If you’re new to this way of eating and start telling your family you LOVE hummus now….well they make just look at you a little funny. Because Hummus is either one of those things you absolutely adore …. or have never tried because it sounds a little too ‘hippiesh’.
But if you tell them it tastes like PIZZA…… well they might just grab a cracker and join you, especially the little ones.
Because who doesn’t like Pizza? Am I right?
Hummus is basically a dip and is very popular in the Middle East. It’s made from Garbanzo Beans (or Chickpeas) and is usually flavored with Tahini (sesame seed paste), garlic, and lemon juice.
It’s widely available in grocery stores but if you’re watching your fat intake, sadly you’re out of luck as most popular store brands contain olive oil.
And tahini is pretty high in fat content too. A healthy fat sure, but those calories do add up.
So my standard hummus recipe is made without tahini or oil, and in this recipe, I change up the spices a little to give it more of an Italian pizza-like flavor.
No oil, no tahini, no fat of any kind except what’s naturally in the beans. And if you’re not a fan of nutritional yeast – you can simply leave it out. I was going for that cheesy taste because – well pizza…..cheese…. you know.
This recipe for Pizza Hummus was originally published on July 15, 2015, and those old photos – oh my. It was TIME for an upgrade. Add the fact that we’re in the middle of yet another triple-digit heatwave and I did NOT want to cook and …. well it does taste pretty amazing…so….
Enjoy.
Pizza Hummus
Drain two cans of chickpeas and save the juice. We’ll need some for the recipe and you might want to save the rest for another, so don’t just pour it out. Apparently, this magical elixir is taking the vegan world by storm and even has its own name – aquafaba.
Aquafaba is being used as the perfect egg replacer and whips up the prettiest meringues you’ve ever seen. Who knew this liquid we’ve all been dumping down the drain could be used to make everything from incredibly chewy brownies, pies, even mayonnaise? Weird huh?
Look it up – it’s all over the net. And it does freeze well, so there’s also that.
Anyway, after you drain your chickpeas, rinse them and set them aside.
Next, add about 6 Tbs of that bean juice, along with 4 Tbs of lemon juice, a good heaping tablespoon of minced garlic, one tomato, and all the spices listed below to your blender, and process until smooth.
The idea here is to mix those spices into the liquid as much as we can.
Then add your chickpeas and continue blending. It might take several minutes to get a smooth, fluffy, hummus, but it will eventually get there. If you need more liquid, add 1 Tablespoon at a time of the reserved bean juice to get the consistency you like.
I have a high-speed Vitamix and it took several minutes of continuous blending to get it the way I like it. It may seem that at times it’s just not moving….if that happens either use the tamper (my Vitamix came with one) or stop and scrape down the sides.
Here’s a link to the one I have and remember, as an Amazon Affiliate I do earn from qualified purchases but at no extra cost to you.
That’s it – seriously.
I told you this was insanely easy. And the pizza spices just moved this everyday Hummus recipe to the top of my “I have to eat this every day” list.
I know a lot of you are not fans of Nutritional Yeast – but seriously combined with the tomato it adds a “cheese pizza” kind of flavor you may not get without it.
Hope you enjoy it!
Pizza Hummus
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 –6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blender, NO COOK
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A smooth, creamy, fat-free hummus dip with the addition of pizza spices will be sure to please. Pizza Hummus? Yes, please!
Ingredients
- 2 can chickpeas (15oz ea)
- 6 Tbs reserved bean juice (called aquafaba)
- 4 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs minced garlic
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1 Tbs nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas reserving the juice
- Add 6 Tbs of that bean juice, the garlic, lemon juice, tomato, and all the spices to a blender
- Process until well mixed
- Add the chickpeas and blend until smooth and creamy
- This may take several minutes and you may have to stop and scrape down the sides
- Use as a dip, sandwich spread, or whatever you like
- I garnished my bowl with English cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and fresh basil.
Keywords: pizza hummus
Barb
Chuck….I have just made the decision to work very hard at staying committed to the Esselstyn way of eating. I stand in awe of your accomplishments and your devotion to this extraordinary blog! You make everything seem easy to stay on program/ lifestyle and the variety of your dishes and creativity in cooking just amaze me. Thank you for being there for people like me who struggle at staying on program but yet desperately want to. I cook for one and I’m going to use many of,your recipes to take one day at a time. Thanks again so much!
Barb
Chuck Underwood
Thank you Barb! Glad I can help!
charlotte
I just wanted to agree with Barb. Your tamales are my absolute favorite. I always look forward to what you post. Yes it is generous people like you who are such a help to stay on the path to eating for health. I’m sure you get lots of nice notes but one more might just make this day better. Thank you..
