I trimmed the calories from regular hummus by using roasted cauliflower instead of chickpeas. This vegan hummus recipe makes a great snack!
Low-Calorie Hummus
You know what I hate? Suggested serving sizes.
I love hummus. I don't make usually make hummus myself (unless it's Edamame Hummus) because it ends up being a disaster, so I buy the little tubs of hummus at the grocery store. And I totally want to eat half the tub in one sitting. But a serving size is almost always two tablespoons.
Two tablespoons. Which is nothing! Who eats two tablespoons of hummus?!
I am totally a volume eater. Hummus is a healthy food, but the calories really add up when you want to eat more than two tablespoons. So I thought I'd try replacing the chickpeas with roasted cauliflower. Oh sure, my hummus wouldn't have as much protein, but I'd be able to eat a lot more of it, which is nice too, right? As usual, I thought I was being super innovative, but then I Googled it and about a gajillion recipes for paleo hummus made with cauliflower came up. Oh snap.
Anyway, if you divide this Roasted Cauliflower Hummus into four HUGE SERVINGS (see, all caps means the servings are big), you end up saving about 90 calories per serving. I kind of wanted to have a more impressive number for you, but 90 calories is better than nothing, right? Each HUGE SERVING is a little over 200 calories, so if you serve this with some whole wheat pita bread and fresh veggies, it makes a nice light lunch.
Oh, and I bet you're wondering how it tastes. Does Roasted Cauliflower Hummus taste like real hummus? Well, yes and no. With the garlic, lemon juice, and tahini, it does taste like hummus, but because it's made with roasted cauliflower, it has a subtle sweetness and nuttiness that regular hummus doesn't have. If you've ever added caramelized onions to hummus, it's kind of like that.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower broken into small florets
- oil mister or cooking spray
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon wedges olive oil, and parsley for garnish
- pita bread and fresh veggies for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with oil or cooking spray.
- Place cauliflower florets on baking sheet. Spray with additional oil or cooking spray. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and cool.
- Combine cauliflower, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in food processor. Process until smooth. Add water one tablespoon at a time for a thinner consistency, if desired.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges, pita bread, and fresh veggies.
Lisa says
I cannot wait to try this! Yum!
Katie says
Wow, that's such a great idea (even if it seems others have come up with it before, haha)! Love the low-calorie appeal, perfect for lunch.
Jennifer says
I love cauliflower. never thought about making it into a hummus though. awesome
Dara says
WOW. This looks fab. I adore cauliflower so much, especially roasted.
Lainey says
I love cauliflower and HATE serving sizes (never big enough for me). Sounds great to me 🙂
Lainey says
I just made this and quite enjoyed it 🙂 I had to make a few adjustments because I didn't have tahini paste so I used 1TBSP almond butter and 1 TBSP peanut butter and a drizzle of sesame oil. I know this probably changed the flavor but even doing so a bit it still tasted good. Thanks for a great, healthy, low-cal treat!
Kiersten says
Thanks for the comment--I'm glad it turned out well! I had a few people ask about what they could use instead of tahini, so I'll pass along your recommendation. 🙂
gem says
Oooh - I LOVE hummus too - but yeah, the serving size is ridiculous! LOL! I can't wait to try this recipe!
Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says
I've had cauliflower hummus but not where the cauliflower replaces the chickpeas, great idea! I like making my own because I can control the amount of oil in it - I usually find it barely needs any and using water works just as well!
Kiersten says
See, my problem when I make regular hummus is that I need to put in a TON of oil to get it right. I am hummus-impaired! The only hummus that ever turns out well for me is hummus made without chickpeas. 🙂
Karen says
This is so amazing! (It's also one of those things that makes me mad I didn't come up with myself because my love of roasted cauliflower says I should've.)
Lysa says
What a great idea:) This is an original way to change it up a little bit, I have so much hummus in a week. I will try your version with cauliflower, it sounds delicious..!
Kiersten says
I hope you like it! 🙂
Brenda Williams says
Wow what a great idea. I love cauliflower.
Elle says
Any way to make hummus without tahini? I can't have sesame... = ( boo.
