Make this 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 white bean dip or regular hummus, with sesame paste or peanut butter, I even put feta or cream cheese in it.
I love all hummus varieties, but this low-calorie version is my favorite. It might be the garlic or the nigella seeds adding that special touch or its creaminess. Probably, it's the combination of all these elements.
Plus, it's low-fat, made with just 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and tahini, and has only about 60 calories per serving. Most hummus recipes are loaded with oil and tahini, making them delicious but not as light.
I always make a large batch of low-calorie hummus since it keeps in the fridge for about a week. We enjoy it on bread, with bread chips, and as a dip for veggie sticks, as a side dish for köfte (Turkish meatballs) and turkey skewers. It is amazing every time!
And if you would like to try a healthy dessert made with pulses, how about these Low-Calorie Brownies?
How to cook chickpeas for hummus?
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.
For 9 oz/ 250 g cooked chickpeas, you must cook about 4.5 oz/ 125 g dry chickpeas, but I recommend cooking more and freezing the rest. I always cook a big batch of chickpeas, normally a whole package. I use what I need immediately and freeze the rest; they keep perfectly for a long time. Use some to make Vegan Apple Curry with Chickpeas or Spanish Pork Stew.
The packages I buy usually say that 30 to 45 minutes is enough-that is a lie! 🙂 My chickpeas always need at least one and a half hours, if not longer.
To make this light hummus, you will also need some cooking water, so don't throw it all away immediately.
- 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.
Tips for making low-fat hummus
Use good quality tahini paste (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). It is not very cheap, but a jar goes a long way and keeps a long time in the fridge.
Fresh garlic is mandatory. I used two very large cloves, and they were not too much, 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, grate the garlic cloves before adding them to the chickpeas to prevent larger pieces from entering your mouth later.
Use the spices generously; there is nothing worse than a bland dip. Don't forget the nigella seeds on top; they really add a little bit of extra something. (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
I make the low-calorie hummus in the Thermomix, and I recommend using a good, powerful kitchen machine to get a really nice creamy consistency.
Remember to scrape the walls of your kitchen machine several times in between. Continue processing the chickpeas, occasionally adding a bit of cooking water until you reach perfect consistency.
More dips and spreads
Recipe
Low-Calorie Hummus - Best Hummus Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 9 oz cooked chickpeas the same amount of canned chickpeas (See note)
- some chickpea cooking water or water from the can
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 heaped tablespoon tahini
- ½ - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- nigella seeds to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas, but keep about 1 cup of cooking water or the water from the can.
- Blend: Place the drained chickpeas in the food processor. Add the grated garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander, and paprika and process until really smooth, scraping the walls of the food processor a few times in between.
- Add some cooking water (or water from the chickpea can) little by little to obtain the desired consistency. You don't have to add it all; stop when you think the texture is correct, it should have more or less the consistency of mashed potatoes.
- Adjust the taste with more lemon juice or salt. Transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
Michelle says
Hi Adina! Just made your low cal hummus, and boy are you right!! It really is the best. My husband and I started digging in right away and totally enjoyed it. I love the spices you chose - it really gives it a different but dee-lish flavor. Thanks for a great recipe.
Adina says
Hi Michelle. I am so glad you liked it; we love it, too; I made a huge batch yesterday. Thank you for the feedback.
Emma-Jane Carpenter says
This hummus recipe is absolutely gorgeous - one of the best I’ve made. Thank you so much ?
Adina says
Thank you so much!
Kate R says
I was a bit sceptical of this recipe because there are so many five star reviews from people who obviously haven’t made it. But it’s really excellent hummus. It’s very flavourful with just the right balance of spices, salt, and lemon (it’s very garlicky, which I love). I found it wasn’t necessary to add any of the cooking liquid. Absolutely making this again.
Adina says
Hi Kate. Thank you for the feedback, we love this recipe as well.
Tiffany Gordon says
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I used canned garbanzo beans and it was perfect. We’ve already made it three times in the past week. Thank you!
Adina says
Hi Tiffany. Thank you. This is our go-to hummus as well, I make it all the time.
Rachel says
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I came to it specifically because it is low-calorie... Could you help me understand how low? I.e. How many tablespoons are in 1 serving, "1/10 of the dish"? Thanks very much!
Adina says
Hi Rachel. The whole batch weighs 350 g/ 12.4 oz, so 1 portion would be 35 g/ 1.2 oz. That is 1 slightly heaped tablespoon of hummus.
Wendy says
Could you please tell me what settings to use on the Thermi? Thank you 🙂
Adina says
Hi Wendy. About 1 minute at speed 4 should be fine. Scrape the walls of the thermomix from time to time. If it is not smooth enough after one minute, scrape again and mix it a little bit longer.
Adina says
I am so glad to hear it, Anne. I also like this better than the bought one. Thank you for the feedback.
Anne says
I've made your hummus recipe several times now. This time I went to make it and realized I only had smoked paprika. Wow, made it even better! Thank you for a great recipe! The teen in the house loves better than the expensive store bought.
Ruth S. says
I want to make your hummus recipe but with canned chick peas. Do I need to add baking soda ? Thanks.
Adina says
No, Ruth. You only need baking soda for cooking dried chickpeas.
Anne|Craving Something Healthy says
This looks so good, my mouth is watering right now! I make white bean dips all of the time, but never tried hummus for some reason. You've totally inspired me 🙂
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
Yum, I love making my own hummus but I always use canned chickpeas - I need to cook my own! That is a great tip about freezing the extras. And I love the spices you have added here to your hummus. Pinning so I can try it!
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks says
I never cook my own beans these days - too much work 🙂 I love hummus and yours look awesome! I'll give it a try with canned chickpeas!
Monica says
I love hummus, with crackers, vegetables, or as a spread for a wrap. And this looks perfectly smooth and wonderful! I only made it at home once and it didn't have the consistency I was hoping for so I haven't made it again. Glad you shared this ultimate recipe. I'm sure it's worth the effort!
Adina says
I had the same consistency problem many times, it must be the main reason of why some hummus recipes are not so great. The cooking water solves the problem in my opinion, when it cools it is almost like gelatine, I guess that makes the hummus so perfect.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I am a self proclaimed hummus aficionado, so you know I MUST make yours. 😉 From the ingredients it looks pretty delicious, girlfriend! Cheers and happy almost weekend!!
P.S I cook my chickpeas in the slow cooker - requires no soaking.
Adina says
It would be great if you would make this, Cheyanne. I am sure you would like it especially if you like garlic. I'd love to have a slow cooker, but they're not very popular around here, therefore very expensive. I used to use my pressure cooker for this purpose, it went much quicklier, but it is broken now, I have to get a new one.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I have not cooked my own chickpeas, but I think I need to start. I love your tip about freezing the extras and the cooking water too! Now about this hummus...yum! It really looks delicious! There's nothing better than making your own and I love the seasoning you've used.
Adina says
Thank you, Kathy. The freezing is great, I also do it with beans. It saves a lot of time and energy to cook a larger batch.