Beetroot Hummus is a delicious dip or spread recipe from the Middle Eastern Cuisine. Made with cooked chickpeas and beetroot, this hummus is made without tahini. A healthy and filling appetizer when served with crackers, crudités, Air Fryer Falafel and pita bread.
Hummus is the perfect party dip or appetizer, especially for game nights, potluck or entertaining friends. If you favor dips without cream or excess oil, hummus is perfect for you. Besides when you make it at home, from scratch, you are in control of the ingredients used.
It takes 15 minutes and a food processor to make hummus so say goodbye to store bought hummus which most likely is high in sodium and preservatives.
For making the hummus, I have used Instant Pot to pressure cook both Chickpeas and Beetroot. It is time saving and gives perfect results.
Ideally pita is served with hummus but I did not want to make another run to the supermarket and served them with vegetable sticks (carrots and cucumbers).
This is a great appetizer for summers or grilling season. A dip that has veggies and Beans is something that's hard to beat! Also, its naturally Gluten-Free, Vegan and a great source of plant based protein.
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About Hummus
Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread or dip (savory) made with cooked chickpeas blended with Tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. It is further garnished with few cooked chickpeas, a generous drizzle of olive oil and some paprika or za'atar spice sprinkled generously.
It is rich, creamy and filling without any dairy. Can be made easily at home (economical) or with store bought / canned chickpeas.
To make hummus more interesting, a variety of vegetables like Beetroot, Carrot, Roasted Bell Peppers are added to accentuate its taste and flavor.
Even herbs like cilantro, mint, parsley can be added for freshness and aroma.
Hummus without Tahini
Tahini is an important ingredient for making hummus besides chickpeas. They key ingredient for making Tahini is sesame seeds. It is quite similar to making homemade nut butter and it is what gives that distinct creaminess and nuttier taste to the hummus.
However, if you don't use a lot of Tahini in your everyday recipes and / or run out of stock it doesn't mean you cannot enjoy a bowl of hummus.
Here I have just roasted some sesame seeds and blended them along with chickpeas and beetroot. It turned out pretty well. I honestly follow this method rather than buying store bought tahini or grinding a batch myself.
Call me lazy or someone who forever chases short cuts to make her everyday life less hectic.
Ingredients
Cooked Chickpeas - I have used 1 cup of Chickpeas cooked in Instant Pot. You can use canned chickpeas (rinse and drain well) or chickpeas cooked in a pressure cooker. Cooked chickpeas should be soft and easily mashed when pressed between your fingers.
Please note I have not removed the skin from cooked chickpeas. It is a time consuming process and frankly doesn't have any impact on the end result. I leave the skin on for all recipes.
Note - Always save atleast 1/4 cup of chickpeas water (cooked) and use while blending the hummus. It adds to the creaminess.
Beetroot - Instant Pot Beets or pressure cooking Beetroots in Instant Pot is the most easiest way to cook beets. You can easily prep the beets a day earlier and make the dip just before the guests arrive.
If you don't have Instant Pot, use a stove top pressure cooker to cook the beets.
OR You could also roast the beetroots in the oven instead of steaming or cooking them.
Hummus Recipe Without Tahini - I have used Roasted Sesame Seeds instead of Tahini. Roasting is the key to bring out the nutty flavor of the sesame. Do not skip this.
Olive Oil - Good Quality Olive oil is the key to good hummus.
Roasted Cumin Powder - It brings out the earthy taste in the hummus. You can easily get store bought roasted cumin powder or make it at home within 15 minutes.
How to Make Roasted Cumin Powder - Dry roast cumin in a hot pan for a couple of minutes (careful not to brown or burn), cool and grind. This can be added to yogurt dip, curries and buttermilk too.
Instructions to Make Beetroot Hummus without Tahini
This is a dump and blend recipe so all you need is a processor or mixer grinder jar and a spatula.
All the ingredients are added except the oil and chickpea water, which is added slowly while blending the ingredients, until you get a creamy consistency.
