Beet & Sumac Hummus

Pretty-in-pink Beet Hummus. This oil-free, extra healthy hummus is a gorgeous twist on a classic. It’s smooth, lemony, bright, and FUN. You need just a few pantry ingredients and a few cooked beets to whip up this show-stopping hummus!

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Since we eat with our eyes first, let’s talk about how perfect this color is. It immediately puts me in a better mood, just looking at it!

In terms of flavor, this vegan beet hummus doesn’t taste much like beets. Instead, it tastes lemony, garlicky, and creamy. 🍋

This hummus is thick enough to be a delicious spread for a sandwich or wrap .🥪 It’s equally delicious for your next crudités platter, especially if you’re trying to stand out from the crowd!

Hummus is also one of the best healthy, plant-based snacks to keep on hand since it’s just so versatile! (Check out all of my healthy plant-based snack ideas here.)

What’s Special About this Beet Hummus?

There are seemingly countless ways to make this delicious bean spread! Lemon, garlic, and chickpeas are, of course, staple hummus ingredients, and we’re using all of them here.

To keep things extra healthy, this recipe is oil-free. To stay true to authentic hummus and to achieve the creamy mouthfeel of hummus, this recipe includes a small amount of tahini.

Now that we have our base of chickpeas, garlic, lemon, and tahini, we add a few beets! Beets provide the pretty pink color, as well as powerful antioxidants. They also make this hummus stretch a little further and help you eat more vegetables!

Finally, the spices. There are plenty of beet hummus recipes out there. The real secret to this one is the sumac.

What’s Sumac?

Sumac is a lovely spice used in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Sumac tastes bright and citrusy, very similar to lemon, though a little milder. You may have eaten sumac before without even realizing it, as it’s commonly found in za’atar blends, fattoush, kebab, and much more.

Sumac is a truly versatile spice that I find myself reaching for frequently. In this recipe, the sumac helps ensure that the earthiness of the beets is well and truly hidden! Despite having “beet” in the title, this Beet & Sumac Hummus is a good stepping stone, even for beet-haters! I love sumac and I’m sprinkling on some extra in this photo. 🙂

About the Ingredients

• Chickpeas: A hummus classic. I typically prefer to use homemade chickpeas for hummus, but canned chickpeas will also work well in this recipe. With plenty of beets and spices, this recipe takes some of the attention off the chickpeas. 🙂
• Tahini: Try to use a high-quality raw tahini whenever possible. Tahini varies a lot in terms of texture and flavor, so experiment with different brands until you find one that you love. I recommend raw, rather than roasted, tahini. (Nut-free? No problem! Tahini is simply ground sesame seeds.)
• Garlic: The recipe calls for one large clove of garlic, which makes the hummus garlicky enough for most people. Feel free to add more if you’re a garlic lover!
• Lemon: A hummus essential, it brightens everything up and provides vitamin C. Bonus: vitamin C helps you absorb the plant-based iron in the chickpeas!
• Beets: The reason for the gorgeous pink color, beets are something we should all be eating more of. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They’ve also been shown to lower blood pressure and to increase athletic performance.
• Sumac: A delicious, lemony spice that’s pinkish purple in color. Sumac goes perfectly with our pink beet hummus! I’ve tried this hummus with and without the sumac, and the sumac really does make a difference.
• Smoked Paprika: Helps to balance out the acidity from the lemons and sumac, and gives the hummus better depth of flavor.
• Aquafaba: It sounds fancy, but it’s simply the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It contributes airiness and “fluff” to this hummus. You want this liquid to be cold for maximum fluff factor!
• Salt & Pepper: I think you know what these are for!

Substitutions

There are so few ingredients here, it’s a bit hard to make substitutions and still get the same flavor. However, there are tons of different hummus combinations out there. With a change here or there, you’ll likely still end up with a tasty bowl of hummus!

