Easy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
My easy roasted red pepper hummus is made with sweet red bell peppers, chickpeas, garlic, and tahini. It’s super simple to make and tastes much better than the hummus you can buy at the store. After falling in love with how easy it is to make hummus at home, we’ve been playing around with more of our favorite store-bought hummus flavors. I love roasted peppers, and am excited to share this roasted red pepper hummus recipe with you! It’s creamy, smooth, and so delicious. Roasted bell peppers add a smoky sweetness to the hummus. We roast the peppers at home (it’s easy), but if you are short on time, you can use jarred roasted peppers. Serve with veggies, in sandwiches, with pita bread or flatbread. Key Ingredients Red Bell Peppers: I roast red bell peppers for this hummus, blend them in, and use them as a topping. If you don’t want to roast your own, most stores sell jarred roasted bell peppers, which also work. Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans): These are the base of this red pepper hummus. You can use canned chickpeas or cook them from scratch. I use both, but homemade chickpeas have a slightly better flavor. If you do cook your own chickpeas and have some leftover, I highly recommend this smashed chickpea salad. Tahini: Use a high-quality, drippy tahini. You can buy it at the store or use my homemade tahini recipe. For more ways to use tahini, try our creamy tahini sauce or this tahini dressing. Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is key to making great hummus. Garlic: I use one small clove, but feel free to add more if you prefer a stronger garlic taste. Ground Cumin and Salt: These two spices enhance the flavor of the hummus, and the cumin adds a bit of extra richness and spice. Olive oil: Olive oil gives hummus a rich and smooth texture. Red Bell Peppers: I roast red bell peppers for this hummus, blend them in, and use them as a topping. If you don’t want to roast your own, most stores sell jarred roasted bell peppers, which also work. Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans): These are the base of this red pepper hummus. You can use canned chickpeas or cook them from scratch. I use both, but homemade chickpeas have a slightly better flavor. If you do cook your own chickpeas and have some leftover, I highly recommend this smashed chickpea salad. Tahini: Use a high-quality, drippy tahini. You can buy it at the store or use my homemade tahini recipe. For more ways to use tahini, try our creamy tahini sauce or this tahini dressing. Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is key to making great hummus. Garlic: I use one small clove, but feel free to add more if you prefer a stronger garlic taste. Ground Cumin and Salt: These two spices enhance the flavor of the hummus, and the cumin adds a bit of extra richness and spice. Olive oil: Olive oil gives hummus a rich and smooth texture. How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus You asked for more hummus recipes, so here we go. Adding roasted bell peppers to hummus is one of my favorite ways to spice it up. If you’ve seen our original hummus recipe, you know that making the best hummus at home is easy. This red pepper hummus recipe is simple. We’ve added two roasted red peppers to our original recipe. I roast the peppers myself (although store-bought roasted peppers will do the trick). To roast peppers for this hummus, I remove the core and cut my peppers into a few flat pieces so they don’t roll around on me. Then I place them, skin-side up, onto a baking sheet, slide them under the broiler, and broil until the pepper skin chars. It only takes 10 minutes to roast the peppers. Then, I add them to a resealable plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap and set them aside. They steam a little, which helps the skin pull away from the pepper, making it extra easy to peel. You can see how easily it peels away in the photo below. When you have roasted red peppers, you can make your hummus. I use a food processor and blend my tahini and lemon juice first, which helps to cream the tahini and lemon juice, guaranteeing the creamiest homemade hummus. Then, I blend in olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and the chickpeas. When all chickpeas have been added, I add my roasted red peppers and blend until smooth. At this point, the hummus is usually a bit thick, so I drizzle in a bit of cold water or aquafaba. Then it’s ready to serve! I love saving some of the roasted pepper for chopping and placing it on top so everyone knows they are about to dig into red pepper hummus. Ways to Serve Red Pepper Hummus I love serving this red pepper hummus with a variety of veggies. Sliced carrots, celery, cucumber, radishes, snap peas, cauliflower, and even roasted broccoli are perfect for dipping. It’s also amazing with homemade bread. I especially love this homemade pita bread or this quicker no-yeast flatbread. We often make hummus bowls and fill a bowl with salad greens, some cooked quinoa (here’s my quinoa recipe), hummus, some homemade labneh or feta cheese, and a drizzle of tahini sauce. Easy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus PREP 25 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 35 mins PREP 25 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 35 mins I love this roasted red pepper hummus so much. When we first figured out how to make hummus, we were shocked at how easy (and fast) it was. In this recipe, we’ll blend in roasted red peppers and serve the hummus with more on top. The recipe includes instructions for roasting the peppers, but you can substitute them with jarred roasted peppers. Makes 6 Servings or 1 1/2 cups Watch Us Make the Recipe You Will Need 2 red bell peppers or substitute 3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted peppers 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 ½ cups (250g) cooked chickpeas 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 large lemon 1/4 cup (60ml) tahini, see homemade tahini recipe 1 small garlic clove, minced or finely grated 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Pinch cayenne pepper, optional 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45ml) water or aquafaba Salt to taste Directions Roast Peppers 1Move an oven rack so that it is about 5 inches from the broiler. Turn the oven broiler on. 2Remove the core of the peppers, then cut them into large, flat pieces. 