A one-cup serving supplies no cholesterol and only 4 grams of fat for 267 calories. Granted, that is more fat than an equal amount of kidney or black beans, but a quarter of the fat in soybeans. And the fat is the good type of fat called monounsaturated, which lowers heart disease risk. While garbanzo beans are low in fat, hummus dips can be much higher in calories and fat. Hummus is mashed garbanzos with olive oil, flavored with a variety of ingredients, such as garlic, lemon juice, or roasted red peppers.
Olive oil is a healthful fat that lowers heart disease risk.
But, if you are watching your weight, this fat packs on the pounds just a quickly as any other fat. To sidestep the fat, make a low-fat version of hummus from scratch or from boxed mixes and skip the olive oil. Other no-fat ways to prepare these beans include roasting or grounding them into flour. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, not garbanzo beans. However, all of that fat is monounsaturated and polyunsaturared fats, which are healthy fats for your heart, if not for your waistline.