Easy wild garlic hummus recipe, a seasonal twist on a classic recipe. Creamy, garlicky and super healthy hummus.
This wild garlic hummus is a spin on my beloved low-calorie hummus. I make a lot of hummus, but about 80% of the time is the low-fat one. Everything else is just a version of it, where I add some extra ingredients.
Like today’s recipe: one bowl of the classic hummus enriched with a handful of freshly picked wild garlic. So good! You will be licking that bowl clean!
Why wild garlic?
It’s spring and the bear’s garlic or ramsons are in season now. A short season, just a few weeks from April to June depending on your region. For us is now or never! So, I pick and cook a lot of the plant nowadays. Have a look at this other amazing spread with sunflower seeds, this pasta with pesto, or the simple wild garlic soup.
And for more information on picking, cleaning and cooking with this wonderful plant safely, check our guide What to Do with Wild Garlic.
Why make your own hummus?
If you think that bought hummus is good, you should give homemade hummus a try. I like the bought spread as well (or at least a few choice brands), but not even the best of them can compare with the homemade version.
- Healthier: Homemade is definitely healthier; it has less fat, fewer preservatives, less weird stuff in it.
- Tastier: It also tastes so much better. It’s less acidic, it has more flavor.
- Versatile: You can change the flavor every time you make it, there are so many things you can add to it to make it different every time.
- Quick: And it is so easy and quick to make as well. Just dump all the ingredients in the food processor and whizz until nice and creamy. That’s it!
- Try this Easy Hoummus with Turmeric or this Roasted Red Pepper Spread.
What do you need?
- Wild garlic: a small bunch, the weight is not super important. If you have a large bunch the spread will taste more intensive, but a smaller one will do as well, that amazing garlicky flavor will still be there.
- Chickpeas: I used canned ones, for convenience. However, whenever I have the time, I cook a whole packet of chickpeas and freeze what I don’t use immediately. Those frozen and defrosted chickpeas are perfect for this recipe as well. You will need 1 can of chickpeas, drained amount 250 g/ 8.8 oz.
- Tahini: Middle Eastern condiment made from sesame seeds. It can be bought in ethnic shops and nowadays in most supermarkets as well. However, I recommend an ethnic shop, the tahini is of the best quality and costs about half of what it would cost in health shops or supermarkets.
- Spices: lots of them, there is no point in making a bland hummus. You will need cumin, coriander, and paprika. I normally use two kinds of paprika: sweet and smoked. The smoked one can be either sweet or hot, according to your taste.
- Other ingredients: olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, nigella seeds (optional)
Can I replace the ramson leaves?
Of course, you will not have wild garlic hummus anymore, but if you can replace the leaves with other herbs, you will still have an amazing tasting spread. If replacing the leaves with other herbs, add two (or more) grated garlic cloves to the mixture, you will not want to miss the garlic.
How to cook chickpeas?
- Soak them in plenty of water for 12-24 hours.
- Drain, cover with plenty of water again, add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, bring to a boil, and cook, covered, until the chickpeas are really soft, it will take more than one hour, depending on the size and age of the chickpeas.
- Drain again but keep some of the cooking water for the spread recipe.
- If you’ve cooked more chickpeas than needed for the recipe (which I recommend in order to save time and energy), place the rest in freezer bags and freeze. They will keep well for up to 12 months.
How to make hummus with wild garlic?
- Drain the chickpeas but keep their water. If you’ve cooked your own chickpeas and have some cooking water left, use that. If not, use some cold water from the tab to loosen the spread.
- Roughly chop the leaves.
- Place the chickpeas and the chopped herbs in the food processor.
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander, and paprika and process until 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, just stop when you think the consistency is right, it should be like that of mashed potatoes.
- Adjust the taste with more lemon juice or salt. Transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Drizzle with a little wild garlic oil if you have it.
How to store?
The chickpea spread keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
How to serve?
- As a dip for raw vegetables like peppers, carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, celery, and so on.
- Spread it on any type of bread. I love it on my 5-minute whole wheat or spelt bread, on crispbread, with crackers. Spread on sandwiches or wraps.
- Use it to make a super healthy bowl, adding cooked or raw vegetables, salmon or chicken, poached or fried eggs, and so on.
- Make a pasta sauce by mixing it with a little water or nut milk to make it thinner.
More amazing spreads:
Wild Garlic Hummus
Ingredients
- 250 g/ 8.8 oz cooked chickpeas the same amount of canned chickpeas (Note 2,3)
- some chickpea cooking water or water from the can
- small bunch of wild garlic Note 4
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 heaped tablespoon tahini
- ½ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- nigella seeds optional
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas but keep about 1 cup of cooking water or the water from the can. If you cook dry ones, weigh 250 g/ 8.8 oz of the cooked chickpeas and keep about 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Place the drained chickpeas in the food processor. Add the chopped wild garlic leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander, and paprika and process until 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 have the right consistency.
- Adjust the taste with more lemon juice and salt. Transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
Notes
- The recipe makes 350 g/ 12.4 oz hummus, so one portion would be 35 g/ 1.2 oz. That is one slightly heaped tablespoon of hummus.
- To obtain 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.
- To cook dry chickpeas, soak them in plenty of water for 12-24 hours. Drain, cover with plenty of water again, add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, bring to a boil, and cook, covered, until the chickpeas are soft, it will take more than one hour, depending on the size and age of the chickpeas.
- About 15-30 g/0.5-1 oz wild garlic leaves.
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