Cozy Hummus Recipe with Pumpkin and Spices (2024)

While comforting soups and stews are all I need for dinner, Fall is also when I feel like experimenting with my go-to recipes and this spicy hummus is definitely one of them.

I used to be reluctant to add new ingredients to my daily hummus, but the pumpkin and spices combo was a winner. It still is a healthy hummus recipe and its nutritional load was actually improved with extra fibre, minerals, B vitamins, anti-inflammatory and digestive healing compounds.

WHAT IS HUMMUS MADE OF?

I make my healthy hummus recipe using the classic ingredients – cooked chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic. No oil added to the combo. However, there are some little tricks that will help you get a really smooth, creamy and delicious hummus. One of them is the way you cook chickpeas. If you tried your hand with canned chickpeas, you know that it never gets at least close to the hummus recipes you find in the Lebanese or other ethnic restaurants.

My secret for getting creaminess is to cook the chickpeas from scratch. This means: choosing the small variety of chickpeas (they tend to cook quicker), soaking them for at least 10 hours and boiling them with baking soda until they almost fall apart.

I know, this sounds like a long process, but your input is pretty much reducing to adding the chickpeas in the pot, covering with water, changing the water, adding the soda and turning on the heat. If you still consider that cooking your own chickpeas is too much of a trouble, I prepared this hummus recipe using canned chickpeas that I boiled with baking soda.

As for the rest of this spicy hummus recipe ingredients, which is everything Fall related, here are the highlights:

Homemade roasted pumpkin puree (butternut squash will work fine as well).
My favourite spice mix – turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and sweet paprika. I love using spices because they help me reduce the salt quantity I add to my dishes (and I used to add a lot!), by diverting my brain’s attention from the usual salty taste to a more sophisticated, spicy one.

IS HOMEMADE HUMMUS HEALTHY?

Hummus is my probably one of the recipes I cook most in my kitchen, because we eat it for breakfast or for a quick snack, and we can’t imagine our healthy diet going on without hummus.

If you are wondering if it’s worthy spending some time to make it home rather than buying it ready made, the answer is a big yes! As I mentioned before, making homemade hummus is no rocket science, it is a way to include more healthy ingredients to your daily routine, and you can personalize it according to your own preferences.

When I run out of hummus and the idea of buying one pops on, as long as I read the labels of the supermarket packed ones I wake up to reality and go buy a tahini jar instead. Most of store bought hummus recipes are packed with unhealthy oils (usually refined vegetable oil loaded with omega 6 fats that exceeds the omega 3 intake and are one of the common source of inflammation), sugar and taste enhancers that you simply do not want in your life with the price of those 15 minutes of cooking a healthy hummus recipe at home.

Making homemade hummus is also a way to control the quality of the ingredients that go into your recipe. Choosing a good quality tahini, organic chickpeas and lemon juice, locally grown garlic from the farmers’ market, one that doesn’t get blueish when heated (this happens frequently with the garlic bought from the supermarket, original from China).

Every little piece of attention you put into picking your ingredients and preparing your food is a guarantee of a better health and a simple mindfulness exercise. So yes, I do recommend including making homemade hummus in your meal prep routine.

WHY EATING HUMMUS?

Homemade hummus is a vegan staple that feed your body cells with getting essential nutrients, while also pleasing your taste buds. For me, hummus is a very simple way to improve my daily fibre intake, getting amino-acids for building proteins, getting essential minerals (calcium and magnesium), and working to balance my hormone production.

Healthy fats such as the ones in tahini serve as the base from which your body fabrics hormones, while the fibre in chickpeas helps your body eliminate old hormones and metabolised toxins, preventing them from leaking back into your blood stream.

Did I convince you to experiment with hummus? Here are two of my favourite ways to use it for creating a satiating healthy meal: Easy Lunchwrap with Sweet Potatoes, Egg and Hummus and my Spinach Wrap with Beet Hummus.

Did you try this recipe? Tag me #theawesomegreen on Instagram so I can share your take with my readers!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Cozy Hummus Recipe with Pumpkin and Spices

A healthy hummus recipe with pumpkin puree and delicious spices. All vegan, made with healthy ingredients and spices to fire up your metabolism!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas from can, drained
2 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp tahini
1/2 small pumpkin or butternut squash
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp Nigella seeds to garnish
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to garnish
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon juice only

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add the halved pumpkin and roast for 20 min until the flesh is tender.
Peel the roasted pumpkin and add it into the food processor to obtain a puree. Transfer into a bowl.
While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare the chickpeas. Start by rinsing them with plenty of water and add them into a medium soup pot. Cover with water, add the baking soda, mix to combine and place over medium heat and bring to boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until their skins fall apart and the chickpeas are very well cooked.
Place in a colander to drain, rinse with cold water to remove the baking soda taste, then transfer into the food processor.
Process to obtain a puree, then add the tahini, pumpkin puree, lemon, salt, and garlic and process to obtain a smooth mixture.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil into a skillet over medium heat, add the spices and heat for 1 minute stirring frequently, to enhance the flavours.
Add the spices and oil to the food processor, and pulse to incorporate.
Transfer the hummus into a bowl, smooth it with a spoon, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with Nigella seeds and serve.
Keep the hummus into a glass airtight container into the refrigerator for up to five days.