• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Oh My Veggies logo

  • Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Main Dishes
    • Vegetarian Appetizers
    • Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes
    • Vegetarian Side Dishes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
    • Holiday Recipes
    • From our Readers
  • Cooking Tips & Hints
    • Cooking Tips
    • Plant-Based Nutrition
    • Product Reviews
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Find Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Find Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Snack Recipes

    Green Lentil Hummus

    Published: Jan 21, 2016 · by Nicole · Updated: Feb 15, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe



    There are a handful of staple foods that I absolutely cannot be without at any time. Hummus is number one on that list. It’s delicious, healthy, and works for just about any meal, or as a snack. I’ve made entire meals out of hummus plenty of times. And yes, a few of those meals include breakfast.

    When I first discovered hummus it wasn’t that easy to find, so I’d stockpile it in my fridge whenever I stumbled upon a store that carried it. Eventually it became more readily available, and then I started making my own hummus. One fateful day, I went to whip up a batch of hummus and was out of chickpeas. This was a game changer. As it turns out, chickpeas are totally not essential to creating a delicious hummus-esque dip. (“Hummus-esque” because I know plenty of people who’d argue with me that anything made of any legume other than chickpeas is technically not hummus. Point taken. It’s delicious, whatever you call it.)

    Green Lentil Hummus
    This is the first time I went with lentils as a hummus base, probably because I usually have cans of black beans, kidney beans or the like hanging around, but not lentils. I tend to buy lentils in dried form. Apparently I’ve been missing out all these years, because (1) lentil hummus is delicious, and (2) lentils cook up relatively quickly and don’t require soaking, so lentil hummus is almost as easy to throw together as all those other hummuses (hummi?) I’ve been making for years.

    Using green lentils gives this spread a savory, earthy flavor. I always find I have a hard time describing the taste of legumes, but trust me, make this and you’ll pick up on the lentily flavor in there. I also added a bit of cumin to my batch, as it really brings out this flavor. If you don’t have any cumin on hand, just skip it, or better yet, experiment with your favorite hummus add-ins. Hot peppers, Kalamata olives and scallions would all be delicious choices for this blend.

    Green Lentil Hummus

    Green Lentil Hummus

    No chickpeas? No problem! You'll fall in love with the savory flavor of this green lentil hummus.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Keyword: Green Lentil Hummus, hummus recipe
    Servings: 2 cups
    Calories: 784kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dried green lentils
    • 3 cups vegetable broth
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • ¼ cup olive oil plus extra for drizzling
    • ¼ cup tahini
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin optional
    • Salt to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Place the lentils and broth or water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes.
    • Drain the lentils in a colander and return them to the saucepan. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
    • Place the lentils, garlic, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, cumin (if using), and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
    • Transfer the finished hummus to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita wedges, crackers or veggies for dipping.

    Notes

    Feel free to include your favorite hummus stir-in in place of, or along with the cumin.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 784kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 30gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gSodium: 1429mgPotassium: 1100mgFiber: 31gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 9mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « 16 Recipes That Prove Caramelized Onions Make Everything Better
    Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches with Herbed Goat Cheese-Mascarpone Dip »

    Snack Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Appetizers, Vegetarian Recipes appetizers, hummus, lentils

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan says

      January 21, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      You should see how many green lentils I have at the moment! Time to use them up! Looks yum!!

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        January 22, 2016 at 9:38 pm

        Perfect! I have a tendency to accumulate tons of lentils too. Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
        • Luanne Roeder says

          January 02, 2018 at 3:50 pm

          Can you use canned lentils and if so do you use the same amount, 1 cup?

          Reply
          • Katie Trant says

            January 17, 2018 at 8:25 am

            Hi Luanne, if you used canned lentils you'd at least double the amount. The dried lentils called for in this recipe will double in volume (or more) when cooked.

            Reply
    2. Sue says

      January 21, 2016 at 5:56 pm

      Any idea what to put in for tahini? Or just leave it out? This sounds interesting because I love lentils...and hummus. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        January 22, 2016 at 9:39 pm

        You could probably just leave it out. I haven't done that with this particular recipe, but I've left the tahini out of other hummus recipes when I'm out. The flavor and texture is a bit different but it's always still tasty. 🙂

        Reply
      • Brautigan says

        February 09, 2016 at 9:18 pm

        Believe it or not, but peanut butter makes a pretty good tahini substitute in hummus

        Reply
        • Alissa says

          February 09, 2016 at 11:01 pm

          Ah! Now that you mention it, I've seen hummus recipes that call for cashew or almond butter, so peanut butter totally makes sense. I'm very curious now and definitely giving that a try. 🙂

          Reply
      • Dianne says

        September 23, 2020 at 7:48 am

        Hi Sue, I add in a tsp of peanut butter and a drizzle of sesame oil--it works in a pinch. You can use one of them, or both. 🙂

        Reply
    3. genevieve @ gratitude & greens says

      January 21, 2016 at 10:25 pm

      Yum! Hummus is definitely one of my favourite to go meals. I don't even need crackers- just give me a spoon and I am one very happy gal! Love the improvisation here- I've never made hummus with green lentils although I've tried with some other legumes like white beans. Tasty no matter what!

