You are going to love this creamy hummus recipe without tahini, especially if you are anything like me and rarely have fresh tahini on hand. We use a simple pantry ingredient that we all have in our kitchens instead of the traditional tahini – peanut butter! Peanut butter is more readily available in many kitchens, making it a convenient substitute for tahini in a pinch. We balance the nuttiness of the peanut butter with bright citrus lemon and mint flavors!
Can You Make Hummus Without Tahini?
You absolutely can make a no tahini hummus! I frequently find myself craving a creamy homemade hummus, but rarely have fresh tahini in the fridge. And on the occasion that I do, I have noticed that it is really similar to peanut butter and always wondered if you can substitute peanut butter for tahini in hummus.
Tahini has a unique taste, slightly bitter with a pronounced sesame flavor, as it’s made from ground sesame seeds. However, in terms of texture, it closely resembles thick nut butters such as almond butter or peanut butter!
While tahini is a traditional ingredient in hummus and adds a distinct flavor, you can still create a delicious hummus without it. And I’m here to show you how!
You’re Going To Love This
Download Our Helpful Free Beginners Guide!
Want to understand more about why the Mediterranean diet might be right for you, even when everything else that you have tried has failed? Our free guide will give you a practical overview of this incredible lifestyle, along with a full Mediterranean diet shopping list, practical advice for sustaining the lifestyle, recipes, and new evidence-based research!
Peanut Butter Hummus Ingredients
How To Make Hummus Without Tahini
Hummus really can’t get much simpler. Toss it all into a food processor and process until smooth! Garnish, and voila! But here, let me try to break it down into a little more detail.
Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid from the can. You have the option to simmer them in water for about 10 minutes until nice and soft, or you can use them straight out of the can. If you simmer them they will be softer, yielding a creamier consistency, but in my opinion, it doesn’t make a huge difference.
Add to a food processor the chickpeas, lemon juice, cumin, sea salt, garlic cloves, mint leaves, and peanut butter. Pulse until everything starts to blend.
Pour about 1/3 cup of the reserved chickpea liquid (aquafaba) into the food processor and process again for about 20 seconds. Check the consistency and add 1 tbsp at a time of chickpea water until the desired consistency is met.
Scoop into a serving bowl and make a spiral with the back of a spoon (as best as you can). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with minced mint leaves and lemon zest. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
How To Serve This Hummus
In the Middle East and in Mediterranean countries, hummus is commonly served as a dip or spread, alongside various accompaniments. It’s typically presented as part of a mezze platter, which includes a selection of small dishes served as appetizers or snacks (think tapas).
Hummus is often enjoyed with warm pita bread, flatbreads, sourdough, or vegetables such as cucumber, carrot sticks, or bell pepper slices. It is also frequently drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and garnished with herbs, spices, or additional toppings like olives or pine nuts.
Hummus is also frequently incorporated into wraps, or sandwiches as a condiment, or baked in the oven with chicken or fish. Check out my Sheet Pan Hummus Chicken and Veggies recipe!
Check Out These Recipes That All Use Hummus!
Did you make this easy hummus recipe without tahini? If so, it would mean so much to me if you left it a star rating in the recipe card. Thank you so much!
Hummus Recipe Without Tahini
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can of chickpeas
- 3 tbsp peanut butter smooth is best but chunky works as well
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice usually the juice of one medium juicy lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 10 small mint leaves about 1 tbsp loosely chopped mint leaves, plus extra for garnish
- pinch of sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid from the can. You have the option to simmer the chickpeas in water for about 10 minutes until nice and soft (then drain them), or you can use them straight out of the can. If you simmer them they will be softer, yielding a creamier consistency, but in my opinion it doesn't make a huge difference.
- Add to a food processor the rinsed chickpeas, lemon juice, cumin, sea salt, garlic cloves, mint leaves, and peanut butter. Pulse until everything starts to blend.
- Pour about 1/3 cup of the reserved chickpea liquid (aquafaba) into the food processor and process again for 20 seconds. Check the consistency and add 1 tbsp at a time of chickpea water until the desired consistency is met.
- Scoop into a serving bowl and flatten with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with minced mint leaves and lemon zest. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
Shrimp and Quinoa Buddha Bowl