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 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon 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.
Diane {Created by Diane} says
I love hummus and will have to give this DELICIOUS recipe a try!
Jade says
OMG I totally agree! The pack I buy is 200g and has 20 serves per pack. REALLY!?! More like 2!
Kiersten says
It's ridiculous, isn't it?!
Jeanette says
What a fantastic idea! I love roasted cauliflower and hummus + the idea of a lower calorie hummus that tastes great.
Kristen says
2TBSP serving- I KNOW right?! I can eat like half a container of hummus no probs. I love this idea though bc roasted cauliflower is so yummy! Can't wait to try it.
Kiersten says
I hope you like it if you make it! 😀
Jennifer H says
yum!!
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
its the best hummus out there 🙂 I made this few weeks ago and was completely hooked!!! will have to look into edamame hummus now 🙂
Kiersten says
Yes, definitely try edamame hummus too! It is one of my favorites. 🙂
BusyWorkingMama says
Looks delicious! Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies. I can literally eat a whole steamed cauliflower head sprinkled with some Cajun seasoning.
Kiersten says
I made roasted cauliflower steaks with Cajun seasoning from another blog a few months ago--it was so good!
Karen says
Repost please. = )
Kiersten says
Here's the link: http://fooddoodles.com/2012/07/05/cajun-roasted-cauliflower-steaks-with-homemade-cajun-seasoning/ 🙂
Richa says
Awesome!! i also eat a lot of hummus when i am in the mood. i love this cauli version..we already eat so much bean in the whole day that a no bean snack will perfectly.
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I just picked up some cauliflower that was on sale - this is perfect!
debra pearlstein says
Hummus is a great snack. I'll try this one. Thanks!
Laura (GotChocolate) says
Clever to use cauliflower! I, too, have noticed the calories in hummus. What's up with that? It's HEALTHY! I've had cauliflower made into mashed potatoes before so I KNOW I'd love this. 😀
Kiersten says
I love cauliflower mashed potatoes! And I just saw a baked potato soup recipe on another blog that used cauliflower in it to cut the calories. Cauliflower: It's a miracle.
Jill Clark says
I made this on the weekend. It was so delicious. The perfect snack for the football games. Will make it again for Super Bowl. Thank you so much for your awesome website.
Kiersten says
Thanks for letting me know--I'm glad it turned out well! 🙂
Shirley says
That's the serving size?? Oops, I just ate some Tribe hummus before, and it wasn't 2 tablespoons. 🙂 I've replaced some olive oil and Tahini with fat-free Greek yogurt when making from scratch before, since I heard that reduces fat/calories too. Now I want to try it with cauliflower!
Kiersten says
I've heard about using Greek yogurt in hummus too, but I'm not a big yogurt fan (unless I'm baking with it!), so cauliflower will have to do. 🙂
Funky foodie says
Haha, my fiance eats an entire 200ml tub in one sitting! He's a bit of a hummus addict! I may have to make this one night =] I won't mind so much if he scoffs a lot of this stuff! <3
Kiersten says
Yup, hummus is healthy, but a whole tub of it can really add up! 🙂
Katie says
I was overhearing a conversation just yesterday about cauliflower hummus, and I admit I was a bit skeptical. I thought it might be watery. But after seeing this beautiful photograph at Healthy Aperture and reading your post, I am won over. Now I simply must try it! Thanks for sharing.
Kiersten says
The reason I used roasted cauliflower was to keep it from being watery. Because I had the same thought! 🙂 But I might try using steamed cauliflower sometime just to see if it works...
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Hah, yes! 2 tbsp of hummus is a joke! As if I'm only going to eat 2 tbsp of it... I could see myself eating a ton of this hummus. What a great idea!
S says
I would have never thought of adding cauliflower to hummus as the base instead of the vessel to get it in my mouth. Perfect!
Kalyn says
Love this idea, and just subscribed to your blog.
Pille @ Nami-Nami says
Same here, Kalyn! I'll be making this and Alanna's version tonight and compare the roasted and steamed cauliflower "hummus" 🙂
Ricki says
Sounds very much like baba ganoush, with cauliflower! And looks delicious, too. I recently tried an oil-free carrot hummus (but that one did have legumes) which was fabulous. I think I'd be willing to try just about any veg in a hummus these days. Adding veggies is such a great way to enhance flavor AND add key nutrients. Can't wait to try this one. 🙂
Kiersten says
I love the idea of a carrot hummus--especially oil-free!
Kacie @ Savvy Sassy Me says
OHMYGOSH. that sounds heavenly delicious and nutritious!! 😉
Clare says
I made this and while it is delicious, I don't think it's too much lower in calories than hummus made with chickpeas. JUST the tahini and olive oil in this recipe = 690 calories (divided by your 4 huge serving suggestion = 172 calories just in tahini and olive oil). A medium head of cauliflower (5-6" diameter) is apx 144 calories (a can of chick peas is 330). This brings the total calories to 833 = 208 calories. Still not terrible and still lower than traditional hummus, but a bit off from the 90 cal. per serving posted. Still super tasty though! And I am pleased to be able to make hummus from fresh vs canned things, since I try to avoid BPA. Thanks for the recipe!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! But if you read my post again, you'll see that I said this hummus saves 90 calories for a big serving, not that a big serving is 90 calories. And I mentioned that the total calorie count is just over 200, so our numbers are the same. 🙂
Clare says
Ahhhh! My bad! 🙂
Kiersten says
No worries. 🙂
A Girl & Her Food says
This looks awesome! Love this take on hummus! Come by sometime and say hello at agirlandherfood.com!
Helen Fritzie says
This sounds yummy! Think I will just mix the roasted cauliflower in with a tub of hummus and you can have your protein and veggies, too. 🙂
CaliGirl says
If you cut the oil out of the recipe, it takes the calorie count way down. I make my own hummus because the store bought is usually loaded with oil :(. I also quit cooking with oil about two years ago.
christieGPhiB says
I made this with lime juice, it's all I had, and it was still AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe!
Kiersten says
Thanks for your comment! I'm going to have to try it with lime juice too now. 🙂