Homemade Loaded Hummus

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Homemade Loaded Hummus is a rich, creamy, and herbaceous appetizer or dinner recipe. It combines briny olives, juicy cucumbers, and piquant red onion with cumin and paprika. It’s a dish where every ingredient serves a delicious purpose for a crowd-pleasing result. {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

Spiriteds, you know how sometimes you get so excited about something you don’t even know where to start? Well, that’s where we are with this Homemade Loaded Hummus. Because a hummus recipe that also tastes like nachos? That’s when you know you’re on the right track. Our family is face-first in this dish and cannot get enough. 

But the recipe didn’t start that way. I worried I’d miss important toppings or get the balance all wrong. I also thought this would be a special occasion-only situation. And I’m here to tell you I WAS WRONG ON ALL ACCOUNTS. This recipe IS going into our family’s regular rotation of meals, whether it’s a special occasion or not. Homemade Loaded Hummus just swooped into our lives and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. It’s also virtually impossible to ruin. Even better? It’s just straight-up delightful. 

And for all these and so many tasty reasons more, we think you’ll enjoy it, too. Because what’s not to love? Homemade Loaded Hummus has a bit of everything. Citrus and spice, creaminess and crunchiness, soft and piquant flavors. Ooh, and you can serve it up with whatever chips, crisps, breads, or other accoutrements you desire. We chose gluten-free blue corn chips and gluten-free pretzel crisps. And all I can say is we were blown away by the heavenly results.

So, are you ready to make your own batch? Because the favor that awaits you is absolutely divine.

Homemade Loaded Hummus is

• Gluten-free and vegan
• Rich and filling
• Creamy and crunchy
• Lightly sweet, herbaceous, and piquant
• Easy to prepare and customize
• Perfect as an appetizer or a main dish

Side note: To make this, I double our Homemade Classic Hummus. It easily serves four people as a meal plus leftovers. As an appetizer, it would serve several. You can double it like I do or make one regular batch and then reduce your topping quantities as needed.

Homemade Loaded Hummus ingredients

• Chickpeas. Rinsed, drained, and skins peeled.
• Almond butter. In place of tahini, we use unsweetened roasted almond butter. How thick the almond butter is will affect how thick the final hummus is.
• Fresh garlic. We go wild with garlic. But you can adjust your quantity up or down. And we press it so it more evenly distributes throughout the hummus.
• Cumin. Not gonna lie – like the garlic, we go nuts. Adjust to your preference.
• Sea salt. I add about a teaspoon to start and then add more if the hummus doesn’t taste “just right” or the flavor seems flat.
• Paprika. A little less of this, compared to the cumin, but, as always, include according to your preference.
• Water. This helps encourage blending, especially if you work with a thicker almond butter.
• Lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is *chef’s kiss* perfect in hummus, if you have a lemon on hand.
• Olive oil. I start with the suggested amount and then add more as needed to achieve the consistency I want.
• Toppings: Oven-Roasted Chickpeas, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, black olives, cucumber, red onion.
• Serve with: Gluten-free pretzels and blue corn chips are favorites of ours. You can also go with pita chips, toasted bread, yellow corn chips, tortilla chips, and multigrain chips.

How to make Homemade Loaded Hummus

1. To a large work bowl of a food processor combine the chickpeas, almond butter, garlic cloves, cumin, sea salt, and paprika. Pulse several times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped. Process the ingredients on LOW, and with the food processor running, stream in the water and lemon juice, followed by the olive oil. Process until well combined.
2. Stop the food processor periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl and to check for clumped ingredients. Then process again for about 1 minutes on HIGH to create a smooth texture.
3. Taste test the hummus and adjust the flavor, if needed, by adding more seasonings, olive oil, or lemon juice.  To prepare the toppings, make a batch of Oven-Roasted Chickpeas (no need to peel these!). Then slice the grape tomatoes into halves or thirds and halve the kalamata and black olives. For the cucumbers, slice them into rounds and then quarter each round so you have small pie pieces. Thinly slice the red onion, and for any long pieces, cut them in half. 
4. Assemble the Homemade Loaded Hummus by spreading the hummus onto a wide plate and top with the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, and red onion. Then sprinkle the Oven-Roasted Chickpeas over the top.
5. Serve with gluten-free pita chips, gluten-free tortilla or corn chips, or gluten-free pretzel crisps.
6. The hummus will last by itself (without toppings) for about 5 days if refrigerated in an airtight container. With the toppings, this recipe will last about 24-48 hours if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Recipe tips and tricks

