, you should not leave hummus sitting at room temperature for more than four hours.
So if you forget and leave it on the counter overnight, you’ll want to toss it. Even reheating it can’t kill the heat-resistant toxins that are produced by bacteria and microbes.
So if you’re making this hummus for a crowd, be sure to keep it refrigerated until your guests arrive, and store it properly in the fridge otherwise.
Can I freeze hummus?
Yes! Freezing hummus is a great option. Just put it in an airtight container, label and date, and it will be last for 6 to 8 months.
That being said, consuming it sooner than later is always the best option. After about 4 months, the hummus can get a bit grainy, so keep that in mind. Hummus should have a smooth, appealing texture, so I would plan to eat mine before three months just to be safe.
To thaw the hummus, just put it in the fridge overnight, give it a stir and enjoy.
What is hummus?
Hummus is a super nutritious snack traditionally made from mashed chickpeas blended with olive oil, lemon juice, tahini and garlic. It’s a smooth and creamy dip or spread that can be flavored the way you like it, but stands on its own plain and simple.
Originally thought to have sprung from Egypt, hummus made its way to the Middle East and then on to Greece. Soon it became a staple of the Mediterranean diet.
How to use hummus
As mentioned, hummus is a terrific healthy snack, but it doesn’t stop there.
It goes well with crackers, pitas, sliced bread and fresh-cut vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers and cauliflower, making it a perfect party snack.
It also is great as a spread on sandwiches and wraps. So grab two slices of bread, slather on hummus, add your favorite sandwich toppings like tomatoes, lettuce and thinly sliced red onions and eat well!
It is also great with falafel and avocado, so no need to stop with just the basics.
You can add it to make a creamy sauce for a wonderful pasta dish, tofu scrambles, or as a topper sauce on chicken or beef steaks.
It’s a great way to add nutrition and yumminess to everyday meals.
What is tahini?
Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted, ground sesame seeds. It can be served by itself or added to hummus or baba ganoush.
To make tahini, the sesame seeds are soaked in water then crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. It’s soaked again in saltwater which makes the bran sink. The floating kernels are then skimmed off the surface, toasted and ground into an oily paste.
Because of the high oil content, some manufacturers recommend refrigeration to keep it from spoiling. But others do not because it makes it more difficult to serve. You’re most likely to find it on a shelf at a grocery store, not in the refrigerated section.
It’s pretty easy to find tahini in most grocery stores like Walmart and online, of course. In most major grocery stores, tahini is usually stocked with other condiments like peanut butter. If you can’t find it there then look in the international section.
Is there a good substitute for tahini?
If you have an allergy or can’t find tahini, you can still make this hummus. The best option is to substitute cashew butter for the tahini. It’s pretty similar in taste or at least neutral-tasting and works well in hummus.
Sunflower seed butter is another good option if you have a nut allergy and need a different seed butter for the hummus.
If you can’t find or can’t make either cashew or sunflower butter and don’t have allergies to nuts, then you can use peanut butter + olive oil. You’ll want to split the amount of tahini for ½ the amount for peanut butter and ½ olive oil.
So for this recipe, we use ¼ cup tahini, which means you would use ⅛ peanut butter and ⅛ extra olive oil to replace the tahini. If you want to use homemade peanut butter, check out my post on how to make peanut butter.
Remember, to use natural peanut butter with no sweeteners. A traditional type like Jif or Skippy would be too sweet for hummus.
How to prepare chickpeas from scratch
If you don’t want to use canned or jarred chickpeas for this hummus, you can make them from scratch. You’ll need to soak dried chickpeas for at least 6 hours or overnight. Make sure the water level is 2 inches above the dried peas and cover in a large pot.
Once soaked, drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them back into a stockpot. Cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour or until tender. You don’t want to overcook them as they will get mushy.
Drain and follow the directions for making hummus with the food processor.
To get a creamier texture, you can add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda when you cook the chickpeas. You will notice the skin on the chickpeas. If this bothers you, you can peel them off of the chickpeas before processing them into hummus.
I like to keep things as simple as possible and have found that buying cooked chickpeas saves me tons of time and energy which makes it worth it.
Don’t want to use chickpeas? Try this Red Lentil Hummus!
Variations
Hummus is an ideal healthy snack because it’s easy to jazz up just the way you like it.
Today, we used roasted red peppers, but you can eat hummus plain with a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of toasted pine nuts, garnished with parsley.
If you want to wow your guests, add a pop of color with pomegranate seeds. Or keeping with the Mediterranean-style, mix-in diced sundried tomatoes, chopped kalamata olives or chives.
Add in your favorite spices like cayenne, paprika, sliced jalapenos or crushed red pepper flakes.
Or you can use fresh parsley, dill, or basil to make it taste the way you like.
When I’m keeping it simple, I use garlic, lemon, olive oil and a bit of parsley for a simple great-tasting snack.
For other ways to use hummus besides a creamy dip, check out this post for some great ideas. And for another great chickpea recipe, check out these Roasted Chickpeas!
Benefits of hummus
- Tahini is made from sesame seeds and has omega3-s, calcium and protein, so we’re already off to a good start.
- Hummus is naturally low in fat and the fat that is there, is unsaturated, so it can be part of a low-fat diet.
- It’s a great source of protein, fiber, antioxidant vitamins, magnesium and potassium.
- It’s relatively low in sugar, especially when you compare it to other popular snack items. And it helps stave off hunger!
- It’s nutritiously rich and easy to integrate into your diet.
Other easy snacks
I can’t resist a wholesome snack in the afternoons. So here are some of my favorites.
- Cream Cheese Quesadillas
- Mango Habanero Salsa
- Snacks for Toddlers
- Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
- Crispy Baked Broccoli Sriracha Spring Rolls
If you try out this hummus, I’d love to hear what you think! If you share your creations with the world, please give me a shoutout by tagging #fooddoodlesrecipes so I can be sure to see them.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the red bell peppers on a sheet pan and place them about 6” away from the broiler. Turn the broiler to high and cook the peppers until they are black and charred on all sides-- about 2 minutes per side. Make sure to watch them-- you don’t want them to catch on fire!
- As soon as you char the peppers, place them in a ziploc bag and allow them to steam for at least ten minutes.
- Gently peel the charred skin away from the flesh of the peppers and discard it, along with the seeds and stem.
- Chop the flesh of the pepper and set it aside until ready to use.
- Add the tahini and water to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the tahini is smooth and creamy-- about 30 seconds.
- Add the lemon juice, garlic, chickpeas, and bell pepper and continue to pulse until the chickpeas are finely minced-- about 1 minute.
- With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is your desired texture.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
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