Creamy Pesto Hummus (Nut-Free)

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Two of our favorite recipes combined into one! Packed with protein, fiber, and a ton of flavor, this creamy pesto hummus will be your new favorite dip and spread. It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, too!

dipping carrot in pesto hummus

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Roasted garlic: If you would like to speed this recipe up, you can also opt to use raw garlic or garlic powder.
  • Basil leaves: Fresh basil is recommended versus dried as it will help make the hummus light and bright, plus it will add great color. If you want dried basil but still get green hummus, you can add in fresh spinach.
  • Extra virgin olive oil: EVOO is the least processed form of olive oil. Due to this, it retains its natural antioxidants and vitamins and has a more pleasant flavor.
  • Nutritional yeast: This will help add a more cheese-like flavor to our sauce. Additionally, nutritional yeast is packed with B vitamins and protein. 
  • Lemon: The flavor will be much more balanced by adding an acidic element like lemon juice.
  • Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): We used canned chickpeas to speed the recipe up, but feel free to cook them from dried beans if you like. For extra smooth hummus, boil the chickpeas with ½ tsp of baking soda for 15-20 minutes. Then, optionally, remove the skins before blending.
  • Tahini: We opt for store-bought tahini, but if you want this hummus to be extra fresh, you can try making your own with this recipe.
  • Salt and black pepper: Added to taste to finish off the dish. Feel free to add other spices as desired. 
  • Ice water: Makes the hummus creamy, light, and almost fluffy in texture.
ingredients for basil pesto hummus

How To Serve This Pesto Hummus

  • In sandwiches or wraps
  • As a dip: We like to dip in veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, crackers, pita chips, or pita bread.
  •  As pasta sauce: try this recipe out with our One-Pot 5-Ingredient Hummus Pasta recipe.
horizontal photo of creamy basil pesto hummus

Other Additional Add-Ins

Although this recipe is already jam-packed with flavor, feel free to make it your own with the addition of other ingredients you may have on hand, such as: 

  • Fresh or dried parsley
  • Nuts, such as pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc. You can blend these in or serve them as a garnish on top
  • Raw garlic or garlic powder, instead of the fresh-roasted garlic if you don’t have the time to roast a head of garlic
  • Vegan parmesan cheese, instead of or in addition to the nutritional yeast
  • Spinach, for added leafy greens!

Equipment

vertical photo of creamy basil pesto hummus

Other recipes to check out:

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vertical photo of creamy basil pesto hummus

Creamy Pesto Hummus (Nut-Free)

  • Author: Jasmine @ Sweet Simple Vegan
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Two of our favorite recipes combined into one! Packed with protein, fiber, and a ton of flavor, this creamy pesto hummus will be your new favorite dip and spread. It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, too! 

Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic (about 10 garlic cloves)
  • ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or vegan parmesan cheese)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 14-ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼–½ cup ice water, as needed
  • Optional: Black pepper, to taste

Garnishes (Optional)

  • Black pepper
  • Paprika
  • Fresh herbs, finely chopped
  • Nuts or seeds, such as pine nuts 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the flaky outer skin off of the garlic head and then cut the top off of a head of garlic. Place it into a sheet of foil with a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap it up loosely and place it into the oven (directly on the rack) for 1 hour and cool until easy to handle.
  2. In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend the basil, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice.
  3. Add in the chickpeas, tahini, salt, and optional black pepper. Unwrap the garlic head and squeeze the cooked garlic into the blender, ensuring that no skins fall in. Blend, adding ice water one tablespoon at a time, as needed, until hummus is smooth and fluffy.
  4. Serve the hummus with toppings of choice, such as toasted pine nuts, basil, or chickpeas. 

Notes

  • For extra smooth hummus, boil the chickpeas with ½ teaspoon of baking soda for 15-20 minutes. Then, optionally, remove the skins before blending.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Category: Dip, Side
  • Method: Oven and Blender

Keywords: dip, spread, sauce, herbs, basil, garlic, chickpeas, beans, protein, blender, roasted

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The post Creamy Pesto Hummus (Nut-Free) appeared first on Sweet Simple Vegan.