• If you love beets in all their forms and can’t find sumac, feel free to leave it out. You could add a bit more lemon instead.
• If you don’t have cooked beets on hand, bookmark this recipe for later and check out my basic hummus recipe instead.
• If you don’t have smoked paprika, use regular paprika. You could also add a pinch of cumin for a bit of smokiness.
• If you only have canned chickpeas with salt on hand, omit the kosher salt. In addition, instead of using all aquafaba as the recipe recommends, use half aquafaba and half water to avoid overly salty hummus.
• Instead of chickpeas, you can use white beans for hummus. If you’d like to make your own white beans, try out this easy recipe for Instant Pot White Beans.

Tips for Making this Beautiful Beet Spread

• The secrets to smooth and fluffy hummus are a high-quality food processor, more blending time than you think is reasonable, and the slow addition of ice-cold aquafaba while blending.
• For the smoothest beet hummus possible, start with soft chickpeas and beets.
  • If you’re using your own homemade chickpeas, cook them for a few minutes longer than you normally would so they’re soft all the way through.
  • Ditto for the beets. Cook them longer than you would for a salad. I’ve used beets cooked in the oven and in the Instant Pot for this recipe and both methods work well, as long as your beets are cooked through.
• Should you peel/chop your beets before using them in hummus?
  • Beets can get a bit messy. My preference is to buy small beets whenever possible. Then I simply scrub them with a vegetable brush and cook them whole (skin on) in my Instant Pot. No cutting board required and no stained fingers/cutting board/shirt. 🙂
  • If you can’t find small beets, you’ll likely want to cut your beets into halves or quarters to reduce their cooking time, and to make blending a little easier on your food processor.
• How many beets do you need to cook?
  • Unfortunately, it’s hard to say definitively, since beets vary so much in size. You should shoot for about 80 g of cooked beets for this hummus, but it doesn’t have to be precise. I typically use 3-5 small beets.

How to Use Beet & Sumac Hummus

My favorite way, by far, is to eat this healthy vegan hummus for breakfast. Yes, breakfast! Slather this hummus on your favorite healthy toast, such as Ezekiel brand, for a delicious morning pick-me-up.

It can sometimes feel difficult to incorporate beans and vegetables into breakfast, but with this bean and beet spread, you’re checking both boxes! To your healthy hummus toast, add spinach, arugula, cucumbers, or cherry tomatoes for some extra veggies. I also love adding a healthy dose of hemp hearts and some everything but the bagel seasoning!

Other ways to use hummus:

• Add a scoop to your nourish/Buddha bowls.
• Spread onto a tortilla or wrap for a condiment alternative.
• Slather onto sandwiches, either as a condiment or as the main “protein”.
• Create a quick pasta sauce.
  • Add a bit of pasta water or broth to thin the hummus out a little. Then mix your thinned hummus into your warm pasta until evenly coated. Top your dish with freshly cracked black pepper and your favorite seasonings.
• Transform into a salad dressing.
  • Add some additional lemon juice (or vinegar), mustard, dried herbs/spices, and water. Then give everything a good shake in a mason jar.
• Go classic! Use this hummus as a dip for vegetables, crackers, pita bread, etc.

Helpful Tools for this Recipe

• Food Processor
• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Mesh Strainer
• Large Cutting Board
• Sharp Knife
• Instant Pot (optional, for cooking chickpeas and beets)

I hope you enjoy this gorgeous beet hummus!

The Background & Science Behind These Ingredients

• Beets provide many benefits and have been shown to lower blood pressure and improve athletic performance
• Information about sumac and other lesser-known herbs
  • More information about sumac if your interest has been piqued!
• I recommend raw tahini (like this one) rather than roasted. Here’s why you should avoid eating roasted nuts, seeds, and other high-fat foods cooked at high temperatures
• An overview of the benefits of beans and a recommendation to eat beans and/or whole grains at every meal

What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you make this recipe, then please leave a comment and rating. I would love to hear what you think and how it worked out for you!

Don’t forget to check out my other spreads & sauces as well! If it’s a healthy snack you’re looking for, have a look at these plant-based snack ideas.