Hummus is so easy: Grind chickpeas. Add olive oil, little by little. Swirl in lemon juice. Season. Yawn.
Let's face it. It's about time you got a little more creative with your hummus approach.
Like most simple recipes, the options are practically endless, so there’s no reason to be boring with your base. Edamame, lima beans, black beans, and even some vegetables make amazing bases for hummus-like dips.
Technically, traditional hummushasto have chickpeas—the Arabic word “hummus” literally translates to chickpeas. But while we can’t officially call purees from other legumes “hummus,” it’s not going to stop us from trying something new. Especially if it's an exciting and delicious alternative to everyday staples.
Try some of these approaches next time you want something a little bit crazier than chickpeas.
Substitutefrozen edamame in a traditional hummus recipewith cumin and lemon juice, orswirl in some cilantrowith pureed edamame for a more herbal and intense hummus substitute. Try it withfrozen lima beansand chopped herbs—bet you can't find that in the hummus cooler.
If you have a good source nearby, get really fresh andgo the English peas route, mixing them with mint and green garlic. Get a silky, buttery texture bysubstituting butter bean.
Go Tex-Mex with your hummus approach byusing black beans as the base, or by adding Southwestern-style mix-ins. Try incorporating flavorslike chipotleor lime juice, which is a dynamic flavor change from the nutty and lemony flavor of store-bought hummus. Spread some of your new hummus on asalsa-topped burgeror just go at it with tortilla chips.
For a truly revolutionary hummus, make it without any beans. Whipping together beets and walnuts makes an earthy and nutty flavor with that silken hummus texture, but a vibrant purple color. If that's a little too crazy, tryblending parsleyinto your next batch—the herbacious bite fits in well with garlic and lemon.
Wait, since when is squash dippable? When the weather cools down, we’re first in line for adelicata squash-based hummus. When cooked directly on grill embers, delicata squash is meatier and richer than your standard yellow or butternut squash and makes for a sweet and smoky hummus.
