Spicy Jalapeño Hummus – Healthy Green Mezze Recipe. Lighter, Zesty Alternative to Guacamole. Serve with Pita Chips, Bread or Crudités #vegan
Growing up in California, I was very lucky to experience a variety of authentic Mexican foods growing up. From meals shared with family friends born in Pueblo, Mexico to after-school snacks at our local taqueria, it was never difficult to find a piping hot plate of Arroz con Pollo or Guacamole. We even had a local woman who made tamales for us; she sold them door-to-door each month, and my mom always made sure to buy a few extra chicken ones for me. After meeting my husband and learning to cook the foods of his birth country, Israel, I was surprised to discover many similarities between Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisine. From the liberal use of cumin and cilantro to simple recipes with bold ingredients, the two regional approaches to food had quite a lot in common. In fact, al pastor— classic Mexican street food– is most likely a descendant of shawarma recipes brought by Lebanese immigrants to Central Mexico.
That’s why a fusion dish like Spicy Jalapeño Hummus isn’t really so surprising. It seems like a perfectly natural pairing… chickpeas are whipped together with hot peppers, tahini, cilantro, cumin and mild roasted garlic. The result is a super tasty, kicked up version of classic hummus. It’s a lower fat, zestier alternative to guacamole. Serve with tortilla or pita chips, fresh vegetable sticks or warm fresh bread. Or, if you’re like me, just eat it by the spoonful. I keep a tub of it in the refrigerator to snack on all week long.
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Beauty shots and styling by Bethany Nauert.
Spicy Jalapeño Hummus
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas OR 1 1/2 cups dry (or 2 cans)
- 1/3 cup tahini paste
- 8 roasted garlic cloves for instructions click here
- 2-5 jalapeños seeded (depending on personal spice preference)
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- Put the blade attachment in your food processor. Place chickpeas, tahini paste, roasted garlic, seeded jalapeños, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and salt into the processor. Jalapeño heat levels tend to vary by pepper so start with 2; you can always add more to make it spicier.
- Pulse the ingredients for about 60 seconds, then process until smooth, scraping the sides of the processor periodically with a spatula. Taste the mixture and add more jalapeños, salt or lemon juice to taste. Process again to blend any additional ingredients. If the texture seems too thick, add some of the reserved water from the chickpea can or cooking liquid and continue to process until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer hummus to a serving dish. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or fresh dipping vegetables. If not serving immediately keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
Simply Recipes – Jalapeño Cornbread
The Beeroness – Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapeños and Mangoes
This is really looking great. I am sure you must be a great chef. Thanks for this recipe.
Made this last night…and it was ABSOLUTELY delicious and such a crowd pleaser. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
I added cayenne pepper and a dash of olive oil before serving with pita bread. This recipe was really good. Thanks for sharing.
This dish almost looks like guacamole. I can imagine it to have a very robust flavour and quite the spicy bite.
Wonderful recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing this. I will certainly try it and post the feedback here.
Regards
Archana
Hi Avery, I LOVE your food snapshots… and just realized that the beautiful radishes in the picture here are not mentioned in the recipe!
BTW I recently bought an immersion blender, after my daughter brought hers in her suitcase on a visit home, and did amazing things with it…. a great alternative to the food processor for those without.
Thanks for the great recipes and tips — Cheers, Ted
As soon as I get a food processor this will be one of the first recipes I will try! This looks delicious! Especially because I love hummus and have developed an obsession for jalapeños here lately.
I saw this recipe online today and couldn’t wait to get home and give it a shot. I followed the instructions precisely as listed- It is simply outstanding! Thank you Tori!
Great Jim! So happy you enjoyed it.
Just when I thought hummus couldn’t get any better, you go ahead and add jalapenos! Can’t wait to try this – thanks for the recipe.
None yet but whole chicken recipe tomorrow