Garlicky, lemony, nutty goodness in a deliciously smooth dip. Packed with natural protein, healthy fats and so much flavour; hummus is arguably the dreamiest of all dips.
It’s pretty difficult to improve on perfect, but I think I might have just managed it with this recipe. This lighter turmeric hummus is like pure sunshine. A little bit fruity, wonderfully bright and super creamy.
I haven’t stopped snacking on this since I made it! I hope you love it as much as me.
Taste
The flavours of a classic hummus are absolutely mouthwatering. Garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil are always an unquestionably good combination. These classic ingredients compliment the nutty earthiness of the tahini and chickpeas to create that delicious flavour of hummus that we all love.
Turmeric
For this hummus recipe, I wanted to shake up these classic flavours a bit. Turmeric is an ingredient that I alway thought was only for curries, and I never gave it much consideration elsewhere. That was until I tried turmeric hummus. This sunshine coloured variation has a deliciously fresh and zingy element to it that just elevates the recipe.
Fresh turmeric is subtle, fragrant and not at all as overly powerful as I once thought. It’s a wildly versatile and underrated ingredient, and it definitely doesn’t just belong in curries. In this recipe I use both fresh turmeric for the zingy flavour enhancement, as well as ground turmeric for the gorgeously bright colour.
Just as a word of warning; fresh turmeric is very very ORANGE. You might want to invest in some disposable gloves when peeling and grating it, especially if you have your nails painted – unless you fancy staining them a tooty-fruity colour like I did. Been there, done that!
Health Benefits
Aside from the array of taste and colour benefits, the addition of turmeric to this hummus recipe comes with a whole host of health benefits too.
Colourful plant-based foods are typically very good for our health, due to the plant pigments and bioactive compounds present. Most notably in turmeric, is the main active component; ‘Curcumin’. This is a powerful anti-oxidant, and as a result turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties.
Not only is this great for fighting diseases caused by inflammation, but by incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods in the diet our bodies can better recover from exercise. Making this turmeric hummus a great post-workout energy booster, as well as a tasty day-to-day snack.
Texture:
In my opinion, proper hummus should always be super creamy, light and fluffy. We don’t want any chunky bits or a grainy texture, only lusciously smooth to be scooped up as a dip or perfectly spread over toast.
My top tip for getting that dreamy-creamy texture? Blend, blend, blend! For ultimate smoothness you definitely want to be blending your ingredients in a high speed blender like a Vitamix for at least 2 minutes.
To reduce bloating, remove the chickpea skins before blending. You can easily do this by rolling your chickpeas between two pieces of kitchen roll, this will remove the bulk of the skins quickly. Removing the skins makes them far easier to digest and is one way to be a bit kinder to your gut. Plus, it makes the end result way smoother. This tip is hailed as the most important step in achieving the ultimate creamy hummus, so definitely don’t skip out on it. It’s 100% worth the extra effort.
Lighter Turmeric Hummus
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tin chickpeas, rinsed + drained (400g)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more to serve)
- 2 tbsp light tahini
- 3/4 - 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
- 1 small lemon (juice) + zest of 1/2
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 inch piece fresh turmeric, chopped + 1/3 tsp ground turmeric (or 1 tsp ground)
- 3/4 - 1 tsp paprika
- Pinch of mild chilli powder, to taste
- 2 - 3 tbsp water
- Salt + cracked black pepper to taste
Method
- Place the chickpeas in-between two sheets of strong kitchen roll and roll to remove most of the skins quickly.
- Add chickpeas to a high speed blender along with rest of the ingredients, starting with 2 tbsp of water. Blitz for 2 minutes, stirring the sides a couple of times with a spatula. It's important to blend for 2 minutes to get the ultimate smooth creaminess.
- Adjust seasoning + spicing to taste. Add water to desired level of thinness. Spoon into a bowl and top with a good glug of olive oil and optional sesame seeds.
