Lebanese pumpkin hummus

Lebanese pumpkin hummus

lebanese pumpkin hummus

As the recipe title suggests, the idea for this vibrant pumpkin hummus hails from Lebanon. In fact, the Lebanese (along with the Egyptians and Palestinians) argue that classic hummus, which we have come to associate with Israel is also their invention and they are outraged that Israel markets hummus as their national dish.

To be honest, I’m not surprised that everyone seems to want a slice of the pie. Whoever has come up with the idea to transform humble chickpeas into a bowl of dreamy creamy awesomeness deserves a medal.

Although today’s pumpkin hummus does not contain chickpeas, it does have all other classic hummus ingredients: tahini, lemon and garlic so I’ve taken the liberty of calling it a hummus too.

This pumpkin hummus is actually way less fussy to make than the classic one as there is absolutely no soaking, peeling or coaxing your blender involved. Despite much less effort, this beautiful dip is absolutely to die for. It’s creamy and extremely addictive.

As far as I can tell, it typically does not feature chilli, but as I’m a chilli fiend, I’ve added a little kick to mine. I think that it complements  the pumpkin’s the sweetness and the tahini’s nuttiness so well. Now excuse me, while I dive my toasted sourdough into my creamy creation.

roasted butternut squash for pumpkin hummus

lebanese pumpkin hummus close up

lebanese pumpkin hummus with sourdough bread

serves
4
PREP
15 min
COOKING
30 min
serves
4
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
30 min
INGREDIENTS

HUMMUS

  • 1 small firm* pumpkin (700 g of peeled and cored), I used butternut pumpkin / squash
  • 2-4 tbsp / 1/8-¼ cup lemon juice (depending on the sweetness of your pumpkin)
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 5 tbsp / ¼ cup + 1 tbsp tahini, hulled
  • ½ tsp salt, more to taste
  • ¼ tsp hot chilli powder (optional)
  • olive oil, for roasting
  • fresh parsley or coriander, to garnish
  • black and white sesame seeds, to garnish
  • 2 tsp chilli oil or extra virgin olive oil, to garnish
METHOD
  1. Heat up the oven to 220° C / 425° F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper. Cut your pumpkin into evenly sized pieces and coat in a little olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes – until soft and lightly caramelised. Alternatively, you can steam your pumpkin instead.
  2. Transfer pumpkin to a food processor (as opposed to the traditional hummus, a food processor works much better here than an upright blender). Add tahini, pressed garlic, salt, chilli, and lemon juice to taste. Whiz until smooth. If the paste is too thick, trickle in 1-2 tbsp of water to thin it out.
  3. Transfer the hummus onto a plate, smooth it with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or chilli oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh herbs. Serve with toasted pita or sourdough bread and a selection of mezze dishes.