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        January 22, 2016 at 9:40 pm

        Haha!! I've been known to eat hummus from a spoon too. It's so good!

        Reply
    4. Veggie Lad says

      January 22, 2016 at 4:56 am

      Is there anything better for a hungry Veggie Lad than a big pot of hummus?! I think not! Loving your work Alissa!

      Veggie Lad x

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        January 22, 2016 at 9:46 pm

        Thanks so much!! A big pot of hummus is definitely one of my favorite things too! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Best Bake says

      January 22, 2016 at 1:37 pm

      Interesting Post! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful recipe. I really enjoyed my stay here..
      Keep Posting...

      Reply
    6. Asa says

      January 22, 2016 at 3:37 pm

      This was yummy! I just gave it a try and it was so good. The cumin was excellent in it. Thanks for posting this.

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        January 22, 2016 at 9:47 pm

        Awesome! I loved the cumin in there too. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for commenting to let me know!!

        Reply
    7. Sondra says

      January 30, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      I just made these and YUM! I have a habit of always doubling the garlic and it came out gooooood! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        February 02, 2016 at 8:07 pm

        I have to hold back when I'm working on recipes like this, because I tend to be a bit of a garlic fiend myself. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Sondra! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Scott Jasper says

      February 06, 2016 at 12:16 am

      This is a great recipe because I am really sensitive to chickpeas but I love hummus. Thank you for the recipe. This is going to be a stable of mine.

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        February 09, 2016 at 11:00 pm

        Oh nice! I thought lentils would be a nice way to shake things up, but didn't even think about folks with sensitivities. Glad you can enjoy hummus again! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Sunny says

      February 03, 2019 at 12:55 am

      What if you used sprouted lentils....I just sprouted some and this sounds so delicious! Would I still need to cook the lentils

      Reply
    10. Isabelle says

      February 25, 2019 at 10:33 am

      Excellent recipe Alissa. Easy to prepare and very tasty. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    11. no says

      April 28, 2019 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe. Tried with a shitty low power blender and it took a very long time but I was eventually able to get it pretty much how I wanted. I probably doubled the lemon juice and garlic, with probably 25% more olive oil as well, absolutely delicious.

      Reply
    12. TC says

      June 17, 2019 at 2:30 pm

      So loved the comments about the tahini substitutions, going to try this today. I have an abundance of lentils right now and my hubby's not fond of the recipes I've tried, it's a texture thing. But as a dip he may be more interested, if not my friends will =D

      Reply
    13. Carol Duncan says

      August 17, 2019 at 2:40 pm

      Looking forward to making this. Has anyone tried using red lentils? Thanks for a spectacular blog.

      Reply
    14. Emily says

      September 23, 2019 at 7:09 pm

      This is fantastic with artichoke hearts added in
      xoxo

      Reply
    15. Cheryl says

      October 09, 2019 at 1:54 pm

      Excellent recipe! I used chicken bone broth and left out the cumin. I topped this dish off with EVOO & Za’Atar seasoning & then spread it on toasted whole-wheat Italian bread. The final touch was a bit of sautéed arugula on top of this open-faced sandwich - yum, yum & yum!

      Reply
    16. JE says

      March 16, 2020 at 9:57 pm

      5 stars
      I doubled everything but the lentils and no one knew it wasn’t garbanzo bean hummus! Thank you so much for sharing.

      Reply

    Something to say? Leave a comment. Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    image of the author

    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
    Learn more here.

    signature of author

    get a free 5 day vegetarian meal plan

    shop our vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

    Trending Recipes

    • Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
    • Spinach Mushroom Frittata
    • Strawberry Kiss Cookies 
    • Easter Bunny Cupcakes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.

    link to VegKitchen.com - vegan recipes website
    link to deliciouseveryday.com - a vegetarian and vegan recipes website
    link to allshecooks.com - a food blog
    link to wandertooth.com - a travel website

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hook & Porter Media

    5.1K shares