Pumpkin Hummus with Honey ♥

Pumpkin Hummus with Honey ♥ AVeggieVenture.com, traditional chickpea hummus recipe turned pretty, slightly sweet with pumpkin and a drizzle of honey. Weight Watchers Friendly!
Today's healthy hummus recipe: A traditional chickpea hummus, turned pretty and slightly sweet with pumpkin and a drizzle of honey. No added oil!

Whole Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Homemade Hummus, Fast & Casual. Budget Friendly. Little Effort, Big Taste. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Easy Meal Prep. Lower Cal. Lower Carb. Lower Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian, Easily Adapted to Vegan. Naturally Gluten Free. One of My Very Favorite Hummus Recipes. Happiness Quotient 100.



Hummus Every Day?

Once upon a time, back BFB (before Facebook), back BiP (before iPhones, iPads and iLives), there was a food blog which published one hummus recipe after another. Week in, week out, hummus and more hummus and still more hummus. I've lost track of the blog but at the time, I wondered, Who can eat so much hummus?

I'm here to say: it happens! A couple of months back, a Syrian restaurant opened nearby. Their hummus is so creamy-dreamy, I don't want to know how much olive oil it takes to achieve ethereal dimensions.

So I set out to use some of that kabocha squash "pumpkin" I've been roasting. (See Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Purée from Kitchen Parade, my food column. Not to worry, canned pumpkin purée works just as well.)

Hummus came to mind – especially because the textures of roasted pumpkin and puréed garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) are so similar. What about a lower-cal hummus?

It works! For Pumpkin Hummus, skip the oil entirely. Instead, use the chickpea liquid (you know, the stuff we often wash down the drain) plus lemon or lime juice to thin the hummus mixture to the right texture and taste. And then, in a stroke of inspiration if I may say so myself, instead of drizzling olive oil over the hummus to serve, use a little honey.

Brilliant! Thanks to the pumpkin, the hummus is already a tiny bit sweeter than usual – not "sweet" mind you, but a little sweeter – and the honey just gilds the lily.

Setting aside one tradition after another, I served Pumpkin Hummus with Honey not with pita bread but Pumpkin Corn Bread.

Take Hummus to Another Level

Hummus made from scratch at home turns soooo smooth and soooo creamy when you start with dried chickpeas instead of canned chickpeas and cook them with baking soda. It's totally worth the effort! Check out How to Cook Dried Chickpeas Especially for Hummus aka "Jerusalem Chickpeas", you'll end up with the equivalent of four cans of chickpeas. Yes, they freeze!

But! If you're happy with store-bought hummus, don't start making hummus from scratch. You'll never go back. That said, just think how much happier you might be with hummus that you make and play with yourself. Like Pumpkin Hummus with Honey!

COMPLIMENTS!
"... soooo yummy! made a double recipe for us hummus addicts. wasn't sure if my middle eastern-american husband would like it but he kept eating it by the spoonful!" ~ Anonymous

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Pumpkin Hummus with Honey ♥ AVeggieVenture.com, traditional chickpea hummus recipe turned pretty, slightly sweet with pumpkin and a drizzle of honey.

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PUMPKIN HUMMUS with HONEY

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes 2 cups

2 small cloves fresh garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (save a few chickpeas for garnish; also save the Chickpea Liquid, see ALANNA's TIPS)
1 cup (200g) canned pumpkin purée (see TIPS)
4 tablespoons (55g) tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or lemon juice, plus more for thinning
1 teaspoon cumin

Chickpea Liquid, if needed for consistency
Additional fresh lime juice or lemon juice, if needed for consistency & taste

TO SERVE
A few garbanzo beans
A sprinkle of sumac (see TIPS) or Spanish paprika or chipotle
A drizzle of honey or agave (for vegan)

In a food processor (see TIPS), process the garlic, salt and pepper together first.

Add the chickpeas, pumpkin, tahini, 1 tablespoon juice and cumin and process until smooth. If the hummus is thick, add some Chickpea Liquid, a tablespoon or two at a time, until your own desired consistency is achieved. Give the hummus a taste, after the addition of Chickpea Liquid, it may need a little more acidity so hit it with a bit more juice.

