Is Hummus Vegan? What to Consider

Hummus, a Middle Eastern specialty, has become a favorite all over the world. But is hummus vegan?

Hummus, meaning chickpea in Arabic, is found across Egyptian, Greek, Israeli, Turkish, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian cuisine. Though its origins are highly debated across the regions, its earliest mention can be traced back to 13th century Egypt.

But is hummus vegan? It wouldn’t be a typical question for the average consumer, but for those who follow a vegan diet and know the way the industry consistently sneaks in animal products to foods far and wide – it is an important question.

In this piece, we will discuss whether hummus is vegan, the typical ingredients and what to look out for.

What Ingredients Does Hummus Have?

The typical ingredients of hummus are cooked chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans), olive oil, tahini – as well as garlic, lemon, cumin, and salt. Some add toasted pine nuts or chickpeas as a crunchy topping.

Some prefer hummus without the pricier and tangy tahini. We’ve even compiled three hummus recipes without tahini.

Is All Hummus Vegan?

Going by the standard ingredients, hummus is usually vegan. However, when buying hummus from a shop be sure to check the ingredients list to see what it has been processed with. Maybe it has been made with dairy to give it a creamy texture or set with another non-vegan ingredient.

Besides, whether you are vegan or not – it is still worth checking the ingredients list to check to see if any harmful chemicals have been used to preserve the food. But rest assured, most of the time this isn’t the case as hummus is usually vegan.

Homemade Hummus Recipe

The easiest way to ensure hummus is vegan and free from heavy processing? Make it yourself at home by using organic ingredients.

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas
• baking powder
• 1 cup of water
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 1/8 of an onion
• 1/2 lemon
• tahini
• cumin
• chili powder
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• pine nuts

Instructions

1. Soak the dried chickpeas overnight.
2. Simmer the chickpeas in boiling water with a bit of baking powder added to it until the chickpeas are cooked (∼ 40 mins – 1 hour). This will help dissolve the chickpea skins and enrich the flavor of the hummus.
3. Drain the water out and add cold water and rub the chickpeas with your hands to remove the skins. Repeat a few times to remove as many skins as you can. They will float up to the top of the water.
4. Dry the chickpeas with a kitchen towel – this might help remove further skins and add to the blender. Cook more chickpeas if you like to save for other recipes – the skin-free chickpeas work great as crunchy chickpeas.
5. Add all the ingredients besides the pine nuts to the blender and just enough water to blend with. Scrape down the sides – blend again, add more water, tahini, oil, spices, or seasonings if needed.
6. Roast the pine nuts in a pan and top the hummus with olive oil, spices, seasonings, and pine nuts.

Over time your hummus-making technique and preferences will develop. You might even want to experiment a bit more e.g. adding a couple of cherry tomatoes will give extra sweetness. Did you know you can also make hummus with red lentils? You can top the hummus with crunchy chickpeas instead of pine nuts if you prefer.

Read more:

• Vegan Spreads: DIY Veggie Spreads with Only 2 Ingredients
• How to Cook and Soak Dried Chickpeas
• How to Make Pumpkin Dip: All Natural Recipe

Tags: Guide Nutrition Vegan Vegetarian