Recipe: Smoky Beet Hummus

updated Jan 29, 2020
This dish keeps the basic building blocks of hummus — chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, and lemon — and adds sweet roasted beets and smoky paprika.

Serves6 to 8

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(Image credit: Jean Schwarzwalder)

This dish keeps the basic building blocks of hummus — chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, and lemon — and adds sweet roasted beets and smoky paprika. The vibrant dip is as visually stunning as it is delicious. Surround a bowl of this ruby-colored hummus with your favorite crackers and crudité.

Make-Ahead Options

You’ve got some options for making this recipe ahead of time. Roast the beets when you’re prepping dinner for the week, purchase the vacuumed-sealed roasted beets from the grocery store, or go ahead and blend everything up and stash it in the fridge until party day. This recipe can be made up to a week in advance, so there are plenty of options to make it work for your and your schedule.

Smoky Beet Hummus

This dish keeps the basic building blocks of hummus — chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, and lemon — and adds sweet roasted beets and smoky paprika.

Serves 6 to 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1

    large red beet (about 12 ounces)

  • 1/3 cup

    tahini

  • 1/3 cup

    extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 1

    (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained but liquid reserved

  • 1

    large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons

    freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon

    smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon

    ground cumin

  • Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

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  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Pierce the beet in several places with the tip of a sharp knife, wrap completely in aluminum foil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until completely tender, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool to the touch.

  2. Peel the beet, then cut it into large chunks. Place in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add the tahini, olive oil, drained chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, salt, paprika, and cumin. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a paste forms. With the machine running, slowly pour in between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of the reserved chickpea liquid and continue processing until the mixture is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with more lemon juice or salt as needed. Serve drizzled with additional olive oil and sprinkled with cilantro.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftover hummus can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Reprinted with permission from Little Book of Jewish Appetizers by Leah Koenig, copyright (c) 2017. Published by Chronicle Books.

(Image credit: Leah Koenig)

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