Low-Calorie Hummus – Best Hummus Recipe Ever

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Low-calorie hummus with garlic and tahini! Despite its being low-fat, it is the best hummus recipe I’ve ever tasted.

This low-calorie or light hummus is the best hummus recipe ever!

I am normally careful with things like best ever, ultimate and so on but in this case, I cannot help it. There was never a better hummus for me and trust me, I made and ate lots and lots of them, endless variations of it, with chickpeas or beans or lentils, with red peppers or turmeric, with sesame paste or peanut butter, I even put feta or cream cheese in it.

Not to mention the constant changing of the spices: cumin, coriander, paprika, even garam masala, or another curry powder.

I really love all of them, but this low-calorie hummus, cannot be topped, in my opinion. Could be the garlic in it or the nigella seeds that add a little bit of something else, its creaminess …. I don’t know, probably the combination of them all.

And not to forget that it is a low-fat or low-calorie hummus, made with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon tahini, and it has only about 60 calories per serving. Not many hummus recipes can keep up with that, most of them contain loads of oil and tahini. Still extremely delicious, but not so light on the hips.

I always make quite a huge batch of low-calorie hummus, as it keeps in the fridge for about a week. We have it on bread and with bread chips, as a dip for veggie sticks, as a side dish for köfte (Turkish meatballs) and turkey skewers. It is amazing every time!

How to cook chickpeas?

• You can make the low-fat hummus with dried chickpeas, which you can cook yourself or with canned chickpeas.
• Cooking chickpeas is not a big deal, it just requires a bit of organization and time.
• Remember to soak the chickpeas the day before, they should soak for at least 12, preferably longer, and up to 24 hours.
• Drain and rinse, place in a pot and cover them with plenty of water. Add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.
• Cook until they are really really really soft, cooking time always depends on the size and age of the chickpeas.
• On the packages I buy it is usually written that 30 to 45 minutes would be enough: that is a lie! 🙂 My chickpeas always need at least one and a half hours if not longer.
• I always cook a big batch of chickpeas, normally a whole 500 g package. I use what I need immediately and freeze the rest, they keep perfectly for a long time.
• To make this light hummus, you will need some cooking water as well, so don’t throw it all away immediately.
• To have 250 g/ 8.8 oz cooked chickpeas, you will have to cook about 125 g/ 4.4 oz dry chickpeas, but I totally recommend cooking more and freezing the rest.

Tips for making low-fat hummus?

• Use good quality tahini paste. It is not very cheap, but a jar goes a long way and it keeps a really long time in the fridge. (Amazon affiliate link).
• Fresh garlic is mandatory, I used two very large cloves and they were not too much in my opinion, but I do adore garlic. Don’t even consider using garlic powder or something like that or you will ruin the hummus. Start with one garlic clove and add more according to your taste.
• If you blend the spread with a handheld mixer, do grate the garlic cloves before adding them to the chickpeas, to make sure you will not have any larger pieces of it in your mouth later on.
• Use the spices generously, there is nothing worse than a bland dip and don’t forget the nigella seeds on top, they really add a little bit of extra something. (Amazon affiliate link).
• I make the low-calorie hummus in the Thermomix and I do recommend using a good and powerful kitchen machine to get a really nice creamy consistency.
• Don’t forget to scrape the walls of your kitchen machine several times in between and continue processing the chickpeas, adding a bit of cooking water from time to time, until you reach the perfect consistency.

More low-calorie dips and spreads?

Ajvar Recipe

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

The Best Camembert Spread – Simple Obatzda Recipe

Fava Bean Dip

Polish Cottage Cheese Spread

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