This beetroot hummus has just a fraction of the oil in the traditional recipe, so makes a guilt-free pink dip! Pre-cooked beetroot makes this a speedy 10-minute recipe.
If you've read about the national hummus crisis you may be wondering quite how we will all cope with a shortage our favourite middle eastern dip.... but don't panic! Hummus is in fact ridiculously easy to make - if you can open a tin and turn on a blender there's really no excuse, and this perfectly pink beetroot hummus is just the ticket.
This is a 'skinnier' version of the traditional recipe, for two reasons: firstly, I use much less olive oil than is authentic, (often none at all), and instead loosen the texture of the hummus with the chickpea soaking liquid (known as 'aquafaba'). Secondly, bulking out the hummus with a vegetable (beetroot in this case) makes the hummus go twice as far with very few extra calories.
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📝 What you need
Ingredients
Cooked beetroot The shop-bought stuff is absolutely fine for this recipe, but do make sure it is just cooked beetroot and not beetroot in vinegar!
Chickpeas Any tinned chickpeas from a supermarket will be perfect for this recipe. Don't forget to save the liquid from the tin (known as 'aquafaba') to make beautiful vegan meringues, macarons or even my Vegan Yule Log!
Tahini is a sesame seed paste and a key element of hummus. It is widely available in supermarkets these days, and has a delicious creamy, smoky flavour.
Garlic If you're really in a rush you could use ready-chopped garlic from a jar or tube, but the flavour of freshly-crushed cloves is quite superior so if you have the time, do use fresh.
Smoked paprika One of my favourite spices! It gives a deeply savoury, smoky flavour to the hummus.
Olive oil This is optional, so it is up to you whether you want a very low calorie dip or to add a bit more flavour. Use extra-virgin olive oil to give the maximum flavour from even a small amount.
Equipment
The key to a really super-smooth hummus is to use a really good high-speed blender or food processor. I use my trusty Magimix XL food processor* which I love.
👩🏽🍳 Variations
Make it spicy I love this with a kick of chilli in - either blitz through a bit of chilli powder, or if you don't mind a little oil, chilli oil gives it a lovely deep heat.
Make it with fresh beetroots I cheated and use pre-cooked beetroots, but of course if you have fresh ones and the time to cook them that's brilliant! Just wrap them whole in some tin foil, then roast in the oven for an hour or until a knife passes through easily. Peel and continue with the instructions below.
Add fresh herbs There are lots of fresh herbs that would go really well in this hummus - start with parsley and basil, or try rosemary and thyme or even fresh oregano or sage. They will all totally change the character of the hummus, so you can make a different variety every time!
🍴 What other hummus recipes can I try?
- Janice's Roasted Carrot Hummus from Farmersgirl Kitchen
- My Butter Bean Hummus from The Veg Space
- Bintu's Chocolate Hummus from Recipes from a Pantry (Yes you did read that correctly - chocolate hummus!!!)
- or try my smoky Aubergine Dip instead!
❄️ How can I store my hummus?
Recently I made an exciting discovery - you can freeze hummus.... who knew? (Just leave a little bit of room in the top of an airtight container as it expands when frozen and will pop the lid off if you're not careful!).
I make a fairly big batch and freeze it in portions of about 250g at a time. Just thaw it in the fridge overnight and it will be ready to eat the following day.
🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
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📖 Recipe
Skinny Beetroot Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 x 400g tins chickpeas (that's 2 x 15oz cans of garbanzo beans if you're over the pond in the US!)
- 250 g (10oz) cooked beetroot
- juice & zest of 2 lemons
- 2 garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon garlic purée / ready chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoon light tahini
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas into a jug or bowl (keeping the liquid, which you will use later).
- Cut the beetroot roughly into cubes, and zest and juice the lemons. Place the chickpeas, beetroot and lemon zest and juice into a blender or food processor.
- Peel and crush or grate the garlic cloves and add to the blender, followed by the tahini, paprika and olive oil if you are using it.
- Blitz to a smooth paste, then gradually add some of the chickpea liquid until the desired consistency is reached, (I used about half the liquid).
- Season generously with salt and pepper to your own taste, (I used about 1 teaspoon salt), and serve.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Nutrition
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ASHMITA@HomeFoodSecrets says
Hye Kate!! This Recipe is justt Yummm! I made a double batch of this today as I had some beets left to use up. First, I slow cooked the beets first in the slow cooker, then followed the rest of the recipe (with the addition of some minced ginger). So so good! And made full batch . I’ve put 1 container in the fridge and the rest in the freezer to keep for longer.
Kate Ford says
Oh that's so great to hear, thanks Ashmita! Great idea about slow-cooking the beetroot, haven't tried that before.
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Love beetroot and always have a lot in the garden. This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
!!!! You can freeze hummus???? How did I not know that? It's never occurred to me before - I'll definitely be doing that in the future. Love the colour of this hummus and great tips on making it healthier...adding veg is a great tip, but I'm not sure I could do without the olive oil...too much of an olive oil fan! I love my Froothie Optimum 2.3 for making lovely smooth hummus (without having to peel the chickpeas!!!) so easily!! Eb x
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
I am falling more and mor ein love with beetroot and to have it on one of my fave ever snakcs - aka hummus, well that is just perfect.
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says
Whoa! You can freeze hummus? Now I won't be so hesitant to make a big batch next time, thinking I have to eat everything in a matter of days. Am yet to try the fabulous beetroot variation!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I tried making hummus one night with some of the chickpea liquid one night when I realised I'd finished the olive oil. I'd remembered reading it somewhere and it worked really well. I do love hummus and this one looks stunning. Look at that colour. WOW!!
laura@howtocookgoodfood says
Such an amazing colour and who knew you can freeze hummus, I’ll be doing this now and trying out your lovely version!
Monika Dabrowski says
Pinned to make later! Looks delicious:)