Easy Beet Hummus Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why is my hummus not tasty? ›

As I'm sure you're aware, chickpeas don't have a lot of flavour to them, so they need some pretty punchy ingredients to make it what it is. Yes, adding things like cumin or paprika will make it more interesting, but at the end of the day, if there isn't enough salt and lemon (acid), it will taste bland and insipid.

I'd definitely put this Beet Hummus in the responsible snack category thanks to the fiber and protein from the chickpeas, garlic, and beets for the antioxidants and phytonutrients, and healthy fats from the tahini and algae oil.

Freshness: The Homemade Advantage

By using freshly cooked chickpeas, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and top-notch tahini, you're guaranteed a hummus that bursts with flavor. On the other hand, store-bought hummus, while convenient, often lacks the same level of freshness.

Add salt, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and cayenne to taste. Maybe that grocery store hummus is not quite seasoned to your liking. It might just need a touch more of the flavor-boosters you'd normally use to season hummus (salt, lemon, spice)—start slowly and taste as you go.

Next, enhance the blank slate of flavor with a few squeezes of lemon juice, a sprinkling of garlic salt, a turn of freshly cracked pepper, a heavy-handed sprinkle of paprika, and a generous drizzle of your nicest olive oil. Bonus points if you have an herby olive oil on hand with a little color to it.

Store-bought hummus may have a longer shelf life than homemade, depending on how it is prepared. But both varieties should last up to 7 days in the refrigerator (for prepared hummus this applies once the container is opened). Like any food, hummus is perishable and is prone to spoilage.

For starters, homemade humus will almost always spoil faster because store-bought, which is prepared in sterile and contamination-controlled environments. Homemade varieties will generally last anywhere from 3-4 days, whereas store-bought brands generally lasts 6-7 days after opening.

If you feel adventurous, try replacing the tahini with an equal amount of peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, Greek yogurt, chopped roasted peppers, pitted olives, roasted beets, steamed sweet potato, avocado, or thawed frozen peas, to name just a few possibilities.

You're Not Using Enough/The Right Tahini

The one ingredient that gives hummus its undeniable richness, depth of flavor, and subtle nuttiness is tahini. This means that the final product depends on the amount of tahini that you add and the brand of tahini that you're using.

Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the chickpeas helps make the legume easier to digest, softer, and makes them easy to peel. Don't skip this ingredient! Lemon juice: I never suggest using pre-bottled lemon juice, but I especially urge you not to in homemade hummus.

Why does my homemade hummus taste bland? ›

Sometimes just an extra pinch of salt can transform a bland hummus into a terrific hummus where all the flavors come together perfectly.

Because tahini is the butter of sesame seeds, you might want to consider a nut or seed butter as a go-to substitute. Other options include greek yogurt and sesame oil. These tahini substitutes will complement your dish since they are all sources of healthy fats and contribute to a creamy consistency.

Hummus can cause food poisoning if it is kept too long and at too high an ambient temperature.

Made with simple pantry ingredients, this creamy hummus without tahini recipe is going to be your new go to. It's just so versatile! Of course you can use some sesame seed paste if you want to, but the best thing about this recipe is that it tastes great without it!

A simple touch of fresh chopped green onions, chives, parsley, rosemary or dill is another brilliant way to add more flavor to your hummus.

The best hummus is lusciously creamy, yet somehow light and fluffy. It's beautifully smooth and swirled, and begging to be scooped up onto a wedge of pita bread. It's nutty and tangy, thanks to the tahini, with notes of bright, fresh lemon and mellow garlic.

Hummus will tend to thicken overnight and you can loosen the mixture by adding water or more lemon, to taste. Hummus tastes the best when made fresh but that doesn't mean it doesn't taste good days after it's made. It's incredibly convenient and necessary to have hummus in your fridge throughout the week.