NOTES
*Choose a firmer and less watery pumpkin variety for this dip. For that reason, I used butternut pumpkin also known as butternut squash.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
231
12%
sugars
3 g
4%
fats
19 g
27%
saturates
3 g
13%
proteins
6 g
12%
carbs
14 g
6%
*per serving
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5.0
7 reviews, 28 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Sabrina:
This hummus recipe is WOW - probably the best homemade hummus I've ever made (and I make some weekly!) and yet it's so simple. The texture is creamy and the blend of flavour is just perfect. It's so good that I'm tempted to use it as pasta sauce!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Sabrina. I'm so glad you enjoyed it (I love this one a lot too) and yes, it would make a good pasta sauce, I agree. Thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x
grace:
granted, my lebanese grandmother would turn in her grave if she heard me refer to this dip as hummus... regardless, it is absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahaha, naming unconventional/twisted/fusion/veganised recipes in a way that conveys what they are accurately but also in a way that they can at all be found and seen by anyone, is not easy - let me tell you - I grapple with that A LOT! I am so pleased you enjoyed it though. x Ania
Sheena:
Great recipe! This has become a staple since I have so many pumpkins!!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Sheena, I'm delighted to hear that! x Ania
Meital Cohen:
Hey Ania,
Oooooh cannot wait to try this! (I have tried so many awesome sweet recipes from your blog - this will be my first savoury woop woop)
Also - I just wanted to share with you that I am Israeli and although we have absolutely adopted hummus as our national dish, here is Israel EVERYONE knows that good hummus, the real stuff, comes from the Arabic nations around us, and even within Israel, the best places to have hummus are the Arabic villages. In fact, a pretty popular concept for a day trip will revolve around planning to get to a hummus place in such a village, where the rest of the day trip is basically planned planned around that. We are such a nation off fatties hahaha
If you ever visit Israel - be sure to go to these! They are wonderful!!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks for your kind words, Meital and I really hope you'll enjoy this dip too!
    That's really refreshing of you to say that, usually recipes like hummus trigger a lot of senseless nationalism. Every time I post a Greek recipe, I get Turkish people telling me that I am wrong as the recipe is theirs ignoring the fact that 400 year long Turkish occupation of Greece means that there is a lot of overlap. I love your tip and if it's ever safe to travel again, I would certainly to be tempted to visit that part of the world and eat myself silly (it will be hard not to). x Ania
Leticia:
The dip was incredible, but are you able to freeze it
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I am not sure, I have never tried doing it myself, but I don't see why not? One thing to note is that freezing dulls flavours so you may find it bland after you've defrosted it. Ania
Selina Wells:
This was east to make, a good use of leftover pumpkin and the best hummus I've ever made! Thanks.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Selina! That is so lovely to hear! Ania
Leo Stephen Torgoff:
Hi - Can this dish be frozen and sill retain its texture?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Leo,
    It definitely can be frozen, but whether the texture will be exactly the same after defrosting, I'm not sure as we always eat it fresh. I suspect so. Ania
Sarah:
Hi! I'm looking forward to trying your recipe, but I'm a little confused. Where does the garlic go in? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sarah,
    Thanks for pointing it out - looks like I missed it in the instructions. It goes into the blender at the same time as tahini, chilli and lemon. Hope it will hit the spot! Ania
      Sarah:
      Thanks!
Natalie:
Just made this for a dinner party and everyone was in LOVE (& they all asked for the recipe, which I sent around :) An amazing alternative to classic hummus - I will be making many times again! Thanks for sharing.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much for kind words, Natalie! That's so lovely to hear! Ania
pennie:
About to make this for the third time!! Love it...I use Long Island Cheese Pumpkin...find it , grow it, store it..it's amazing and works fab in this dip. It also is the go to choice for pie!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Pennie! I'm so pleased to hear that, it's one of my favourite dips too! Ania
Amy:
So does that mean if using hulled should put 6tbsp? Sorry
    Ania
    Ania:
    No worries, I recommend putting 5 tbsp as per the recipe. Taste and add more if you want tahini taste to come through more. :)
Amy:
What does hulled tahini mean in the recipe? Thank you
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Amy, here is the difference between hulled and unhulled tahini - see link. You can use either, it's just that unhulled one is a bit more bitter.
    Hope that helps,
    Ania
Rebecca:
Just discovered your blog , love all the recipes! great site :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Rebecca! That's soooo nice to hear! :) x
Karen:
I love the look of this recipe as it combines some of my favourite things. I'm just a little confused by the tahini amounts which reads 5 tbsp / ¼ cup + 1 tbsp tahini, hulled..... does that mean 6 tbsps of tahini? What does hulled referred to (I only know this term in reference to strawberries....) It is completely possible that I have misread this.... it has been known! Many thanks in advance.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Karen,
    So pleased to hear that you like the recipe, hope you'll try it out! The amount of tahini that's needed is 5 tbsp, but since many people ask me to specify in cups whenever possible I converted it into cups for these people, which is 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (5 tbsp in total). Tahini comes in hulled (when the outer husk of a sesame seed has been removed) and unhulled variety. I used hulled variety as that's the only one I can find here. Unhulled tahini, although more nutritious, is also more bitter so it may affect the final result.
    Hope that helps,
    Ania
Joy Johnson:
Looking forward to trying the pumpkin humus. Pumpkins are cheap and local at this time of the year.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Joy! Hope you'll like it as much as I do. :)
Lucy @ Globe Scoffers recipes:
This sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Lucy! My pleasure :)
Nancy:
This looks fantastic. I am a fan of pumpkin&squash. I love your pumpkin, spinach, and walnut spaghetti; I can't wait to try this hummus. I will be using butternut squash as pumpkin is not available here now. I think canned pumpkin would not give the dip that special something that roasting the squash adds. Keep these lovely recipes coming. Thank you Ania.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Nancy! Your comment made my day! As you can probably tell, I am a huge pumpkin fan too ;) Yes, I reckon you are right in saying that canned pumpkin would not be as nice as freshly roasted one, but perhaps an option if you are short on time.
    Warm greetings,
    Ania
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