Low-Calorie Hummus - Best Hummus Recipe Ever (2024)

Low-calorie hummus with garlic and tahini! Despite its being low-fat, it is the best hummus recipe I've ever tasted.

This low-calorie or light hummus is the best hummus recipe ever!

I am normally careful with things like best ever, ultimate, and so on, but in this case, I cannot help it. There was never a better hummus for me, and trust me, I made and ate lots and lots of them, endless variations of it, with chickpeas or beans or lentils, with red peppers or turmeric, with sesame paste or peanut butter, I even put feta or cream cheese in it.

Not to mention the constant changing of the spices: cumin, coriander, paprika, even garam masala, or another curry powder.

I really love all of them, but this low-calorie hummus cannot be topped, in my opinion. It could be the garlic in it or the nigella seeds that add a little bit of something else, its creaminess …. I don't know, probably the combination of them all.

And not to forget that it is a low-fat or low-calorie hummus, made with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon tahini, and it has only about 60 calories per serving. Not many hummus recipes can keep up with that; most of them contain loads of oil and tahini. Still extremely delicious but not so light on the hips.

I always make quite a huge batch of low-calorie hummus, as it keeps in the fridge for about a week. We have it on bread and with bread chips, as a dip for veggie sticks, as a side dish for köfte (Turkish meatballs) and turkey skewers. It is amazing every time!

And if you would like to try a healthy dessert made with pulses, how about these Low-Calorie Brownies?

How to cook chickpeas?

• You can make the low-fat hummus with dried chickpeas, which you can cook yourself, or with canned chickpeas.
• Cooking chickpeas is not a big deal; it just requires a bit of organization and time.
• Remember to soak the chickpeas the day before; they should soak for at least 12, preferably longer, and up to 24 hours.
• Drain and rinse, place in a pot and cover them with plenty of water. Add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.
• Cook until they are really, really, really soft; cooking time always depends on the size and age of the chickpeas.
• On the packages I buy it is usually written that 30 to 45 minutes would be enough: that is a lie! 🙂 My chickpeas always need at least one and a half hours, if not longer.
• I always cook a big batch of chickpeas, normally a whole 500 g package. I use what I need immediately and freeze the rest; they keep perfectly for a long time.
• To make this light hummus, you will need some cooking water as well, so don't throw it all away immediately.
• To have 250 g/ 8.8 oz cooked chickpeas, you will have to cook about 125 g/ 4.4 oz dry chickpeas, but I totally recommend cooking more and freezing the rest.

Tips for making low-fat hummus?

• Use good quality tahini paste. It is not very cheap, but a jar goes a long way, and it keeps a really long time in the fridge. (Amazon affiliate link).
• Fresh garlic is mandatory, I used two very large cloves, and they were not too much, in my opinion, but I do adore garlic. Don't even consider using garlic powder or something like that, or you will ruin the hummus. Start with one garlic clove and add more according to your taste.
• If you blend the spread with a handheld mixer, do grate the garlic cloves before adding them to the chickpeas to make sure you will not have any larger pieces of it in your mouth later on.
• Use the spices generously; there is nothing worse than a bland dip, and don't forget the nigella seeds on top; they really add a little bit of extra something. (Amazon affiliate link).
• I make the low-calorie hummus in the Thermomix, and I do recommend using a good and powerful kitchen machine to get a really nice creamy consistency.
• Don't forget to scrape the walls of your kitchen machine several times in between and continue processing the chickpeas, adding a bit of cooking water from time to time, until you reach the perfect consistency.

More low-calorie dips and spreads?

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