A super tasty homemade creamy hummus recipe that’s packed with flavour and simple ingredients. So much better than store-bought hummus as you can make it fresh and full of the flavours you love.
Jump to RecipeThis low sodium hummus recipe is ideal to dip your healthy snacks into – carrot sticks, cucumber slices…etc. Or slathered on to a crusty homemade baguette, pita bread with a little olive oil, or even as a filing in a homemade tortilla and dipped into a bowl of homemade soup. No more trips to the grocery store to buy overpriced hummus that you can make so easily at home with organic ingredients.
Table Of Contents
The Benefits Of Chickpeas
Chickpeas, although on their own can be a little plain and boring, are packed with health benefits and are a good source of protein, especially for those leading a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
Nutrient Rich
Chickpeas are packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein, meaning they’re the perfect ingredient to include in your everyday healthy lifestyle.
In one cup of chickpeas – approximately 150g, you can expect to get a recommended daily intake of the following…
- 70% Vitamin B9
- 70% Manganese
- 25% Iron
- 20% Zinc (great to help boost immune system)
- 10% Vitamin B6
- 8% Potassium
- 14g Protein
- 12g Fibre
High In Plant Based Protein
As we touched on above, chickpeas are very high in plant protein, which is why they are so popular in vegan and vegetarian dishes.
However, even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, including chickpeas into your diet can be a very simple, and cost effective way to increase your protein intake.
Protein is essential in helping your body build muscle and repair any damaged tissue and fibres. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will become. Therefore meaning you will be able to eat more without putting on weight. Or, will be able to lose weight much quicker than those with lower muscle mass.
Keeps You Feeling Full For Longer
Due to the high amounts of protein and fibre chick peas have in them, eating this type of food may help to keep you feeling full for longer periods of time.
Nutrition experts say if you’re trying to lose a bit of weight, or lower your calorie intake, try adding in some chickpeas to your meals to help curb your hunger.
Aids Digestion
Your protein and fibre intake can have such an effect on your digestion. Too much might leave you feeling overly full and bloated, however, the right amount can actually aid digestion.
The fibre found in chickpeas are 90% soluble which simply means that when eaten, it will form a gel-like substance in your digestive tract. This gel can help to remove toxins from your digestive system.
Studies have shown that those who eat chickpeas on a regular basis are less likely to have digestive issues, constipation, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), or even some cancers.
Blood Sugar Regulation
Chickpeas have a low glycemic index (GI). This simply means these types of foods are less likely to spike your blood sugar levels during or after eating.
For example, something like a chocolate bar has a high glycemic index (GI) as it is giving your body a rush of sugar.
Whereas with chickpeas you won’t have that dramatic spike and dip after eating them. Your blood sugar levels should remain steady which is why they are great at helping regulate blood sugar levels.
Brain Health
Did you know, chickpeas may also help to promote better brain health? One of the essential nutrients found in chickpeas is choline. Choline plays an important part in keeping the brain functioning properly.
Choline is needed to produce of some of the neurotransmitters which act as chemical messengers from the brain to the rest of your body.
So, if you’re looking for ways to have a healthy diet, full of essential nutrients, make sure you check out this healthy homemade hummus recipe below.
How To Make This Low Sodium Hummus Recipe
This is a basic, easy hummus recipe and one that you can add to in order to make different flavour combinations.
Make it under 5 minutes from start to finish.
Start by rinsing your chickpeas in a few inches of water. If you have a sensitive stomach, rub the skins off the chickpeas. This will take some time to do but for those with a more sensitive stomach, this could be great for you. However, this step is optional and not something you have to do.
Once you’ve washed your chickpeas, grate your cloves of garlic and squeeze your lemon juice.
Put the chickpeas into your food processor along with the water, tahini, oil, pepper, salt, lemon juice and raw garlic. If you want more of a lemon zing, add in the zest of half your lemon as well – optional.
Blend everything until it looks smooth. If your mixture is a little thicker than you’d like, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Once blended, spoon it out into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
This healthy hummus recipe should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredient List
- One can of chickpeas
- Olive oil – vegetable oils such as sunflower or even avocado oil also work well
- One Lemon – do half at a time (taste as you go and add more if needed)
- Two cloves of fresh garlic
- Pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt – optional
- Pinch of Pepper
- One Tablespoon of Light Tahini
- 1 Teaspoon sesame oil – optional
Use code BECKY5 for 5% OFF the tahini listed above.
A Simple Low Sodium Hummus Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Can Chickpeas (washed)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil vegetable oils such as sunflower or even avocado oil also work well
- 1 Lemon Juice (Do half at a time to taste)
- 2 Cloves Fresh Garlic
- 1 Pinch Himalayan Rock Sat Optional
- 1 Pinch Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Light Tahini
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil Optional
- 40 mls Water
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your chickpeas in a few inches of water. If you have a sensitive stomach, rub the skins off the chickpeas. This will take some time to do but for those with a more sensitive stomach, this could be great for you. However, this step is optional and not something you have to do.
- Once you've washed your chickpeas, grate your cloves of garlic and squeeze your lemon juice.
- Put the chickpeas into your food processor along with the water, tahini, oil, pepper, salt, lemon juice and raw garlic. If you want more of a lemon zing, add in the zest of half your lemon as well – optional.
- Blend everything until it looks smooth. If your mixture is a little thicker than you'd like, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you want.
- Once blended, spoon it out into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
- This healthy hummus recipe should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe Notes
Additional Protein
For some additional protein in your classic hummus recipe, add half a handful of shelled hemp seeds, or even some sesame seed paste. They might give your hummus a slightly more nutty taste, but you can always add a little more fresh lemon juice to mask it.
Add Some Herbs
You could also put in a handful of parsley for a lovely fresh zing of flavour.
Also, mint leaves work really well in this recipe and are especially great when added with a few peas as well.
Pesto Hummus
My personal favourite is the pesto hummus because it tastes so fresh and delicious.
To make pesto hummus, use the recipe above as your base and simply add an extra tablespoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of pine nuts and a handful of fresh basil leaves.
Add to the blender, along with the other ingredients listed above and blend until smooth.
You should get an amazing waft of basil when you open the lid. This hummus is perfect on a slice of toast, topped with sliced avocado and a few fresh tomatoes. Perhaps with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
A Middle Eastern Dip
If you love the taste of the middle east, try making your own hummus with some sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and chilli flakes to send your taste buds wild!
Use the recipe above as your base along with these additional extras…
For the roasted red peppers, simply half and cover one pepper in a little oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, skin side up. You can also use red pepper flakes if you don’t have fresh bell peppers, but the taste won’t be quite as good.
If you have dried sun-dried tomatoes, soak in hot water for 5 minutes to soften slightly. However, if you’re using sun-dried tomato paste, add one tablespoon to the blender.
Once the peppers are cooked, add to the high-speed blender, along with the chilli flakes and sun-dried tomatoes and blend until smooth. It really is that simple!
Change It Up!
There are so many easy ways to change up this basic hummus recipe and turn it into the best hummus recipe based on your taste, and what you have to hand.
Low sodium foods don’t have to be plain and boring, they can still be full of flavour. The best part about this recipe is that it’s so much cheaper than store-bought alternatives and tastes fresh.
If you think you have too much salt in your diet, try this recipe as your new healthy dip, or spread instead. Have you tried this low sodium hummus recipe?
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