TO SERVE Arrange a big swirl of the hummus in a flat bowl, leaving a depression in the center. Scatter a few garbanzo beans over top, then a sprinkle of sumac. Drizzle with honey.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
FOOD PROCESSOR Pumpkin Hummus baaaaaarely fits a mini food processor (affiliate link). If you have a larger one, use it!
GARLIC & SALT TOGETHER This is such a great technique, processing garlic and salt together in a food processor before adding the other ingredients. There's no need to chop the garlic first, just throw it in with the salt and process, scraping the sides is needed. The goal is to process the garlic down to tiny bits so it distributes really well. Use the same technique any time a recipe calls for garlic and using a food processor.
CANNED CHICKPEAS A standard can of chickpeas weighs in between 15 and 16 ounces. Once you drain away all the salty gunk? You're down to just 9.5 ounces or 271g. (And the Nutrition Information for Pumpkin Hummus accounts for that.) That said, don't drain away all that gunk, save it in case the hummus needs extra liquid or to make aquafaba!
PUMPKIN For pumpkin, use canned pumpkin purée, it should be 100% pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling that includes sugar and spices. Good news, this Pumpkin Hummus is extra good with Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Purée.
SUMAC What is sumac? It's a slightly sour Middle Eastern spice, a nice contrast to the creamy hummus. More info? See the notes in Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad).
LEMON JUICE I use lemon juice or lime juice to thin the hummus a little, typically this is done with olive oil but I really like the brightness of this hummus. A little oil wouldn't hurt – but if you want to make hummus without added oil, Pumpkin Hummus is your recipe!
SERVING FOR ONE OR TWO A big plate of hummus works well when there's a few people. But it's usually just my husband and me so instead of doing one big plate, I do two small servings in small ramekins, still garnishing it for prettiness.

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Still Hungry?


Quick! Quick! More Recipes With These Ingredients

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More Favorite Hummus Recipes

~ How to Cook Dried Chickpeas Especially for Hummus aka "Jerusalem Chickpeas" ~
~ Crazy-Smooth Crazy-Good Hummus ~
~ Roasted Eggplant “Hummus" (Eggplant & Chickpea Dip & Spread) ~
~ Red Pepper Hummus ~
~ more recipes with beans, lentils & other legumes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Chicken Greek Salad with Simple Hummus ~
~ more recipes for canned & dried beans ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Purée ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Red Pepper Hummus ~
(See? It's everywhere!)
from PW Pizza
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Seasonal Eating: It's Fall, Baby!

Greens & Stems with Mustard Squash & Pear Soup BBQ Scalloped Sweet Potatoes Braised Cauliflower with Curry & Yogurt Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Seeds Microwave Baked Potato Sweet 'n' Sour Cabbage Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Fruit Dip Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard Roasted Garlic Soup Pumpkin Hummus with Honey Baked Oatmeal with Pumpkin & Pears Whole-Grain Salad with Beets, Beans & Corn Baked Pumpkin Donuts & Donut Holes Creamy Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oats (just look at all these pumpkin recipes!) Trader Joe's Flat Green Beans (Product Review)

Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Asparagus-to-Zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join newly minted hummus fanatic and "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables where recipes range from seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2011, 2014, 2015, 2018 & 2023

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I make a really good, creamy hummus. I got the recipe from an article in Saveur over 6 years ago. How much olive oil does it take? Absolutely none. Olive oil is drizzled over the top for flavor, but not added to the hummus during preparation. This wasn't a "diet" recipe; it was a traditional recipe. The secret to the creaminess was using the food processor to make it and letting it process for a longer time -- about 3 minutes. It is divine!

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  2. THis looks great. I just featured a BBQ Chicken Wing hummus (no chicken required) on my blog. Hummus on the brains! This looks fantastic. I can't wait to try it for our next hummus flavor. I also want to track down that hummus blog. Sounds awesome!

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  3. This sounds great. I wonder if it would be good with cinnamon sugar pita chips? My secret to creamy hummus without oil is to blend the chickpeas when they are still warm (I cook my own from dried beans). I also don't skimp on the blending time.

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  4. Ooh this does sound good. Very creative Alanna, I think I'll have to try this. I love hummus!

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  5. Ooh, I would have never thought about making Pumpkin Hummus. This sounds great. Can't wait to try it. (And I agree with Jenn...i cook dried chickpeas in my crockpot all the time, just for hummus. Cheaper, tastier, can control the salt and perfect for hummus-making when warm!)

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  6. Oh wow! I am going to make this today. I just bought some pie pumpkins to make cranberry pumpkin bread and will have some leftover. Great that this can be made w/out the oil!

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  7. So funny, this actually reminds me a combo of TWO hummus recipes on my blog: Moroccan Spiced Hummus with Honey, and Thai Peanut Pumpkin Hummus. I bet it's delicious!

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  8. this was soooo yummy! made a double recipe for us hummus addicts. wasn't sure if my middle eastern-american husband would like it but he kept eating it by the spoonful! good quality honey on top added a nice mellow sweetness and character

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  9. Yummy, that sounds wonderful! I love trying different hummus recipes.

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  10. Love hummus- never would have thought of pumpkin hummus though. I am all stocked up on canned pumpkin for fall recipes!

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  11. Inspired by this, plus some roasted Seminole pumpkins in the freezer, and another recipe I found in an old Italian (? - well, OK, it's just across the Med Sea I guess) cooking magazine, I just bought a pound of organic garbanzo beans at WF. Going all the way to scratch! I'm enjoying thinking how much $$ that saves over buying prepared hummus, and how enjoyable hummus is. The magazine recipe has beans + 1/4 c. plain yogurt + tahini, lemon juice etc. It will be an interesting comparison.

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna