An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (2024)

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By Andrew

4.45 from 9 votes

Jan 15, 2013, Updated Sep 07, 2017

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An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (2)

About once a month, the Food Bloggers Los Angeles group gets together for a potluck meal and some chit-chat about the business of blogging. It’s a pretty close-knit group (though we’re always happy to have new members!), and one that I appreciate tremendously. Even if not all the bloggers in the room are health-focused, everyone is excited about cooking real food from scratch, which I think is the most important thing. Also, they really are damn good cooks.

Last weekend, our monthly meeting was affectionately titled Kale-a-palooza.We were asked to bring a kale-based dish for the potluck, and were then treated to a kale demonstration from the folks at San Miguel Produce. They farm 1,200 acres of land near Oxnard, CA – growing mostly dark leafy greens, like kale. They got us liquored up with Kale Margaritas, made us a massaged-kale salad, and then gave us bags of fresh kale to take home. As you can imagine, I was a happy boy.

Fun Kale Facts Sidebar #1:We learned that all of the potassium in kale is found in the stem – so don’t toss those ribs!

An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (3)

Fun Kale Facts Sidebar #2:Because of the recent spike in popularity of Kale (yay!), San Miguel has started growing much more of it, and much less of other crops. I asked Jan Berk, their Vice President, how they deal with soil health and crop rotation. Her answer pleasantly surprised me: They swap land with other farmers. Gotta love such a simple, cooperative solution!

For my part in the potluck, I brought a bowl of kale and garlic hummus. Nothing too fancy, but hey, that’s my style. I made it the same morning, though ideally I wish I had made it the night before; it’s better once it has a chance to sit overnight in the fridge. The flavors become better friends with a little bit of time… perfect on our “mini” whole wheat bagels the next morning for breakfast.

An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (4)

An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (5)

4.45 from 9 votes

Kale and Garlic Hummus

By: Andrew Wilder

I’m pretty loose with the ingredient quantities below, because I like making my hummus “to taste” depending on my mood, the weather, and whatever music happens to be playing at the moment. Since it’s easy to add more of the secondary ingredients (like lemon juice or olive oil), start with a smaller amount of those and add more until you like how it tastes. Remember, it’s easy to add, but really, really hard to subtract!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

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Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups fresh kale
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans
  • 1/4 cup tahini, sesame seed paste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for drizzling
  • 2-4 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped (or use roasted garlic for a deeper, but less spicy, flavor)
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons water, optional
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • plain or smoked ground paprika, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

  • Chop the kale into large pieces, and steam them in a double-boiler or steam basket until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

  • In a food processor with a multipurpose "S" blade, add the beans and kale first, then the remaining ingredients except the optional water (add that later if you want the hummus to be a bit creamier). For the tahini, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, be sure to start with the lower amount and add more later.

  • Process the ingredients for about 20-30 seconds, until the mixture starts becoming smooth. Scrape any beans stuck to the side, so it will mix evenly.

  • Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to your liking. Process until you reach the desired consistency.

  • Before serving, drizzle a little olive oil on top, then sprinkle with some paprika. Enjoy your kale and garlic hummus with whole wheat pita, on your crackers or bagel, or with veggie sticks!

Notes

1. I made this in our food processor, but it'll also work with a regular blender or an immersion blender - it just won't come out quite as smooth.

2. Because I was in a hurry, I used canned beans, drained and well-rinsed – of course you could use dried beans and prepare them the night before. In a pinch, you could also adapt this to use garbanzo bean flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 12mg, Potassium: 155mg, Vitamin A: 2230IU, Vitamin C: 29.5mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

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An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (6)

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An Easy Kale and Garlic Hummus Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why doesn't my homemade hummus taste good? ›

If your hummus is the right consistency or thickness but it tastes dry and pasty, it might be lacking a bit of oil. This recipe relies on the tahini to give it creaminess as I don't find olive oil makes enough of a difference to warrant the extra calories.

What can you put in hummus to make it taste better? ›

Next, enhance the blank slate of flavor with a few squeezes of lemon juice, a sprinkling of garlic salt, a turn of freshly cracked pepper, a heavy-handed sprinkle of paprika, and a generous drizzle of your nicest olive oil. Bonus points if you have an herby olive oil on hand with a little color to it.

Does homemade hummus taste better than store bought? ›

The taste:

I loved it. I have to admit it tasted a little bit different to the shop-bought hummus I am used to, but definitely in a good way. I added more than a squeeze of lemon juice and it had a really fresh taste and just tasted light and healthier, yet the texture also felt more substantial than shop-bought.

How do you fix too much garlic in hummus? ›

This is another trick from Solomonov—if you mince the garlic in the food processor or blender with the lemon juice and let that mixture rest for a few minutes, the garlic will lose its harsh, raw bite and mellow out. I tried it before and after, and he's right!

How do you fix bland hummus? ›

A simple touch of fresh chopped green onions, chives, parsley, rosemary or dill is another brilliant way to add more flavor to your hummus. Just add the herb of your choice (or use a mix!), drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt.

Is it better to use dried or canned chickpeas for hummus? ›

Dried chickpeas provide better flavor than canned. Overcooking the chickpeas in water with baking soda makes them easier to blend. Puréeing the chickpeas while they're still hot lets you use a blender instead of a food processor for smoother texture.

Why does my homemade hummus taste bland? ›

Sometimes just an extra pinch of salt can transform a bland hummus into a terrific hummus where all the flavors come together perfectly.

What can I use instead of tahini in hummus? ›

If you feel adventurous, try replacing the tahini with an equal amount of peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, Greek yogurt, chopped roasted peppers, pitted olives, roasted beets, steamed sweet potato, avocado, or thawed frozen peas, to name just a few possibilities.

Why does homemade hummus go bad? ›

Once the dip is left open and unrefrigerated, it is exposed to various bacteria and microbes that may accelerate its spoilage, and it does go bad if left out for too long.. If you plan to store some for later, it is best to minimize the amount of time it spends unrefrigerated, and try to keep it free of contamination.

Is cumin necessary in hummus? ›

In this hummus recipe, adapted from "How to Cook Everything," tahini is essential, as are garlic and lemon. But this dip is also flexible: cumin and pimentón are optional, as are herbs or blends like za'atar. Hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.

What thickens hummus? ›

If , for some reason, you ended up using more liquid than you should have or if you still want a thicker consistency, you can add a bit more tahini. And if you chill the hummus for an hour or so before adding any garnish, that should help as well.

Is hummus and garlic good for you? ›

Of course, lots of things affect your health -- there's no miracle food -- but a little hummus wouldn't hurt. Garlic and olive oil are two of the best-known and most studied ingredients. They're both part of the famously good-for-you Mediterranean Diet. These zesty seasonings give hummus its great flavor.

Why does Sabra hummus taste bad? ›

It tastes bad - the amount of lemon and tahini is off. It has preservatives and it has ingredients that are unnecessary (like salt), it uses soy bean oil, and other stuff like locust bean gum that I'm guessing is added for a smoother texture.

What does spoiled hummus taste like? ›

While opened and homemade hummus can last up to seven days, it does not mean it will. You will definitely notice that the hummus is spoiled when you see mold growing on it. The less obvious may be that the hummus offers an unpleasant, off-odor and sour smell. This hummus may also taste sour if you decide to try it.

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