Beetroot Hummus is on the menu today. Who can ever resist the vibrant pink beetroot? I can’t! I grew up eating this earthy vegetable and I love it both raw and cooked. And I love hummus. Combining the two seems so natural.
I have a basic hummus recipe here on the blog – older, ‘rustic’ pictures, but as always, the recipe is fool proof. I would like to think I have improved at least a bit when it comes to food photography. Of course, my style will always be minimal because my main focus is cooking the food, so out of whatever chunk of time I have, I end up spending most of it at the stove, making the photos a rush job. Hopefully, I am getting closer to doing justice to both.
If you live in the West, you are probably very familiar with grocery store versions of different kinds of hummus. But this is one dish that anyone can easily make at home. Even if you use canned chickpeas, the home made version lets you control the proportion of things, so you can add extra garlic if you want, and hold back on the oil or the tahini if you prefer that.
My Beetroot Hummus is super smoky with the addition of my favorite smoked paprika. Folks in India, you just have to try this. Cumin and smoked paprika together create a phenomenal flavor that works well with the sweet and earthy beets.
Apart from the great nutritional kick that beets give you, adding beets to this hummus means there is more of it. Plain and simple! Make a big batch of Beetroot Hummus and you are set for weekday lunches or evening snacks for the entire week. Or at least half the week if you consume it as fast as we do.
As far as Beetroot Hummus ingredients go, they are pretty common anywhere. Tahini may be hard to get or expensive, but I solve that problem by using soaked sesame seeds. Depending on the blender you use, you may end up with some visible seeds in the hummus. If you don’t like that, or want to hide them from kids etc., using tahini is a better option.
I have used boiled beets but I really really wanted to roast them at least a bit. Boiled beets are even sweeter than raw ones. Broiling them for a few minutes under high temperatures will concentrate the flavor more, but too much heat can also kill the nutrients in beetroot.
Dip some veggie sticks in this Beetroot Hummus, use it as a spread for sandwiches or wraps or just eat it by the spoon. This hummus is great piled on bread, along with some raw veggies and sprouts and lettuce.
Beetroot Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups chickpeas boiled
- ½ cup tahini or sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp garlic crushed
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup or 2 large beets boiled and cubed
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper (optional)
- ¼-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- If you are using sesame seeds instead of tahini – soak the sesame seeds in hot water for 2-3 hours. Make a fine paste with a little water, and use this in the hummus. Otherwise, directly use tahini in the next step.
- Add all the ingredients other than oil to a blender or food processor.
- Blend without adding water. The beets will liquefy and add a lot of moisture. Add water spoon by spoon only if needed.
- Blend until fine. Add a 1-2 Tbsp of oil and blend again.
- Transfer to storage container and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil on top.
- Serve with another sprinkling of paprika/ cumin and olive oil with pita bread, regular bread, veggie sticks etc.
Now tell me, can you resist making this super simple, super nutritious Beetroot Hummus?
Pinnable Delight 🙂
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