Sue Kleinschmidt
Just made this – it’s delicious! I substituted lime for lemon and reduced to 1 tbsp (I find most recipes have too much citrus for me) and it’s perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Jo Anna
Big hit for 3 out of 4. Thank you! I am short on snack recipes. This helps.
Heidi
Mmm, that garbanzo bean juice! I cook my own garbanzos and home and at the end, after packaging my cooked garbanzos, there’s always a gloppy, luscious juice with SO much flavor. I slurp it up by the spoonful, but now I am TOTALLY going to try whipping it up to a froth. Mmmm.
Barbara Pfieffer
Why has no one thought of this before? It turned out great, well, as great as my 20+ year old food processor can make it. Maybe a touch too much liquid, but that’s on me, not you.
MarthaLA
water bean may be a literal transliteration, but is not the correct translation, which is bean water (or bean liquid). subjects and modifiers in different order in different languages. Kinda like mama mia -> my mother.
Jessica King
I made this tonight. It was easy and yummy! I didn’t have lemon juice so I added a bit of apple cider vinegar. Otherwise I made it as written. I had to add a lot of bean juice to get it to mix. Way more than 4 Tbs.
Sharon
Just made this – it was quick and easy. I was attracted to this recipe because my husband LOVES pizza so much. Followed the recipe pretty much to a T, although I added a 4th garlic clove because we do that with everything. Only other difference is that I used basil from a squeeze tube rather than dried basil. It was probably more like at least 4 teaspoons. As a result I only needed one tablespoon of the leftover juice. Delicious! We will certainly make this more often. The other thing that is great about this recipe is that we generally have all of these ingredients on hand so it’s great for spontaneous events like drop in company etc.
★★★★★
Donna Hepburn
Pizza Hummus??? Wow, never heard of it. But I have now and I am anxious to try this. Looks and sounds delicious. Thanks Chuck for your wonderful creations.
Tammy
I’m always looking for new easy ways to make hummus. This recipe does not disappoint. I made a double batch and drained one can of chickpeas and used all the liquid in the other. Also added 1 tble of tahini just to make it a tiny bit more creamy but it was good without it too. Thank you for another keeper. *just realized I completely forgot the garlic * Guess that means I will have to make it again to see how awesome that will make this already delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Vibeke Vale
This recipe turned out really well. I made it in the Vitamix and used about 1/2 cup of bean juice (aquafaba) to blend it. I served it to my kids with a huge tray of veggies, which they devoured. I am definitely making this recipe again. Thanks!
★★★★
Ellen Webb
Chuck – you’ve done it again! Love this so much I can’t stop eating it.
★★★★★
Kim
Love this and so do the job-plant based friends I served it to! Thanks!!
★★★★★
Kim
Non-plant based friends*
Judy Gulliver
Yes, I absolutely do adore this recipe and have made it several times. It’s unique and oh, so good.
Judy Gulliver
I forgot the rating — a 5 all the way.
★★★★★
Lisa
You can kick this up a notch by adding pepperoni spice from Local Spicery! It makes it REALLY taste like pizza! The pepperoni spice is vegan and oil, sugar, and salt free!!
VeggieTater
Awesome stuff! I love to slather this on my prebaked oat flatbread, maybe throw on a few veggies, and call it instant pizza! I have also used za’atar instead of the Italian .spices, pretty amazing too!
★★★★★
Pam in Sacramento
Don’t know how I missed this recipe the first time around, but made it today. Believe it or not, even though I live in the “Tomato Capitol” of California, I was actually out of fresh tomatoes (in August, no less)! Not wanting to make a trip to the store, but really NEEDING to try pizza hummus, I decided to use about 3/4 of a cup of canned tomatoes. Oh my, Chuck, this is some great stuff! Hubby loved it, too. I will definitely make it again and again. And now, I have evidence that I can also make it in the dead of winter, when good-tasting fresh tomatoes are no where to be found. Thanks for a fabulous new (to me) version of hummus.
Hope the heat and smoke have finally started to abate in Portland. It is finally improving here in California.
★★★★★
Stephanie
Hi chuck,
I’m going to make your Pizza HUMMUS….LOOKS ABSOLUTELY Delicious !
By the way, what is the brand name of that gorgeous flatbread shown in the hummus photo ? I sure want to buy that healthy~looking bread !
Donna McFarland
Thannnnk you Chuck!! What a wonderful, simple, delicious snack recipe!! Chucks Pizza hummus will be a constant in our home from here on- the cuisinart handled it like a dream!!!
We so appreciate you Chuck- thank you for all that you do for us!!
★★★★★