Roasted Beet Hummus
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Roasted beet hummus, YUM!
Two words that I never thought I'd say in the same sentence - beets and yum. Who's with me on that?
But, I have been proven very wrong friends... Beets indeed can be yum.
Beets are great. Not only do they have this amazing deep red of a color that makes food look so pretty, but they are also amazingly good for your health!
beet root benefits
In case you haven't already heard, this beautiful red root vegetable has a ton of positive benefits such as:
- the ability to reduce blood pressure
- improves blood circulation
- is a great natural pre-workout drink
- has a ton of antioxidants which help fight free radicals
In other words, you should be eating beets. But if you're anything like me, you might not favor the distinct flavor of beet root. So what shall you do?!
Roasted beet hummus to the rescue
Yes my friends, you eat roasted beet hummus, lots of servings of it. Because it's good for you, that's why. And it is made of whole, plant based ingredients, and it's vegan, and it has no refined oils.
And it's such a pretty red (sometimes pink) color! I thought Instagram was lying to me with all those pretty beet hummus pictures. But they were not.
Plus, it only takes like 10 minutes to make (after you have roasted the beets). And who doesn't like fast?
Different Methods
Preparing the beets is the part that takes the longest. There are several ways you can go about this.
Easiest: Buy pre-cooked beets at your local natural food store and completely skip the whole cooking process. My favorite brand of pre-cooked beets is called Love Beets and is available at Whole Foods.
Quickest: Boil your beets on medium/high heat until soft and tender (usually takes about 20 minutes), however with this method the color won't be as deep of a red (more like a pink) and I personally felt that the taste was also slightly less beet-y. And not in a good way. Still taste amazing but roasted beet hummus has much more of a savory taste to it.
Best: Roast your beets in the oven at 425F for 45 to 60 minutes. Times will vary depending on your oven. You can leave them whole and wrap in aluminum foil or for a slightly quicker method, slice them up.
To peel or not to peel
I found a lot of recipes that called to peel the beets. In my opinion, peeling is not worth the effort for me. I like to waste as little food as possible and beet skins are perfectly safe to eat. Just make sure to wash them nicely beforehand.
Blender vs food processor
Another big question is whether to use a blender, such as a vitamix (affiliate link) or a food processor (affiliate link) like the one I use.
I've made this recipe using both and my personal favorite is using a food processor.
Why?
- chunkier consistency which gives it a nice texture
- looks prettier (important if you're making this for others)
- No need to add extra water (If you are using a blender with a slim container chances are you will need to add bits of water to help it blend.
The only con is it will take a few minutes longer to make than your blender.
On the other hand... the pros to using a blender are:
- faster process
- creamier, smoother texture
It's all up to you. Both taste ahhh-mazing.
oil free but still creamy
It's a big misconception that we need oils in our foods in order for it to taste delicious. I still use oils veryyy sparingly here and there but for the most part I am trying to create all of my recipes *without* added refined oils for many reasons (which I will create a post explaining why later on.)
The most important reason being YOU. I want to put out recipes that are not just "vegan" but also HEALTHY vegan. Heart friendly. plant based. whole foods. not processed. And having refined oil-heavy foods just doesn't line up with that vision of mine.
This beet hummus is refined oil free. And I say refined because technically it is not oil free completely. I do use tahini, which is simply roasted sesame seeds ground down into a seed butter. But there are oils there, natural oils. Oils that haven't been processed or refined or made in a chemical plant. Just pure, natural oil from the sesame seeds themselves. And that makes a big difference.
You can totally leave the tahini out but please do note it will affect the flavor. You can always add more lemon or garlic instead. Also when purchasing your tahini make sure to check out the ingredients - it should only be one - "sesame seeds" (they may be roasted or raw), some brands may add oils or other preservatives. Luckily I get mine from a local organic farm down here in South Florida but they do not sell online that I am aware of.
If you have a favorite tahini brand that is clean, pure, and refined oil free and is available online, please let me know in the comments!
Okay friends, I've said enough - now go buy some beets and make yourself some roasted beet hummus and fall in love with that pretty pretty color and take a picture and tag me on Instagram okay? Thnx.
Let's be friends @sproutingzeneats
Roasted Beet Hummus
An easy and delicious vegan roasted beet hummus recipe that is oil free. Take advantage of the amazing health benefits beets have to offer with this tasty treat.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 - 60 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegan Sides
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpea/garbanzo beans (about 1.5 cups cooked)
- 2 small/medium beets
- 2 garlic cloves (or 1 really big one)
- juice from half of a medium lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- 2 tsp of tahini butter
- pinch of Himalayan salt, to taste
Instructions
- If you have pre-cooked beets go ahead and skip to step 2. If you need to cook your beets, first rinse and cut off roots. Boiling method: Place a pot over medium/high heat and pour enough water to cover beets. Once water starts boiling, bring down heat to medium and continue to cook until beets are soft and tender (use a fork to feel them out). Roasting method: Preheat oven to 425F. Drizzle a bit of veggie broth over your beets and wrap around in aluminum foil. You can also slice them up, place them on a baking sheet, and sprinkle veggie broth over them. (this way is faster but keep an eye on them!) Roast for 45 to 60 minutes until beets are soft.
- In the meantime, gather all of your other ingredients. Place the chickpeas in your blender or food processor along with garlic cloves, the lemon juice, tahini and a pinch of salt. And when beets are cool enough place them in the blender/processor as well and process until everything is evenly broken down and creamy.
- Taste and feel free to add more lemon, more salt, or more tahini as you wish!
That’s It! Enjoy!
Notes
- Roasting is best. Boiling is faster.
- Blender will give you creamier results while using a food processor will result in a chunkier consistency.
- Tahini is just ground roasted sesame seeds – feel free to leave out but the change will be affected slightly.
You’ve just inspired me to make a big batch of this again tomorrow! I need to have a tonne of healthy foods on hand this week as there is so much naughty food around me right now!
Hi Jane! Totally agree with you. The next few days are going to be filled with naughty naughty foods haha. This is perfect to balance it all out, AND it tastes delicious! Win-win. Happy Holidays!
That’s the only way I like beets too – roasted! This would look so good on any dinner table!
★★★★★
Thanks Nicole!! Yea same here. I used to avoid beets at all costs haha but then I discovered that by roasting them they don’t taste as bad. Actually, they taste pretty darn good! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
This reminds me of Russian khren with beets ) I’m sure it tastes different, but the look is very similar. I like beets and definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
error on the chickpeas? 15 cups cooked???
Hi Kathleen,
I am not sure where you are seeing 15 cups, however, it should be 1.5 cups as stated in the recipe. 🙂
Looks yummy. Canned chickpeas drained and rinsed?
It is delicious! And yes canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed. 🙂 Of course if you have a freshly cooked batch that is even better but canned works great!
Truly appreciate the way you made this wonderful recipe with beetroot. Yes beet has many health benefits. Everything is so nicely described that really helped me to make. We enjoyed it very much at home. Thanks for the lovely treat.
★★★★★
This makes me very happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice and kind comment. Glad you enjoyed it!