• I highly suggest peeling the chickpeas because that’s what creates the creamy texture. The recipe will still work with the skins left on, but the texture will be chunkier and thicker.
• Press the garlic to prevent garlic chunks from getting stuck in and around the blades, and, therefore, getting stuck in one bite. Pressing the garlic allows it to blend into the entire hummus easier.
• When streaming in extra olive oil, consider adding a splash of lemon juice, too. This helps maintain the flavor balance and prevents the hummus from tasty too oily.
• If you enjoy this hummus over more than one day, continue to store it in progressively smaller containers. This prevents air from drying out the hummus and turning it crusty.
• The key with the toppings is to make them as bite-sized as possible. So, when it comes to slicing, halving, quartering, and cutting, think in terms of what will fit easily on a chip, crisp, or any other serving snack.
• For additional hummus best practices, check out Homemade Classic Hummus. I find some recipes don’t double well, however this one did. Having said that, start with smaller quantities, taste-test as you go, and add more spices, oil, lemon juice, and more, as desired.

What to do with leftover toppings?

What should you do with leftover olives, cucumber, and red onion? Try your hand at Olive Medley Tapenade or Marinated Greek Olives. You can also throw leftover cucumber into a Green Apple Ginger Juice. And if you have cucumber and red onion to use up, then make a batch of Avocado Quinoa Salad.

More perfect-for-a-party appetizers!

These savory appetizers can be made ahead of time, so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute, and are travel-across-town-to-a-party-friendly. Whether you’re hosting or going, these recipes won’t leave you last-minute frazzled. 

• Spicy Mushroom Pâté
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Cucumber Pico de Gallo

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always remember I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

Homemade Loaded Hummus

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Homemade Loaded Hummus is a rich, creamy, and herbaceous appetizer or dinner recipe. It combines briny olives, juicy cucumbers, and piquant red onion with cumin and paprika. It’s a dish where every ingredient serves a delicious purpose for a crowd-pleasing result. {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
• Category: Appetizers and Snacks
• Method: Food Processor
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the hummus base:

• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and peeled
• 1/2 cup roasted and unsweetened almond butter
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1–2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons water
• Juice of one large lemon, plus more as desired
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the toppings:

• One batch Oven-Roasted Chickpeas (Flavoring suggestion: use 2 teaspoons cumin and 1 teaspoon paprika)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 (6 ounce) can of black olives, halved
• 1 (6.5 ounce) jar Kalamata olives
• 3/4 cup cucumbers, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Helpful equipment:

• Food processor
• Large baking sheet
• Garlic press
• Lemon squeezer

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Instructions

1. To a large work bowl of a food processor combine the chickpeas, almond butter, garlic cloves, cumin, sea salt, and paprika. Pulse several times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped. Process the ingredients on LOW, and with the food processor running, stream in the water and lemon juice, followed by the olive oil. Process until well combined.
2. Stop the food processor periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl and to check for clumped ingredients. Then process again for about 1 minutes on HIGH to create a smooth texture.
3. Taste test the hummus and adjust the flavor, if needed, by adding more seasonings, olive oil, or lemon juice.  To prepare the toppings, make a batch of Oven-Roasted Chickpeas (no need to peel these!). Then slice the grape tomatoes into halves or thirds and halve the kalamata and black olives. For the cucumbers, slice them into rounds and then quarter each round so you have small pie pieces. Thinly slice the red onion, and for any long pieces, cut them in half.
4. Assemble the Homemade Loaded Hummus by spreading the hummus onto a wide plate and top with the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, and red onion. Then sprinkle the Oven-Roasted Chickpeas over the top
5. Serve with gluten-free pita chips, gluten-free tortilla or corn chips, or gluten-free pretzel crisps.
6. The hummus will last by itself (without toppings) for about 5 days if refrigerated in an airtight container. With the toppings, this recipe will last about 24-48 hours if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Notes

• I highly suggest peeling the chickpeas because that’s what creates the creamy texture. The recipe will still work with the skins left on, but the texture will be chunkier and thicker.
• Press the garlic to prevent garlic chunks from getting stuck in and around the blades, and, therefore, getting stuck in one bite. Pressing the garlic allows it to blend into the entire hummus easier.
• When streaming in extra olive oil, consider adding a splash of lemon juice, too. This helps maintain the flavor balance and prevents the hummus from tasty too oily.
• If you enjoy this hummus over more than one day, continue to store it in progressively smaller containers. This prevents air from drying out the hummus and turning it crusty.
• The key with the toppings is to make them as bite-sized as possible. So, when it comes to slicing, halving, quartering, and cutting, think in terms of what will fit easily on a chip, crisp, or any other serving snack.
• For additional hummus best practices, check out Homemade Classic Hummus. I find some recipes don’t double well, however this one did. Having said that, start with smaller quantities, taste-test as you go, and add more spices, oil, lemon juice, and more, as desired.