Basil Hummus
Try out our amazing variation of basil hummus which is lusciously creamy, smooth, and bright with the flavors of fresh basil, lemon juice to add sourness, and olive oil to blend the texture and flavors well. Use this delicious hummus for dipping chips or pitas, as a base for wraps, toast, sandwiches, or salad, or toss it on top of pasta.
Homemade fresh basil hummus is one of my favorite low-maintenance appetizers and snack, which only requires blending all the ingredients, and it’s ready to eat. Be sure to use fresh ingredients and do the taste checking to bring out all the right flavors.
Instead of reaching for unhealthy snacks like chips, cookies, or sweets when hunger hits, it’s better to enjoy a few veggies with this creamy fresh basil hum
Serve this along with Vegan Nacho Cheese and Caribbean Green Seasoning
Why You Will Love This Basil Hummus Recipe
- Super creamy and lusciously smooth.
- A unique blend of flavors that requires simple seasonings and ingredients, even a picky eater will love this.
- Easy and fast to prepare, which only requires blending all the ingredients in the food processor.
- Healthy food which is high in protein and fiber.
- Used as an appetizer and snack for parties or family gatherings.
- Prepared with canned hummus, fresh herbs, and roasted garlic.
- A quick healthy snack to meet the hunger afternoon cravings.
The Basil Hummus Ingredients
- Chickpeas: Use cooked or canned chickpeas to get the smoothest hummus. If you use cooked hummus, make sure to peel the skin out. It will make your hummus incredibly fluffy and smooth.
- Tahini: You can make a homemade version of tahini or use the store-bought can. Make sure to use high-quality ones, as some brands are overly bitter.
- Fresh basil leaves: You will need a lot of fresh basil leaves to make them. You can buy a whole plant and keep it in the yard so that you can have an unlimited basil supply. Fresh basil leaves are required to have this hummus taste like pesto hummus.
- Garlic: A couple of fresh garlic cloves are always the best. You can also add some fresh roasted garlic which will add wonderful flavor to the green hummus.
- Lemon juice: Use some fresh lemon juice for the best flavors.
- Salt: to taste.
- Olive oil: I used extra virgin olive oil for the best flavors.
How to Make Basil Hummus?
Preparing hummus is one of the easiest recipes, as you need to throw all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. Very little preparation is needed other than assembling and measuring ingredients.
To prepare the canned chickpeas, use slightly thicker hummus to achieve thickened hummus. Make sure to rinse and drain thoroughly so that the extra sodium and fat go away. Throw the chickpeas, tahini, basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor and combine them until smooth.
While the food processor is running, slowly start pouring the extra virgin olive oil. Continue to process until the hummus is creamy and smooth. Do the taste testing and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve with pita bread, crackers, or as a dip for vegetables. Enjoy!
Basil Hummus Optional Add-ins and Substitution Ideas
- Never try to substitute fresh basil leaves with dried basil or powdered ones. Fresh ones are best for this recipe.
- I mostly use canned chickpeas, and then I process them. You can also use dried ones, but it needs time to process. Be sure to cook them until soft and rinse them properly.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic, feel free to use powdered garlic.
- If you are not allergic to nuts, feel free to use walnuts or pine nuts to get an even more creamy texture.
- Add a small or medium avocado if you prefer, as it will make it super creamy.
- As a spice lover, I sometimes add some red pepper flakes or a tsp of chili oil to prepare delicious spicy basil hummus.
- To make the greeny goddess of hummus, use parsley with basil or some chopped green onions or chives, or a handful of spinach will also work amazingly with the color and the flavor combination of hummus. Make sure to adjust the ingredients and seasonings accordingly.
- This hummus recipe allows you to experiment with various spices and seasonings.
How to Cook Dried Chickpeas?
In a medium saucepan, place the dried chickpeas with ½ tsp baking soda and cover them with several inches of water. Bring the chickpeas to boil over high temperature; once it’s boiled, reduce the temperature to avoid overflow, and cook for 20 minutes or until the skins of the chickpeas fall off and turn mushy. Pour them into a fine mesh strainer and, run cold water on top of them for 30 seconds, set aside.