Kiersten says
Are you allergic to all seeds? Sunbutter might be a possibility. Yogurt would change the flavor, but that would probably work too.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
That sounds pretty amazing, I love roasted cauliflower. 2 Tablespoons would certainly not be enough!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
How awesome to put out at a party!! Yum!
Mary says
What a wonderful use of cauliflower - LOVE it roasted but would never have thought of making into hummus! fabulous! Happy to follow!
Mary x
wildflower says
Who eats 2 tablespoons of ANYTHING... honestly!?! ;D I love (chickpea) hummus, but this is a great substitute idea. Will make next time I get my hands on some cauliflower. Thanks for sharing! Beatiful website!
Kiersten says
Yeah, 2 tablespoons is cute, right? Just like the tiny little frozen pot pies that say they serve 2. I want to know who comes up with these sizes! I swear it's just a conspiracy to make their products look like they have fewer calories than they really do. 😉
wildflower says
You are definitely on to something! It reminded me of this (9 min) clip that explains how a product can be labeled "fat free" even though it contains 100% fat, it all depends on the serving size! (which is ridiculous) This was so educational for me. I don't pay any attention to serving sizes any more- only to actual nutritional information per 100 g (standard, here in Europe): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcjE9hfE57c (Clip: Jeff Novick, Smart Balance Spray Oil)
Kiersten says
Thanks for the link! Food companies can be really sneaky about nutritional information. So many of us are trying to be more mindful of what we eat, but it's difficult when labels are purposely designed to be deceptive...
Viswa says
I cannot believe you made hummus of out cauliflower!! That is a brilliant idea!!!
Kate says
I think that I would add caramelized onions to THIS hummus and it would be so delicious that the calorie count wouldn't even matter.
Thanks for the idea, even if it wasn't all that innovative. I wouldn't have thought of it, and this coming from someone who puts a whole lot of crazy options in her hummus, but has never yet thought to make it out of anything other than chickpeas. Now, it's time for a change.
Kiersten says
Yeah, as soon as I was finished making this, I started brainstorming other things I could make hummus with. 🙂 Broccoli hummus! Squash hummus! So many possibilities!
Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
I think this idea is fantastic, and I've never heard of it before so the credit goes to you! Ha! Take that Paleo people (even though I love the paleo diet).
Kiersten says
I love bread and delicious delicious carbs way too much to even contemplate paleo. But I think it's funny when I accidentally create paleo recipes. 🙂
Genevieve says
Yum, roasted cauliflower would add so much flavour to this dip! I tried making a cauliflower dip once and even though I loved the taste, the cauliflower made it too stinky the next day to be able to bring it to school to eat! I'm not sure what causes that, but I'm still a bit afraid to add cauliflower to things since then!
Kiersten says
Did you roast the cauliflower first when you made the dip? I thought about using steamed cauliflower but I didn't for that exact reason--I thought that by roasting it, I could make the hummus less cauliflower-y. We had this in the fridge for 2 days and it definitely did not smell! 🙂
Jennifer The Quirky Momma says
I make gallons of hummus a week, I swear! I love the idea of trying roasted cauliflower, what a great way to veggie it up a bit more, eh?
Aggie says
Um wow. WOW.
I'm a volume hummus eater. I've added artichokes to bulk it up, I'm trying this next!!!
Kiersten says
I love the idea of adding artichokes! I'm going to have to try that.
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up says
The cauliflower sounds like a great substitution. For me hummus is one of those things I will eat and eat until I realize i'm scraping the sides of the bowl. Whoops!
Kiersten says
I know, I usually have to measure my portions into a small bowl or I could easily eat half the tub in one sitting. 🙂
margaret at The Right Recipe says
I'm obsessed with cauliflower at the moment so I'm printing this out to try. Thanks!
Kiersten says
I am totally obsessed with cauliflower too. 🙂 Especially when it's roasted!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
yep, i could eat an entire bowl of hummus too. One of the (only) things I miss about my working gal days is the cafeteria hummus plate with pita and all kinds of veggies on the side. I bought a paleo cookbook not long ago and meant to make the cauliflower mashed potatoes!
Kiersten says
I love cauliflower mashed potatoes! Although sometimes I miss the starchiness of regular mashed potatoes, so I do half potatoes, half cauliflower. See, I could never go paleo.
HilLesha says
I love hummus. 🙂