3Arrange pepper pieces, skin-side up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes until the pepper skin has charred. 4Add peppers to a resealable plastic bag, seal it, and then wait 10 to 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. (Or, add the peppers to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.) 5Gently peel away the charred pepper skin and discard. Reserve 1 to 2 pieces of the peeled roasted pepper pieces to use as a garnish, then roughly chop the rest. Roast Peppers 1Move an oven rack so that it is about 5 inches from the broiler. Turn the oven broiler on. 2Remove the core of the peppers, then cut them into large, flat pieces. 3Arrange pepper pieces, skin-side up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes until the pepper skin has charred. 4Add peppers to a resealable plastic bag, seal it, and then wait 10 to 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. (Or, add the peppers to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.) 5Gently peel away the charred pepper skin and discard. Reserve 1 to 2 pieces of the peeled roasted pepper pieces to use as a garnish, then roughly chop the rest. Make Hummus 1In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy. 2Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, cayenne, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for another 30 seconds or until well blended. 3Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process them until thick and relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. 4Add the roughly chopped roasted peppers, saving 1 to 2 pieces for use as a garnish. Process until smooth. 5The hummus will likely be too thick and still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water or aquafaba with the food processor turned on until you reach the perfect consistency. Taste and adjust as needed. 6Finely chop the reserved peppers. Spoon hummus into a bowl, make a small well in the middle and add the chopped peppers. 7Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Freeze, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, for up to one month. Make Hummus 1In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy. 2Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, cayenne, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for another 30 seconds or until well blended. 3Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process them until thick and relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. 4Add the roughly chopped roasted peppers, saving 1 to 2 pieces for use as a garnish. Process until smooth. 5The hummus will likely be too thick and still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water or aquafaba with the food processor turned on until you reach the perfect consistency. Taste and adjust as needed. 6Finely chop the reserved peppers. Spoon hummus into a bowl, make a small well in the middle and add the chopped peppers. 7Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Freeze, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, for up to one month. Adam and Joanne's Tips How to cook dried chickpeas: Use canned or home-cooked chickpeas for this recipe. To see how we cook dried chickpeas, see our simple tutorial here. We have included three methods, including in the slow cooker. Aquafaba is the starchy liquid in a can of beans (or the bean cooking liquid). You can use this instead of water in the last step of the recipe. Before using, taste it to see how salty it is. If it is salty, hold some of the salt in the ingredient list back, and then season to taste after adding the aquafaba. See our deep dive into aquafaba here. Blender: A food processor is best for making hummus, but a high-powered blender will work. Be sure to scrape the sides down a few extra times as you make it. Tahini & lemon juice are not creaming: Depending on your food processor, the blade might not come into contact with the tahini and lemon juice. You need to increase the amount of liquid in the food processor, so add the olive oil. If they still do not cream, add a tablespoon of cold water. Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. How to cook dried chickpeas: Use canned or home-cooked chickpeas for this recipe. To see how we cook dried chickpeas, see our simple tutorial here. We have included three methods, including in the slow cooker. Aquafaba is the starchy liquid in a can of beans (or the bean cooking liquid). You can use this instead of water in the last step of the recipe. Before using, taste it to see how salty it is. If it is salty, hold some of the salt in the ingredient list back, and then season to taste after adding the aquafaba. See our deep dive into aquafaba here. Blender: A food processor is best for making hummus, but a high-powered blender will work. Be sure to scrape the sides down a few extra times as you make it. Tahini & lemon juice are not creaming: Depending on your food processor, the blade might not come into contact with the tahini and lemon juice. You need to increase the amount of liquid in the food processor, so add the olive oil. If they still do not cream, add a tablespoon of cold water. Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/4 cup / Calories 168 / Total Fat 11.1g / Saturated Fat 1.5g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 279.9mg / Carbohydrate 14.2g / Dietary Fiber 3.8g / Total Sugars 3.5g / Protein 4.9g AUTHOR: Adam Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us