Ultra creamy and incredibly easy to make, this roasted red pepper hummus recipe is the perfect dip for a party! It’s naturally vegan & gluten free and full of fresh flavor.
I really don’t think I can go more than say, 30 minutes, without eating something. I’m an avid snacker and everyone who knows me knows I’m pretty much always hungry.
Which is why having easy snacks and dips on hand is essential! This roasted red pepper hummus is one of my favorites because it makes a big batch and is FULL of flavor. Plus, it’s made with simple, pantry staple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
It’s subtly spicy, garlicky, lemony, rich and so creamy. There are a variety of ways you can make this to suit your own needs and it’s naturally vegan and gluten free.
If you don’t have chickpeas on hand, you can also use virtually any variety of white bean with no problem! Spread it on sandwiches, throw it in a veggie wrap, or just use it as a dip for bread and crackers!
How to make red pepper hummus
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to a pot on the stove. Cover with water and add the baking soda.
Boil until the chickpeas are very soft (kind of mushy looking) and some of the chickpea skins have surfaced to the top. This seems weird, but I’ll explain later why this is important!!
After about 15-20 minutes, take a spoon and scoop off the skins that have surfaced to the top. Drain and rinse under cold water until they’ve cooled down a bit.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt and tahini to a food processor. Process until the garlic is finely chopped, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed.
Add in all remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth. I like to let it run for a good 3-4 minutes to ensure it’s ultra creamy. Add the water at the end and only if it’s too thick. It will depend on the size of your peppers and how much liquid they’re releasing.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. I usually add a touch more salt and olive oil for more flavor.
Transfer to a container and place in the fridge. It’s ready to eat now but sometimes gets a bit warm from processing, and it’s best cold!
Traditionally, hummus is served with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs and fresh pita bread and veggies as a dip. I love using crackers, chopped cucumber, carrots, or using it in sandwiches and wraps.
Getting the perfect consistency
I’ve made a lot of hummus in my day, and I’ve finally unlocked the key(s) to making it extremely creamy.
The first is to boil the chickpeas until they’re mushy. We’re using canned chickpeas for this recipe, so they’re soft and well cooked as is, but boiling them with baking soda will soften them even more and naturally remove some of the skins which yields a very creamy hummus.
This means you don’t need to manually remove the skins which saves you a whole lot of time and frustration! Trust me, nothing is more boring than peeling skin off of chickpeas… it also sounds gross so let’s move on.
The second tip is to process the tahini, lemon juice and salt before adding anything else. This incorporates all of the flavors into each other and makes the base really creamy.
On that note, it’s important to use high quality tahini. Soom Foods is my favorite brand which is really runny and makes for great red pepper hummus! The 365 one from Whole Foods is also great!
Finally, process for a good five minutes. It seems long, but just let it run while you clean up and slice some veggies to enjoy this with! Five minutes of processing will really ensure this hummus is as creamy and fluffy as possible.
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, this hummus will last in the fridge for about 1 week. Store it in an air tight container for best results.
When you freeze, just make sure you don’t fill it to the top of your container because it will expand a bit when it freezes. Then, defrost overnight int he fridge and give it a good stir when it’s defrosted to get it nice and creamy again.
Serving suggestions
Like other kinds of hummus, I like to serve this red pepper hummus with crackers, sliced vegetables like carrots and cucumber or gluten free pita bread. It’s also great as a spread for sandwiches!
Try these next!
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Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup runny tahini
- 2 roasted red peppers drain the excess liquid if from a jar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice from 2 lemons
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp ice cold water as needed
- Black pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/2 tsp cayenne
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to a pot on the stove.
- Cover with water and add the baking soda.
- Boil until the chickpeas are very soft (kind of mushy looking) and some of the chickpea skins have surfaced to the top.
- After about 15 minutes, take a spoon and scoop off the skins that have surfaced to the top.
- Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt and tahini to a food processor.
- Process until the garlic is finely chopped, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth. I like to let it run for a good 3-4 minutes to ensure it's really creamy. Add the water at the end and only if it's too thick. It will depend on the size of your peppers and how much liquid they're releasing.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. I usually add a touch more salt and olive oil for more flavor, but you can add more tahini, cumin, anything else!
- Transfer to a container and place in the fridge. It’s ready to eat now but sometimes gets a bit warm from processing, and it’s best cold!
- Serve with pita bread, crackers, chopped veggies and enjoy!
Mariana Davison says
Wow such beautiful colours. Hummus is my favourite, can’t get enough and this was so delicious!