Easy Homemade Almond Hummus is a tasty switch up to a traditional hummus, using almonds instead of the usual tahini. Serve with toasted baguette slices, pita chips or fresh veggies for a healthy, nutritious snack.
Easy Homemade Almond Hummus
I recently had lunch out at a trendy cafe that serves all kinds of healthy and unique dishes with all local and sustainable ingredients. Lots of dishes with kale, beets, micro greens and the like. And they make all of this stuff taste REALLY good. They have magic powers.
So I ordered a chicken burger and one of my options was a side salad, which I ordered. I didn’t even really know what it was, but after it came, I realized it was one they have on the menu as an entree.
This little side salad was UNBELIEVABLY good. I inhaled it, and it made my chicken burger seem so blah.
So why am I talking about this side salad I had for lunch in my recipe post about almond hummus? The inside of the salad bowl was coated with said almond hummus, which was one of the reasons it was so damn tasty!
This recipe is inspired by my tiny, baby side salad. I had to try to recreate it, and I think I got pretty close. I also will post my creation of the salad dressing, and then finally the total salad.
It really is worth making everything homemade. I promise!
Ingredients and tools used for making hummus
Making homemade hummus is quite easy and simple. All you need is:
- chickpeas (or garbanzo beans)
- almonds
- garlic
- fresh lemon juice (don’t use the bottled stuff!)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
You do need to use a food processor to get the smooth consistency that you want for hummus. The one I have is actually really old and I received it as a hand-me-down. It’s really ugly and I’m secretly wishing for it to die. But it keeps on, and on, and on.
I’m hoping to upgrade to this Cuisinart one, but again I’m just waiting for mine to kick the bucket. I may just have to bite the bullet and make the switch, since I really think this one has been alive and kicking since 1975 based on the color scheme. And it’s probably not going to give up any time soon.
Tips for making hummus
Canned chickpeas are preferred when making hummus, since they have more water in them and will give a creamier consistency. The dried chickpeas do better for things like falafel (a future recipe I’m also working on) since they don’t have any water in them.
Also, when draining the chickpeas, remember to save the water that’s in the can. This is good to add to the hummus if it’s too dry when blending. If you throw it out, you’ll have to use water, which has no flavor. The water from the chickpeas has lots of flavor. You don’t want to add bland liquids to the hummus!
Using almonds instead of the traditional tahini is not only a tasty change-up, but a more cost effective one, as tahini can be pretty pricey. Sometimes its hard to find it in regular stores, and you may have to look for it in a high-end grocery store such as Fresh Market, Whole Foods or Trader Joes. The problem I always have is, I make hummus and buy the tahini, then I don’t make it again for a long time and the whole rest of the jar of tahini goes bad.
I also highly suggest using fresh lemon juice instead of the stuff in the plastic bottles. It’s just so easy to get fresh juice and you know what’s there….lemon juice. What’s in those bottles is questionable, and definitely not fresh. Fresh ingredients are always preferable and will give your food better flavor. If you’re spending the time to make your food, make it good food!
Easy Homemade Almond Hummus
Ingredients
- 15.5 ounces chickpeas canned
- ½ cup raw almonds sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Drain chickpeas and reserve liquid. Keep a few of the chickpeas for garnish at the end.
- Add chickpeas to a food processor with the almonds, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Turn on food processor and slowly add in olive oil. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add reserved chickpea liquid until you get your desired consistency. I used 5 Tbsp.
- Taste and add any extra salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like making homemade dips, check out my Quick Homemade Southern Pimiento Cheese recipe. It’s creamy, tangy and delicious!
Also, please check out the tons of amazing recipes from other talented bloggers on Julia’s Simply Southern’s Meal Plan Monday post.
Monna Ellithorpe
Hey Teri,
I didn’t realize that making this was that super easy. Looks yummy.
It does seem those hated appliances just won’t quit when you want them to. LOL
Wonder if you could use other nuts in place of almonds? Maybe walnuts or pecans?
Just an idea.
Teri
Yep, you can pretty much use any nut as a substitute. The textures may not be the same since some nuts are drier (walnuts) than others (cashews).