This easy recipe for high-protein hummus is the perfect healthy snack. Creamy-smooth, and light, this Middle Eastern dip is better than store-bought hummus!
I love having hummus weekly for my boys to have a healthy easy snack, and homemade hummus is wayyyy cheaper!! Next make this incredible pumpkin seed hummus!
Why You Need to Make This Hummus
- High protein content: It can be hard to find wholesome high-protein snacks. This high-protein hummus recipe contains 16 grams of protein from the chickpeas and hemp hearts per serving. Hummus is a fantastic plant-based protein source. Lots of protein!
- It's easy and so creamy: This easy hummus recipe is not only super easy with step-by-step photos, but it's incredibly luscious and creamy. Even if it's your first time making hummus, this is a great recipe for you!
- More cost-effective: To buy premade hummus these days is expensive (often $4+). You are not going to miss store-bought hummus, though, because this recipe is the bomb!
- Perfect to prep ahead: Make hummus for the week and have this in your fridge when you need an energy boost! Hummus is awesome to make when meal prepping for the week, and to eat with healthy crackers for the perfect snack!
Jump to:
- Why You Need to Make This Hummus
- What is Hummus?
- How to Make Hummus Protein-Rich
- Ingredients You Need to Make Homemade Hummus
- Canned Chickpeas vs. Dried Chickpeas
- Chickpea Nutrition
- How to Make High-Protein Hummus
- Top Tips for The Best Hummus
- Hummus Variations To Try
- Serving Hummus
- Delicious Ways to Eat High-Protein Hummus
- FAQ
- More Amazing Healthy Snacks
- Easy High Protein Hummus Recipe
What is Hummus?
Traditional chickpea hummus is a Middle Eastern dip. It is light brown in color and made from chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), garlic, good quality tahini (ground sesame seeds), and lemon juice as the main ingredients. This popular dip is often eaten with fresh vegetables, with falafel, in wraps, in nourish bowls, or with pita bread.
How to Make Hummus Protein-Rich
Naturally, chickpeas are a great source of protein as they contain the essential amino acids. In one cup of chickpeas, there are 14.5 grams of protein. To increase the protein of this recipe we add hemp hearts.
Look below to see alternative ingredients you can add to increase the protein in hummus. For another awesome homemade high-protein snack, try this easy egg bake!
Ingredients You Need to Make Homemade Hummus
This recipe makes the best easy hummus, while adding hemp hearts (a whole food protein source) increases the protein. See the full recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities.
- Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas for this recipe, however, I have left a note in the recipe card on how I make this recipe with dried chickpeas.
- Hemp Hearts: These little green seeds (hemp seeds) make this recipe high in protein. Hemp hearts are also a great source of healthy fats.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is best! Lemon brings all the flavours together.
- Tahini: This is sesame seed paste. There can be a bigger difference in the taste of tahini, buy a good one.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You wanna use unrefined cold pressed olive oil in a dark-coloured bottle for the highest nutrient density. Add a swirl on the top to make your dip look incredible.
- Sea Salt & Cumin: These spices bring the full robust flavor of Middle Eastern hummus.
- Fresh Garlic: We can't have hummus without garlic! Below I share how to make your garlic the perfect taste (not too spicy) for this dip.
Canned Chickpeas vs. Dried Chickpeas
You can buy dried chickpeas (more budget-friendly) or canned. For this recipe, we use canned chickpeas as it is faster and more commonly bought. If you want to make hummus with dry chickpeas you need to soak and boil them first. Full details are in the recipe card notes section.
Chickpea Nutrition
Chickpeas slowly raise blood sugar levels as they are digested slowly. This makes hummus great for balancing blood sugar levels or for those with diabetes. Eating chickpeas is a great way to get good sources of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron, and B vitamins. Chickpeas are low in fat and are 22% percent protein, 1 cup of chickpeas is 14.5 grams of protein.
How to Make High-Protein Hummus
Follow these step-by-step photos to make your very own homemade hummus dip in two simple steps!
(Note I have tested this with both my high-speed blender and a food processor, both work!) Place the garlic cloves and lemon juice into the blender, and blitz until you get pieces of chopped garlic (they don't need to be even, just chopped roughly). Let the lemon juice sit with the garlic for 5 minutes to reduce how spicy the garlic can be.
Add the cooked chickpeas, sea salt, cumin, tahini, olive oil, and hemp hearts to the blender, start on low speed and turn to high speed until it becomes thick. Turn off the machine, add the cold water or aquafaba, and scrape down the sides. Then blend for another 3-5 minutes until fully creamy. Add a little bit more cold water if needed until the desired consistency.
Top Tips for The Best Hummus
- Mix the lemon + garlic: The first step is to let the lemon juice sit with the pulsed garlic. According to serious eats, mixing the lemon juice with the chopped garlic for a few minutes affects the acidity and it stops the garlic from becoming hot and too spicy.
- Adding liquid: From my research about hummus, I learned adding aquafaba, or ice water (cold water) at the end of blending will make it extra creamy and fluffy.
- Good tahini: This sesame paste can vary in quality, get a highly rated, good quality tahini for the best-tasting hummus.
- Real lemon juice: Lemon juice in a bottle works in a pinch, but to make hummus incredible, you are gonna need freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Hummus Variations To Try
This recipe is a classic hummus recipe with added hemp hearts to increase the protein. Here are a few ways you can change this healthy recipe with a few ingredients, it's such a versatile dip!
- Pumpkin Puree: Add ¾-1.5 cups of pumpkin purée OR pumpkin pie filling (I have tested both) for a fall hummus. This is a perfect way to use up leftover canned pumpkin.
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: Add roasted red peppers when adding the chickpeas to the blender.
- Roasted Garlic Hummus: Add 1-3 cloves of roasted garlic.
- Other high protein additions: Instead of adding hemp hearts you can add ⅓ cup -¾ cup of Greek yogurt, plain protein powder, cottage cheese, or peanut butter to increase the protein content of this creamy hummus.
Serving Hummus
To make hummus look super incredible for a party appetizer or holiday snack sprinkle the top with:
- chopped kalamata olives,
- roasted garlic,
- pine nuts,
- fresh herbs like parsley or chives,
- cumin or paprika
- drizzle with olive oil
Delicious Ways to Eat High-Protein Hummus
- Enjoy hummus in a veggie wrap
- Dip crunchy vegetables into it like cucumber, carrots, and celery sticks
- Eat with pita chips
- Enjoy with 5 seed crackers (high in healthy fats) or homemade copycat wheat thin crackers
- Have it in a rice bowl with falafel (an easy weeknight meal!)
FAQ
To get extra creamy hummus, many recipes will peel the chickpeas. However, for the amount of work to take the skins off it does not it a big enough difference. From my hummus research it would be better to boil cooked chickpeas with ½ teaspoon of baking soda for 10-20 minutes until totally mushy then use these rinsed-off beans to make extra creamy hummus.
Garbanzo beans are the same thing as chickpeas. Canned chickpeas and dried garbanzo beans are both the same bean, the difference is the canned beans are cooked and packed in a canned with preservatives. The names chickpeas and garbanzo beans can be used interchangeably.
Yes! Most hummus is gluten-free, that is how traditional hummus is made. However, always check the ingredients on the package to confirm. Sabra Hummus is a gluten-free brand.
Keep your homemade hummus in the fridge for about 5 days in an airtight container for the freshest results. Store-bought hummus unopened can last two months. Once store-bought hummus is opened eat within 7 days. You will know hummus has gone bad when it has a sour smell or tastes sour.
More Amazing Healthy Snacks
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you make this high-protein hummus recipe? Please leave a star rating review of what you thought! If you take a picture and share it on Instagram & tag @besidethemountain, I'd honestly LOVE seeing what you make! Enjoy this great snack!!
Easy High Protein Hummus Recipe
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the garlic cloves and lemon juice into the blender, and blitz until you get pieces of chopped garlic. Let it sit for 5 minutes to reduce how spicy the garlic is.
- Add the chickpeas, sea salt, cumin, tahini, olive oil, and hemp hearts to the blender, start on low speed and turn to high speed until it becomes thick. Turn off the machine, add the cold water (or aquafaba), and scrape down the sides. Then blend for another 3-5 minutes until fully creamy. Add more cold water if needed until desired consisitanc.
- Keep your homemade hummus in the fridge for about 5 days in an airtight container for the freshest results. Enjoy!
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