Use the spatula to scoop out and spread the hummus in a bowl. Sprinkle it with some toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and paprika powder along with some cooked chickpeas followed by a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Variations
Substitute Cooked Beets with a few ingredients (mentioned below) to make hummus more interesting.
Roasted Carrots - Roasting brings out the sweetness of the carrots. Roast in Oven or Air Fryer.
Pumpkin / Butternut Squash - Puree or roast and blend the pumpkin / squash with the chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients.
Red Bell Pepper - Roast or Char grill the peppers, peel them once they are cool and add them to the chickpeas mix. For heat, add some paprika powder while blending or you could also add red chilli flakes for more heat.
Hummus Without Chickpeas
Hummus need not necessarily be made with Chickpeas. Beetroot Hummus can be made with Cannellini beans.
It can also be made with Brown Chickpeas or Kala Chana OR Mung Beans.
Use ingredients that are readily available in your pantry or refrigerator and feel free to modify the recipe.
How to Use Hummus?
Have you heard that "Hummus is the new Mayo"? Ditch the store bought heavy spreads, butter and cream cheese when you can easily make a healthy spread at home that could spice your everyday toasts, wraps, sandwiches and much more!
Hummus On Toast - Healthy way to up the protein content in your breakfast. Especially since hummus is vegan, gluten free and plant based protein source. Just add some sliced avocados, top it with some chia and microgreens and you have yourself a nutritious breakfast.
Wraps, Sandwiches or Subs - Spread a layer of hummus instead of butter or cheese and load it up with vegetables or falafel for a healthy and filling snack or meal.
Bruschetta - Hummus topped with caramelized onion, tomatoes and some rocket leaves would make the perfect bruschetta. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top before serving and for the added crunch, add some crispy roasted chickpeas.
Buddha Bowl - Make a fancy Buddha Bowl with cooked Quinoa, Hummus, Chickpea Salad, Falafel and some warm or toasted pita and vegetable sticks.
Home made Buckwheat Crackers (Gluten Free) or any store bought crackers of your choice would be ideal to scoop up the hummus. You can also enjoy grissini sticks or soup sticks with hummus instead of butter.
Some Chickpea Recipes to Try
Chana Masala - Indian Chickpea Curry
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Easy Beetroot Hummus (Without Tahini)
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas (Cooked) Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water + 7-8 chickpeas for garnish
- 1 Beetroot (medium size, cooked, peeled and roughly diced)
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds Dry roasted and cooled
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Lime Juice to be extracted
- 1 ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- Salt to taste
- Water as required to adjust the consistency of hummus Read Notes below
For Garnish
- 7-8 cooked chickpeas for garnish can use roasted chickpeas too
- ¼ tsp Paprika Powder
- ¼ tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a food processor or mixer grinder jar, add the cooked chickpeas, beets, roasted cumin, garlic cloves, roasted sesame seeds and some salt to taste.
- Blend this and add the olive oil along with some reserved chickpea water until it forms a creamy spread like consistency.
- Check seasoning and adjust if required. Blend once and using a spatula, transfer the hummus onto a serving bowl.
- Drizzle olive oil followed by some cooked chickpeas, roasted sesame seeds and some paprika powder and cilantro on top before serving.
Notes
- Chickpeas - I have not removed the skin from the cooked chickpeas. Removing the skin is a time consuming process with little or no effect on the end result. If you plan to remove the skin, prep time would increase and would suggest doing this a day earlier to save time, especially when entertaining guests at home.
- Water - I have used 1/4 cup of chickpeas water (cooked) for blending the hummus. In case you haven't reserved the cooked chickpea water, use regular water. Add and adjust the quantity depending on desired consistency.
- Instead of Tahini Paste, I have used Roasted Sesame Seeds. Feel free to use store bought Tahini paste. Add 1 tablespoon. For a nuttier taste, add more, if required.
- For garnish, you can use roasted chickpeas instead of cooked ones.
- This quantity serves 4 people as appetizer with vegetable sticks, crackers, pita chips.
- This can be refrigerated up to 48 hours in an airtight container. Just drizzle some olive oil on top to prevent it from drying.
- I have not frozen hummus as its made in small batches at home and used within a couple of days.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan