This vibrant Beet Hummus is deliciously creamy, earthy, sweet, and tangy. The key to the amazing flavour is to roast the beets and onion so they sweeten and caramelize before being blended up with the chickpeas. Enjoy this healthy, flavour-packed vegan dip with veggies, pita bread, chips or as part of a meal.
Following hot on the heels of my curry hummus is this delicious roasted beet hummus. It's a must-try vegan dip that is smooth, creamy, sweet, tangy and savoury and great served as an appetizer, lunch, snack or as part of a meal.
The key to the amazing flavour in this beet hummus is roasting the beetroot and onion in the oven to make them extra sweet and delicious. Once blended up with the usual hummus suspects like chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic, the flavour and colour are just incredible!
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Enjoy this creamy, smooth and super flavourful beet hummus with veggies, pita bread, chips or flatbreads. It's perfect for serving when you have guests over because it looks so vibrant and beautiful.
What ingredients and equipment do I need?
This quick and easy snack is made with a handful of flavourful ingredients:
Here’s what you will be needing:
And just a note on the ingredients:
- Beetroot - Fresh beets that you can peel and roast yourself for the ultimate flavour. You can even get the roasting done and out of the way days ahead of time. Don't use pickled beets!
- Chickpeas - The star ingredient. Canned or cooked from dry chickpeas are fine. If you are cooking them yourself though make sure they are nice and soft. It's better to slightly overcook them than undercook them.
- Onion - This adds so much flavour and compliments the beet flavour perfectly. Roasting the onion with the beets softens it up, making it easier to blend into the hummus and makes it sweeter and more delicious too.
- Garlic - For a delicious garlicky pop and depth of flavour.
- Tahini - Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini is a rich, smooth, nutty paste. It gives hummus its classic nutty flavour and velvety texture. It's important to use good quality tahini. Cheap ones can be really bitter.
- Lemon juice - For brightness and tang and to cut through the sweetness.
- Spices - All you need are salt, pepper, and cumin. Cumin and beetroot are a match made in heaven!
How to make beet hummus
Making homemade hummus with beets is really easy:
Step 1 - Roast the beetroot and onion together until fork tender. You can do this ahead of time if you like. I cook mine when the oven is on with something else. Then just store them in a container in the fridge until it’s time to blend up the hummus.
Step 2 - Add everything to a food processor or high-powered blender and process until smooth. Don't rush this.
Thin as required, taste and adjust the seasonings, then serve!
Success tips
For the best results when making this recipe take note of these tips:
- I rarely do, but for extra smooth and creamy hummus, peel the chickpeas. It makes a big difference to the texture of the finished hummus. It doesn't affect the flavour though so don't worry about it if you can't be bothered.
- I strongly recommend roasting the beets to get the best and most rich flavours. Boiling, steaming, or using canned beets is possible but the flavours won’t be the same. Pickled beets will not work in this recipe.
- Use gloves when handling the beets unless you want pink hands.
- Don't rush the hummus. Run the food processor for a good 4 to 5 minutes.
- Adding some hot water to the food processor while it's running will help make hummus super smooth.
- Add a couple of ice cubes while processing for extra fluffy hummus.
- If the hummus is too thick, blend in a little aquafaba (chickpea liquid), water, olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and aquafaba to thin it out.
- Serve beet hummus at room temperature. The flavour is better and it will be creamier.
- Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to the top just before serving. I like to add some cubed beet pieces too.
Variations
- Adjust the seasonings to taste. Add an extra tablespoon or two of lemon juice, some extra cumin, some chili powder or some sumac or za'atar.
- Whip some vegan ricotta through the hummus once it's smooth.
- To make oil-free beet hummus process everything together omitting the oil. Check the texture and either add some aquafaba (chickpea liquid) from the canned chickpeas or a bit of water to thin slightly as needed, pulsing between each addition. Because of the beet and onion you won't need to add much.
- Not into tahini? See the FAQ's a little further down.
How to serve
Serve your beet hummus the traditional way: Swirled onto a plate or shallow bowl. Use the back of a spoon to spread it and make swirls across the surface. Scatter over toppings of choice (I've given some ideas below) and then drizzle over a generous glug of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Beet Hummus topping ideas
- Diced beets
- Chickpeas
- Vegan Feta Cheese (the saltiness of the feta works incredibly with the sweet beet hummus).
- Fresh parsley (the pop of green against the hot pink looks amazing!)
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Toasted hazelnuts (hazelnuts are incredible with beetroot!)
- Pine nuts
- Sumac or za'tar
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Chili flakes
And once you've got the presentation sorted, there are so many ways to enjoy beet hummus!
- With warm flatbread. I have a quick no yeast flatbread and delicious yeasted flatbread recipes that work really well.
- As a dip for a veggie platter with pita bread or vegan naan.
- Spread onto toast and in wraps.
- Spooned onto salads for a colourful topping.
- Dolloped on bowl meals like my Cauliflower Rice Bowls or Tofu Bowls
- Diluted to make a salad dressing: Simply mix in some extra lemon juice, water and oil.
- With crackers and pita chips for a quick and healthy snack.
- As a centrepiece on a vegan charcuterie board with vegan cheese, sliced seitan, and vegan pate.
- Dolloped on a burger or sandwich. This beet hummus works great with my black bean burgers.
Storage & freezing
The leftover hummus will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Make sure to store it in a sealed jar or container. It will become a little less creamy but give it a good stir and add a little extra virgin olive oil or a stop of water if it needs thinning out a bit.
Beet hummus can also be frozen. Put it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then give it a good stir and add more extra virgin olive or a drop of water to thin it if necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honest answer? If you can be bothered with the extra tedious step it does make for a much smoother hummus. I don't do it myself very often. With a good food processor, the hummus is plenty smooth enough for me.
Hummus isn't the same without tahini. It adds incredible flavour and texture. If you've had unpleasantly bitter tahini in the past, splash out and get yourself a really good quality one. Look for one made with Ethiopian sesame seeds that have been hulled. Ethiopian sesame seeds are purported to be the best, and hulling the seeds makes the tahini milder.
If you still don't want to use it, in a pinch, you could get a similar consistency by using another nut or seed butter. It will give the hummus a very different flavour profile though.
Hungry for more?
Grab some fresh bread, crackers, chips, and vegetables to enjoy with these vegan dips and spreads:
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📖 Recipe
Beet Hummus
Author:Ingredients
- 1 medium beetroot , about 3 to 4 inches in diameter (you can use more if yours a bit bigger)
- ½ medium onion , or 1 small one
- ¼ cup / 60 mls extra virgin olive oil , plus more as necessary (see notes for oil-free)
- 1 x 15 oz can / 1¾ cups canned chickpeas , (or 1 x 398ml Canadian can / 400g in UK)
- 3 cloves garlic , use 4 if you like extra garlicky hummus
- ⅓ cup / 80 mls tahini
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice , about 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
- Peel the beetroot and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel the onion half and cut it into 2 pieces.
- Spread the beetroot out on a small baking tray along with the onion pieces and toss them with 2 teaspoons of the oil (omit for oil-free) then bake until fork tender. They will take 45 to 50 minutes. This step can be done up to 3 or 4 days ahead. Just cool then store in a sealed container in the fridge until needed.
- For extra smooth hummus peel the chickpeas before using. Just use your fingers to pop them out of their skins. Omit this step if you can't be bothered, but it does make a difference to the texture of your hummus and doesn't take as long as you'd imagine.
- To a food processor add the roasted beets, onion, chickpeas and all of the other ingredients. Process until smooth.
- Add more olive oil, (or a combination of olive oil and aquafaba/chickpea liquid), to thin a bit if required.
- Taste and adjust seasoning/cumin/lemon to taste if necessary.
NOTES
Success Tips
- For extra smooth and creamy hummus, peel the chickpeas. It makes a big difference to the texture of the finished hummus. It doesn't affect the flavour though so don't worry about it if you can't be bothered. I rarely do!
- I strongly recommend roasting the beets to get the best and most rich flavours. Boiling, steaming, or using canned beets is possible but the flavours won’t be the same. Pickled beets will not work in this recipe.
- Use gloves when handling the beets unless you want pink hands.
- Don't rush the hummus. Run the food processor for a good 4 to 5 minutes.
- Adding some hot water to the food processor while it's running will help make hummus super smooth.
- Add a couple of ice cubes while processing for extra fluffy hummus.
- If the hummus is too thick, blend in a little aquafaba (chickpea liquid), water, olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and aquafaba to thin it out.
- Serve beet hummus at room temperature. The flavour is better and it will be creamier.
How to serve Serve your beet hummus the traditional way: Swirled onto a plate or shallow bowl. Use the back of a spoon to spread it and make swirls across the surface. Scatter over toppings of choice (I've given some ideas below) and then drizzle over a generous glug of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Topping ideas
- Diced beets
- Chickpeas
- Vegan Feta Cheese (the saltiness of the feta works incredibly with the sweet beet hummus).
- Fresh parsley (the pop of green against the hot pink looks amazing!)
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Toasted hazelnuts (hazelnuts are incredible with beetroot!)
- Pine nuts
- Sumac or za'tar
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Chili flakes
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Ramya says
Will be making this soon i never had beet hummus before perfect for my snacks after this i will be taking a break from commenting on your recipes until my birthday on 19 September will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Melanie McDonald says
Ok thanks Ramya. Hope you enjoy the hummus!
Marilee says
I haven't tried this yet, but I love beets and this sounds delicious! But I have never peeled beets before roasting. I normally roast them whole and then work the peel off. Is there an advantage to peeling them first?
Melanie McDonald says
Probably not! I've actually never considered roasting them first then rubbing the skin off. It really makes sense as I always end up with stained red hands when peeling them. Use your usual method. I think I'll be adopting it!