Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
This roasted red pepper hummus recipe is better than any store-bought kind. It’s smooth, creamy, and incredibly flavorful. All you need are a handful of ingredients and a blender to make this amazing appetizer. Super easy!
This recipe makes four servings, so get your crackers ready for dipping!
Growing up, I thought I didn’t like hummus. It was thick and tasteless. The best part was the chopped olives in the middle and the crackers. I really wanted to like it but it just wasn’t good. Or so I thought.
Turns out homemade hummus is actually good. It is creamy, full of flavor, and perfect with crackers or sweet peppers.
This roasted red pepper hummus recipe features oven-roasted red bell peppers, fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, and cilantro. So many flavors that blend perfectly together creating the best hummus ever!
If you believe you don’t like hummus because the store-bought kind left us wanting – try this easy homemade hummus recipe. It is a great appetizer to have with water crackers or pita chips, to serve with sweet peppers and other veggies, or to spread on sandwiches.
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Key Ingredients In This Homemade Hummus:
Roasted Red Peppers
The oven-roasted red bell peppers are the star of this recipe. They are sweet and add great flavor to the chickpeas. I always make mine from scratch but any good quality jarred roasted red peppers would work as well.
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
If you are cooking your chickpeas from dry, it is important to cook them until they are tender and creamy. We don’t want hard chunks of chickpeas in our hummus, and by cooking them for a long time they will create a smooth and creamy dip.
I love to use my Instant Pot to cook any kind of beans but especially chickpeas. In the Instant Pot, they are ready in a fraction of the time it would take to cook them on the stove. 1 hour 30 minutes compared to 2- 3 hours!
Tahini or sesame seed paste
Tahini is a paste made out of sesame seeds. It is nutty and creamy and makes this hummus smooth and delicious. You can usually find it in the Middle Eastern section or the syrups and spreads section of your local grocery store.
A little bit goes a long way and it makes the best salad dressings! Check out my Lemon Garlic Tahini salad dressing here!
Olive Oil
Olive oil is great in almost everything. Without it, this hummus tastes like it needs something. If you forgot to add it, you’ll know! Use a good-quality olive oil for this recipe.
Lemon Juice
The bright lemon juice complements the other flavors nicely! Use fresh lemon juice – it makes a difference!
Garlic
You really can’t taste the garlic in the finished hummus and it helps to balance out the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.
Ground Paprika
The ground paprika is mostly for color. It makes the hummus a lovely red color.
Cilantro
The cilantro adds nice specks of color and great flavor. You can add more or less depending on your taste.
How To Make Roasted Pepper Hummus From Scratch:
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1. If you are using dry beans, discard any bad-looking ones, then rinse. You can cook them over the stove (2 – 3 hours) or in the Instant pot (1 hour 30 minutes). Add enough water to cover then cook until tender. Set aside.
Step 2. Cut 2 red bell peppers in half lengthwise, then remove all the seeds and ribs. Rinse, then place cut-side down on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or glass pie pan. Bake at 425 degrees F, for 50 – 60 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the skin is black. Allow them to cool slightly then peel off the charred skin. It’s best to do this when the peppers are still very warm.
Step 3. Add 1 roasted pepper, cooked chickpeas, tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, cilantro, salt, and ground paprika into a blender. Blend until smooth.
Step 4. To make the chickpea topping. Chop up the other roasted pepper, then add it to a small bowl with the chickpeas, olive oil, and salt. Mix together.
Step 5. Pour the hummus into a serving bowl, make a well in the middle, then drizzle with olive oil. Add the red pepper/ chickpea topping to the middle, then top with sesame seeds.
Step 6. Serve with crackers and enjoy!
Kitchen Items You Might Need For This Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Is red pepper hummus good for you?
Yes! This healthy dip is vegan and made with whole and organic ingredients. It is high in protein and filled with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
What is roasted pepper hummus?
It is hummus made with roasted red bell peppers. This recipe features oven-roasted peppers, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro.
How long does homemade hummus last?
Homemade hummus will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Beans go bad in the fridge quickly, so it’s best eaten within a few days.
Looking For More Recipes?
Fresh Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Small mixing bowl
Ingredients
Hummus
- 1 large red pepper
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas garbanzo beans, 1 cup dry
- 5 tablespoon tahini paste
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
- 3 large garlic cloves
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- Sesame seeds
Optional - Red Pepper and Chickpea Topping
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- Dash salt
Instructions
Cooking the chickpeas:
- If cooking the chickpeas from dry- discard any bad-looking beans, then rinse. Add enough water to cover, then boil on the stove (2 - 3 hours) or cook in the Instant Pot (1 hour 30 minutes) until tender. Then drain.
Roast the red peppers:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut the bell pepper(if making the bell pepper and chickpea topping, then roast both peppers) in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Place cut-side down on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the skin is black.
- Allow the peppers to cool slightly, then peel off the papery skin.
Making the hummus:
- Into a blender add 1 roasted red bell pepper, cooked chickpeas, tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, cilantro, salt, and ground paprika. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- For the chickpea topping. In a small mixing bowl stir together 1 chopped red bell pepper, cooked chickpeas, olive oil, and a dash of salt.
- Pour the hummus into a serving bowl, then make a well in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil then put the topping in the middle. Top with sesame seeds, then enjoy!
