Hummus is a delicious Middle Eastern chickpea spread that is great as a dip for everything from carrots to pretzels, as a spread on tofu sandwiches, dolloped into roasted veggie wraps, mixed into salads, and more.
Can you tell I like hummus? The gushing above will probably give you a clue about the whole “Is Hummus Vegan?” question! ?
Yup, hummus is almost always vegan! Notice I did say “almost always.” As with most things, there are a few exceptions.
Before we get to what those exceptions are, let’s dive right into some garbanzo goodness!
What is hummus made of?
As I’ve alluded to, hummus is a spread made out of garbanzo beans. A “classic” hummus is made with only a few simple ingredients:
- Garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
- Tahini (a product made from ground sesame seeds)
- Olive oil or water
- Garlic
- Salt
- Lemon juice
These ingredients are all combined to create the smooth, creamy, delicious spread we know and love. There are, of course, many variations and additions that you can use to make the hummus a bit fancier.
The classic hummus above is a great base that you can add a number of flavors and ingredients to: don’t be afraid to try some new things out with your hummus.
Roasted red peppers, pesto, sriracha, avocado, black beans, caramelized onion, and more have all been stirred into the base mix to make some truly delicious dips for our delectation. Get creative!
RELATED: IS OLIVE OIL VEGAN? | IS SRIRACHA VEGAN? | VEGAN PESTO RECIPES | DOES TAHINI GO BAD?
Is hummus vegan?
Now for the question you’ve been waiting to be answered: Is hummus vegan?
I can confidently say that hummus is almost always vegan. Let’s get into that “almost always” I’ve mentioned a few times.
Like I said before, classic hummus is made with simple ingredients that are all plant-based. However, people to get fancy with their add-ins when it comes to hummus. Some hummus types (whether they’re homemade or store bought) can contain non-vegan ingredients that you have to watch out for.
For example, Eat Well Enjoy Life is a popular hummus brand that sells many different flavors and types of hummus. While most are vegan, they do sell a few flavors that contain dairy products. (1)
This is definitely a rarity though: many popular brands of hummus sell almost exclusively vegan flavors including Sabra and Cedar’s (two of the most popular hummus brands). I can’t praise Sabra’s Supremely Spicy Hummus enough: I could eat it plain with a spoon!
Ingredients to watch out for
The main culprit you need to look out for is dairy. Dairy products seem to sneak into foods that they just don’t need to be in, don’t they?
Sometimes hummus brands will add Greek yogurt, cheese, milk, or other ingredients to hummus. If a flavor seems like it might have dairy (like a pesto flavor, for example) it can’t hurt to quickly scan the ingredients and double check.
Is hummus good for you?
It’s easy to assume that something so delicious must be unhealthy for you. But that’s another reason why hummus is so amazing: it’s delicious and nutritious.
Protein
Hummus is made from beans, which means it’s packed with healthy plant-based protein. This will help keep you full, build muscle, and fill some of your daily protein requirement.
If you still feel as though you need some help in this department, check out our review of the best plant-based protein powders on the market.
Fiber
Being made of beans also means that hummus is high in fiber. Fiber has a number of benefits including aiding in digestion, controlling blood sugar levels, managing cholesterol, and more. Most people are deficient in fiber: 97% of people don’t get enough of this essential nutrient! (2, 3)
One serving of hummus provides you with almost a quarter of your daily required fiber intake. And do you know how easy it is to eat more than one serving of hummus? Hello fiber! (4)
Weight Loss
One thing that worries some people is the fat content of hummus since it contains both tahini and olive oil. However, studies show that people who eat more hummus tend to have a lower BMI and lower body weight. (5, 6)
Also, studies show that the combination of the fats and the fiber in hummus can help curb your appetite and make you feel fuller for longer. This can lead to weight loss since you won’t be as hungry and overeat on calories. (7)
How to make hummus
I went over the ingredients of hummus earlier, but I never actually told you how to make it. While there are amazing brands you can buy at the store (check out Hope’s Kale Pesto Hummus. You won’t regret it), you can also make hummus at home!
This can be cost effective, result in less plastic waste, and it’s fun. You get to be the master of your own hummus destiny and add in whatever you want!
So first off, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. These include the ones I referenced above, plus anything you want to add in. Get creative here: hot sauce, pine nuts, basil, jalapenos, etc.
You’ll want to drain the chickpeas and rinse them. Then, all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and start processing until it’s nice and smooth (I use the same food processor for nut butters, too). This will take about 5 minutes.
That’s all there is to it! You can then top it with even more delicious toppings like pine nuts, fresh herbs, roasted peppers, and more. You can then enjoy this for about a week if you store it properly, which you can find out how to do in my article Does Hummus Go Bad?
Here’s a quick video showing you how to whip up four different types of hummus:
READ NEXT: BEST MINI FOOD PROCESSOR FOR HUMMUS
What do you eat with hummus?
Now that you’ve made or bought your vegan hummus, you have to decide what to eat it with. What do you eat with hummus? Well, you have a lot of options.
You can eat hummus as a dip with pita bread, pita chips, or fresh veggies.
You can spread it onto a wrap or sandwich stuffed with roasted veggies, tofu, and more (think of that finished off in a sandwich grill without drooling!). Check out my article on my favorite sandwich recipes for inspiration!
You can use it to make a delicious salad dressing.
You can even make a dessert hummus with chocolate tahini that tastes like brownie batter (yes, really).
Who’s ready to eat a whole container of hummus now?
After all that talk about one of the best vegan foods of all time, I’m craving a big plate of hummus and veggies. I can’t be the only one!
Let me know if you try out any of my suggestions with a comment below! I’d also love to hear how YOU personalize the hummus recipe.
About The Author:
Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is a committed vegan, passionate animal welfare advocate, and keen follower of too many v-friendly food blogs to mention. She started happyhappyvegan.com back in 2016 because she felt there was a need for more straightforward information on plant-based living.
Back then, too many sites seem to either concentrate solely on recipes or be too intimidating or inaccessible for the v-curious, and she wanted to change that. The landscape is certainly a whole lot different now!
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REFERENCES
- Sarah E. Brown | 5 Things I learned From Accidentally Eating Animal Products | https://queerveganfood.com/2013/10/04/5-things-i-learned-from-accidentally-eating-animal-products/
- Mayo Clinic Staff | Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet | https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
- Michael Greger M.D. FACLM | Where Do You Get Your Fiber? | https://nutritionfacts.org/2015/09/29/where-do-you-get-your-fiber/
- Ryan Raman, MS, RD | Is Hummus Healthy? 8 Great Reasons to Eat More Hummus | https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-hummus-healthy
- Carol E O’Neil, Theresa A Nicklas and Victor L Fulgoni III | Chickpeas and Hummus are associated with Better Nutrient Intake, Diet Quality, and Levels of Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2010 | https://www.longdom.org/open-access/chickpeas-and-hummus-are-associated-with-better-nutrient-intake-diet-quality-and-levels-of-some-cardiovascular-risk-factors-national-health-and-nutrition-examination-survey-2155-9600.1000254.pdf
- Megan A. McCrory, Bruce R. Hamaker, Jennifer C. Lovejoy, Petra E. Eichelsdoerfer | Pulse Consumption, Satiety, and Weight Management | https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/1/1/17/4591548
- P K Newby, Denis Muller, Judith Hallfrisch, Reubin Andres, Katherine L Tucker | Food patterns measured by factor analysis and anthropometric changes in adults | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15277177/
Hi there! Thanks for the article, it’s great!
I love me some hummus too, but having to leave out salt, it’s impossible to find some without it, and I’m yet to try and make some myself ?