Easy Spinach Hummus Recipe: Healthy and Delicious

This easy homemade Spinach hummus recipe can be made in under 20 minutes. It’s creamy, healthy and so much tastier than store-bought. This delicious chickpea dip has so many uses; sandwich fillings, as a dip with crudites or as a sauce for roasted vegetables. It’s so easy to make at home you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried this before. It’s delicious. Not sure you believe me?

Make some and see!

I’ve been told that adding things into a recipe like hummus when it is a traditional recipe, isn’t something you should do. After all, it’s been an absolutely fine recipe for millennia without being messed around with.

A classic hummus recipe is made with chickpeas and includes tahini (sesame paste), garlic, lemon juice and sometimes a little olive oil. Over the years, other versions of this basic recipe have appeared and have become just as popular. These recipes may include different spices, such as cumin, chilli or smoked paprika. The beans too may change, using butterbeans or cannellini beans instead. All very tasty and definitely worth trying.

So, yes I am taking liberties with the traditional recipe by adding spinach. But isn’t that what humans do? We change things. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and sometimes you get something new that’s also good. Enjoy the traditional, classic style hummus, just like we do but be brave enough to try other flavours. This spinach hummus version is a good one and spinach adds some very important vitamins and minerals.

Why do I want Spinach Hummus?

The first and most important reason has to be that it’s truly delicious. It’s also a very pretty green colour but not the kind that terrifies small children.

Not sure you like spinach? Is this one of those vegetables that you’re a little bit suspicious of? Well, surprisingly the amount of spinach in this recipe is enough to turn it green, and add tons of nutritional benefits but the spinach itself is not a dominant flavour. It just adds a subtle savouriness that is quite wonderful.

It may not be traditional to add spinach to hummus but it does add valuable nutrients such as potassium, manganese plus a handful of vitamins that are good for our skin, and hair and supports bone health.

Spinach hummus, the fusion of traditional Mediterranean hummus and nutrient-rich spinach, is a fantastic way to boost the nutrition of this popular dip. By adding fresh spinach leaves in to the recipe, you not only create a pretty green-coloured dip but also add vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to the dip. Consequently, you sometimes see this dip called a Green Goddess dip

Besides all the nutritional benefits that this hummus recipe offers, there are also a great many reasons why it’s good to make your own. Firstly, making your own hummus means that you can control the amount of salt, garlic, tahini etc. You can make this hummus without oil if you wish and definitely make it to suit your own tastes. What there won’t be, is any unidentifiable ingredients that are added to make it last longer in the shops. That’s all good.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t take long to make. It can sometimes be a big project making food from scratch so do the benefits really outweigh the amount of time it takes? Well, I think it does. This recipe takes only a few minutes of your time. It does cut corners by using tinned chickpeas but that is it. Just add the ingredients into the blender or food processor and it’s done in 3 or 4 minutes. I frequently make this dip with an immersion/stick blender so it really isn’t difficult.

Please try it and let me know how you get on with this recipe. What do you think of this fresh Spinach Hummus recipe?

Ingredients in this Spinach Hummus recipe

• chickpeas – I use drained chickpeas from a can. I do this for speed but you can use freshly home-cooked beans if you prefer. The weights are all in the recipe card below.
  • Also known as garbanzo beans. These are really versatile beans as they readily take on all kinds of spices and flavours. Home-cooked chickpeas will give you a better flavour, but you need to have soaked them for at least eight hours before you can cook them. Using tinned beans may not result in quite the same amount of flavour but these will still create hummus that is way ahead in terms of flavour and creamy texture, of anything you can buy pre-made at the store.
  • Should I remove the skins first? I don’t remove the skins from chickpeas before making this dip. For one thing, I rarely have the time and for another, it would mean removing some of the valuable fibre that hummus contains. Even with the skins left on this hummus will be soft, smooth and creamy.
• tahini – this tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of ingredient but it is vital for good hummus. It’s made from sesame seeds so it may be an issue for allergy sufferers.
  • Don’t like tahini? If you or your family really don’t like the taste of tahini then simply leave it out and add olive oil in its place. Hummus without tahini is still pretty awesome but if you want your hummus to taste like the best store-bought version then you need to include the tahini to get the best flavour from your chickpea dip.
• olive oil – I like olive oil in hummus. It feels authentic to use as hummus is a recipe from the Mediterranean regions of the world. It’s a ‘good’ oil in that it is rich in antioxidants and the main fat is monounsaturated.
• garlic, salt & juice of a lemon – all add flavour to this dip.
• spinach – a nice handful. Adds a different dimension to your usual hummus and a lot of nutritional goodness too.

Instructions on how to Make this Hummus recipe

This is so simple. These are the step-by-step instructions for process creating your own delectable spinach hummus:

1. Start by rinsing the canned chickpeas thoroughly under cold water.
2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, fresh spinach leaves, tahini, roughly chopped garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
   • Note: A stick blender can be used to do this task too. This is how I tend to make it – it saves on the washing-up and I’m a little lazy about large amounts of washing-up
3. Process the mixture until smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl occasionally to ensure everything is well combined.
4. Once the desired consistency is achieved, transfer the spinach hummus to a serving bowl.
5. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika or a few whole chickpeas to make it look pretty.
6. Serve the spinach hummus with pita bread or fresh vegetable sticks. It also makes a nice sauce or accompaniment to falafel.
7. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Don’t have a food processor?

If you don’t have a food processor and still like the idea of making your own hummus then you need to know that you can make this with an immersion blender.

To do this, put the ingredients into a jug and blend away. It will take a little bit of patience but it can be done and if I’m being lazy and don’t want to have to wash the food processor up, this is what I do. So I know that it works.

Serving

This spinach hummus recipe is super quick to make, it takes around 10 minutes, which includes the preparation time. But how do you eat and serve this twist on a classic Mediterranean dip?

Here are a few of my ideas about serving hummus.

• Serve in a bowl with perhaps a few chopped herbs sprinkled over the top.
• In salads – it makes a nice protein addition to the meal.
• As a sandwich filling – using bread, a crusty roll or toasted pittas. Add salad vegetables such as tomatoes finely sliced, green leaves, sliced cucumber, a dollop of your favourite pickle and don’t forget Siracha hot sauce. Love Siracha!
• Serve it as a dip with crudites. Present it with sliced red peppers, young celery sticks, cucumber batons and carrots. Toasted pitta bread and tortilla chips also really work well.
• Use it to make a protein and fibre-rich sauce. Pour the sauce over roasted vegetables before serving.
• Serve with falafels – drizzle the hummus across the top as a sauce… wrap them all up with salad in a wrap or tucked into pitta bread.
• It makes a terrific topping for baked jacket potatoes.
• A favourite in my home is as a filling for a toasted sandwich with sliced tomatoes.

If you have any other ideas – please share them.

Storing Hummus

As always this is best eaten fresh, however, hummus made using this recipe will store in the refrigerator for up to three days in a suitable container.

Freezing hummus

Hummus does not freeze well as it includes fresh spinach and it isn’t as nice if it has been frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions – F.A.Q’s

Other Recipes you may like to try…

• Easy Avocado Hummus Dip
• Avocado Toast (with variations and ideas)
• Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread
• Peanut Butter
• Almond butter
• Vegan Cream Cheese
• Classic Hummus Recipe

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