Cooking chickpeas with soda will loosen their skins and make them softer. If you want to achieve a smoother result, you can pick some loose skins without needing to get them individually.
How to Store Leftover Basil Hummus?
Homemade hummus stays in the best shape in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, depending on how you store it. So, it’s best to use an air-tight container so no oxygen can go out and come and no food odors will ruin the hummus.
If you want to freeze hummus, store them in small portions so it freezes and defrosts evenly and quickly. When freezing, the hummus will expand a little, so don’t fill up the container to the top.
Serving Suggestions
Hummus Garnishing Ideas
- Garnish hummus with some toasted sesame seeds or dukkah.
- Add freshly chopped parsley, green onions, chives, dill, or rosemary to add flavor to your hummus.
- Add spices like paprika, cayenne pepper, and sumac or middle easter hot sauce like shatta or zhoung.
What to Eat with Basil Hummus?
- Make a veggie dip with carrots, cucumber slices, celery, bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, snow or snap peas, radishes, and more.
- A good dip for pita bread, pita chips, naan, bagel chips, crackers, tortillas, flatbread, pretzel chips, and crostini.
- Make a sandwich by layering them on top of the bread and adding veggie steak between them.
- Instead of sour cream in mashed potatoes, use hummus to get an interesting flavor change. It will taste creamy yet healthy as you can avoid calories from sour cream.
- Eat falafel with hummus as these crispy crust fried balls pair well with the dipping creamy fresh hummus.
Chef’s Tips and Tricks
- Adding a tsp of lemon zest to your hummus will increase the flavors, and it combines amazingly with olive oil.
- You can drizzle roasted nuts on top, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, or choose toppings of your choice.
- If you want a thinner consistency, add iced water to achieve the creamiest whipped hummus!
- Are you getting tired of eating the same old traditional salad bowl? Try out the basil hummus with a pinch of paprika for an easy and flavorful salad dressing.
FAQ
Can I Eat too Many Chickpeas?
Yes! Chickpeas are a legume which full of plant-based protein and fiber and contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s an excellent addition for people on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Having enough protein daily will promote optimal growth, recovery, and immune function.
If you eat the whole batch of hummus, you might feel it’s too much to digest. To minimize indigestion, enjoy this with bread and chips or make sandwiches or wraps out of it.
How Long Can Basil Hummus Sit Out?
After preparing hummus, it can be sat out outside for up to 4 hours. If you prepare too much hummus together, save a batch in the refrigerator.
What Are the Little Coating on Chickpeas, and Do I Need to Remove Them?
Those little coatings are the skin of chickpeas, and you can eat them too. While you can eat chickpeas with the skin on but for hummus, you need to remove them as much as possible. To get a creamier and smoother hummus, it’s essential to remove the skin.
How to Make Roasted Garlic for Hummus?
It’s not required to use roasted garlic, but I sometimes use roasted garlic as it tastes much better than raw ones. Heat a small pan to medium temperature. Slowly pour olive oil and garlic and continue stirring for about 3 minutes while garlic roasts in the pan. Take it out from the heat and pour it into a separate bowl, so it doesn’t turn brown.
Other Hummus Recipes To Try
- Beet Hummus
- Artichoke Hummus
- Black Eyed Pea Hummus
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- Butter Bean Lemon Hummus
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Basil hummus
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until smooth.
- While the food processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil.
- Continue to process until the hummus is creamy and smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or as a dip for vegetables. Enjoy!
Wow everything is delicious and healthy I want to try it
I love hummus but have not had basil hummus yet! Thank you for this delicious recipe – we will have to try it.
This sounds so fresh and lovely for the summer. We have fresh basil in our garden, this would be ideal for it!
Wow, this is recipe. It’s the most recipe I’ve ever heard about! The information you provided. Thanks for sharing it with me.
That’s a good idea to garnish with sesame seeds. My granddaughter loves hummus so I am forever looking for new ways to create it for her.