This easy homemade harissa hummus is an oil-free recipe made in minutes with healthy vegan ingredients. It is loaded with spicy, smoky flavor and a creamy texture, perfect for dipping, wraps, and sandwiches.
Harissa is a spicy North African paste made with roasted red peppers, chili, and spices. It is available in many grocery stores.
I made this hummus recipe because of the homemade oil-free harissa paste I used in my latest harissa chickpeas recipe. When faced with leftover harissa, well, there's nothing better than spicy hummus! And the result was delicious.
Speaking of oil-free hummus, I've got recipes for balsamic hummus with caramelized onions, sweet potato hummus, and tahini-free beet hummus that could serve as a tasty second dip if you're in the party zone.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Table of Contents
What's Great About This Recipe
- Oil Free. Aquafaba (chickpea juice) makes this an oil-free hummus recipe. Just a little adds a thick and creamy texture.
- Quick and Easy. This delicious hummus can be made in minutes using a blender, food processor, or potato masher.
- Better than store-bought. Fresh hummus is tastier (and cheaper) and contains no additives or preservatives.
- Full flavor control. Homemade gives you total control over spiciness, saltiness, and texture.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Harissa paste. I recommend homemade harissa paste because you can control the ingredients. If you buy it, look for brands that are vegan and preferably contain no or minimal added oil.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans). It isn't hummus without chickpeas, and sure, I love white bean tomato spread, but that isn't hummus. If you want a tasty dip (that isn't hummus), use white beans as a substitute.
- Aquafaba. Aquafaba is a fancy word for the liquid from cooked chickpeas. We'll use it instead of oil to smooth out our homemade hummus. Put a bowl under your strainer and collect the liquid. It will be more than you need. You can either toss the rest or use it to thicken a sauce or gravy if desired.
- Tahini. Tahini, a sesame seed paste, adds a nutty flavor and is a traditional hummus ingredient. It is widely available, or you can easily make oil-free tahini. If you omit it, use extra aquafaba or substitute it with almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter.
- Lemon and lemon zest. I love the sharp flavor of lemon zest blended in the hummus and as a garnish. If you don't have a fresh lemon, omit the zest.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Add all the ingredients plus 1 tablespoon aquafaba (chickpea juice) to a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth. Adjust the flavor and texture with more lemon juice, harissa, or aquafaba.
Pro Tips
Start with 1 tablespoon of aquafaba, adding more as needed. Taste it before adding more. If you adjust the flavor with additional lemon juice or harissa, they will also thin out the hummus.
Making Chunky Hummus
If you like a chunky hummus with more whole or partially crushed chickpeas, use a potato masher or heavy-duty fork to mash the chickpeas and mix the ingredients. This takes more effort, but it's a great arm workout. 🙂 Be sure you press or finely mince the garlic cloves.
Equipment Tip
I like using a food processor or blender with a removable bottom for making hummus and other dips because it’s easier to get all the hummus out after blending. So my go-to is a blender or my recently purchased Nutra Bullet.
Serving Suggestions
- Hummus with harissa is a healthy snack perfect for dipping pita chips and veggies or smearing on mashed potato tortilla wraps.
- I like it for breakfast spread on toasted homemade whole wheat bread.
- It makes a great vegetable pocket bread quick lunch, and it's a terrific option for spreading on sweet potato flatbread as a stand-in for my Greek salad pizzas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store harissa hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Stir and warm to room temperature if it thickens after sitting.
You can freeze hummus in principle; however, I don't recommend it. Freezing and then thawing alters the texture and diminishes the flavor.
The spiciness of harissa paste depends on the amount of fresh and dried chili used. Taste a little before adding it, so you can adjust the amount as needed. It's always easy to add more, but difficult to adjust if it's too spicy.
If you use harissa spice mix instead of harissa paste, the flavor profile will be similar but different. Still, you can make tasty hummus. Adjust the wet ingredients (aquafaba and lemon juice) when making the dip.
Pure tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds that contain natural oil. That’s why you may notice a thin layer of oil at the top of a jar. Beware – many commercial tahini products use added oils when processing. Always check the labels if you aren’t familiar with the brand.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Homemade Harissa Hummus (Oil-Free Recipe)
Rate this Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas - 1 15-ounce/400-gram can with liquid reserved
- 3 cloves garlic - quartered or pressed
- ¼ cup tahini - (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste - (see note 2)
- 1 medium lemon - ¼ cup lemon juice + 2 teaspoons lemon zest (see note 4)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt - (see note 5)
Instructions
- Important: Reserve about ⅓ cup of the liquid from the chickpeas and set aside.
- Add the chickpeas, garlic, 2 tablespoons harissa, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest (if using), ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, plus 1 tablespoon of the aquafaba (chickpea juice) to a food processor or blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding more aquafaba as needed. For chunkier hummus, use the pulse feature of your blender or food processor. For a chunkier texture, use a potato masher or large, sturdy fork to mix the hummus.
- Garnish with the remaining lemon zest, a few whole chickpeas, and a little added harissa or cayenne pepper if desired.
- Makes about 1 ¼ cups
Notes
- Look for tahini with no added salt or oil (used in processing) or make oil-free sesame seed tahini with just 1 ingredient.
- Harissa paste can be purchased at many supermarkets or you can make your own oil-free red pepper harissa.
- If you are sensitive to spiciness, taste the harissa before adding it. You can always add more, but it's difficult to adjust if it's too spicy.
- If you don't use a fresh lemon and thus have no lemon zest, don't panic; use more lemon juice if desired.
- If your tahini contains added salt, wait to add salt until after blending and tasting.
- Store hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I don't recommend freezing hummus.
- Nutritional information based on ¼ cup servings.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Leave a Reply