We make a lot of hummus in my home, and this Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is one of our favorite variations. Smoky, peppery, garlicky, and sweet with a kick of spice, this silky smooth hummus is a flavor sensation.
Hummus is the ultimate healthy snack to have on hand… it’s loaded with protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fat. It’s really filling, which means it will help curb your appetite between meals. All that, and it happens to taste amazing. Adding roasted red peppers to the mix is a great way to change things up. I’ve made red pepper hummus before, but always found it somewhat dull… until I hit upon the perfect combination of flavors that took this hummus from good to “oh em gee” amazing.
First I roasted the peppers, which made them soft and smoky. I peeled the chickpeas before processing, which helped the hummus turn ultra smooth and creamy (you don’t have to do that step, if you don’t have the patience… I love the texture it gives). Then I added fresh garlic and lemon juice, salt and a little tahini. Finally, the two magic ingredients that took this hummus to another level– smoked paprika and cayenne. The smoked paprika enhanced the natural smoky flavor of the roasted peppers, and the cayenne gave it a little kick of spice that made it all come together in perfect harmony. Delish!
This hummus is creamy, smoky, spicy, sweet, garlicky goodness… a flavorful “twist” on an old favorite. Enjoy!
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup roasted red bell peppers (about 1 lb. peppers, roasted)
- 3 1/2 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (1 1/2 cups dry) OR 2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans (15 oz. each), drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic (or more to taste)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste- I usually use about 1/2 tsp)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- Warm water as needed
Instructions
- Use jarred roasted red peppers (drained), or make your own. For instructions on making homemade roasted peppers, click here.
- If using canned chickpeas, drain them and rinse them. If using dried chickpeas, drain and rinse them after soaking, then simmer them in lightly salted water on the stovetop for 60-90 minutes until soft and tender. Drain the beans and allow to cool to room temperature. For more detailed instructions, click here.
- To make this hummus ultra creamy, you can peel the cooked chickpeas. Squeeze each chickpea gently to remove the skin, then discard the skins before processing. While this step is not completely necessary, it will ensure that your hummus turns out very smooth and creamy.
- Outfit your food processor with a blade attachment. Combine roasted peppers, chickpeas, tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and spices in the processor.
- Pulse the ingredients for about 60 seconds, then process until smooth. If mixture seems too thick, add warm water a tablespoon at a time and blend until desired consistency is reached. Taste the mixture and add more salt, lemon juice, cayenne or garlic to taste. Process again to blend any additional ingredients.
- Pour into a serving bowl and chill thoroughly before stirring. Hummus will firm up slightly as it chills. Goes great with grilled pita bread, pita chips, crackers or crudites.
Nutrition
Thank you for that recipe, love the color from red bell peppers.
I also added some cumin. I cook by taste- if it needs more spices then I’ll add until I get the taste as I like it.
My first attempt at hummus, it was very nice, 11yr old said its better than store brought, so Im feeling pretty good.
I halved the recipe, and didn’t need to add any water. The result was a rich, thick absolutely delicious treat!! Amazing recipe, thank you for posting.
Note: I usually used roasted garlic for hummus but this recipe sings as written!
I love this recipe but add a few tweaks on my own. Roasted garlic as well as fresh garlic lots of extra smoked paprika, extra lemon and then I add a Asian garlic chili sauce and Sriracha sauce! Also a tad is sesame oil in place of some of the olive oil. Yum
Oh my! This recipe is fabulous, I have made hummus many a time yet the tip about skinning the chickpeas and the cayenne pepper just takes it to another level of smoothness and alights the tastebuds. 5 star recipe – thank you!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It works great as a spread or dip for vegetables. My only tip is that if your peppers came in a jar, use the liquid from the jar instead of warm water to thin the hummus. It adds a great flavor boost.
Your chickpeas and hummus recipes are the best! I always recommend your recipes. I like to roast a whole head of garlic in the oven on 400 for 40 minutes and add all the roasted garlic to the hummus. It’s so good!
Excellent!
Never tried hummus but sure am going to try this
Can you use a vita mix instead of a food processor?
Mazel tov on the on baby !!!
Rebecca
Thanks Rebecca! 🙂 Yes you can absolutely use a blender, you will just need to take more care with scraping the sides often to make sure everything blends evenly. A silicone spatula will help a lot. Also shake the container a couple of times to make sure all the ingredients mix well.
Hi, Tori! We were not hummus dippers to start with, but we sure are now! My husband has health issues that require a healthy Mediterranean sort of diet.
We were introduced to hummus by our Jewish in-laws and we’ve never looked back! We buy some hummus at Trader Joe’s, but I really like making my own, too. So we are always looking for hummus recipes that don’t contain bell pepper or uncooked onion. Though this recipe is for bell peppers, if they are left out, the recipe is still a great garlicky hummus.
Thank you very much for you delightful site. We both enjoy the history notes, too. — Bjo Trimble
Hey thanks Bjo! So glad you’re enjoying the site and the Mediterranean recipes. If you want a recipe that is free of bell pepper, this one fits the bill: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/classic-hummus/
Delicious and spicy came out great the first time
Love the roasted red pepper hummus recipe u have especially peeling the peas
Thank u lynne
I didn’t have tahini paste I used sesame seed oil instead (1 tablespoon). Also added a jalapeño next time will try 2. Turned out great!
So easy and so delicious. You can stand at your counter and have hummus in less than 3 songs on Pandora, plus you can taste test as you go. Make sure you have a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixer. I used a jar of cooked peppers from the store. We need to try this in different flavors! Maybe spinach, nuts or caramelized onions.
Thanks for a great recipe! I roasted my peppers and also made the tahini from scratch, with awesome results. I used two 19-oz (540 ml) cans of chickpeas, because that’s how the cans are sold here in Canada. Added 4 tbsp of water when processing for the right consistency. I don’t imagine there will be much left, if any, with the company we’re having tonight.
I have had this recipe just now….and it’s so delicious, sweet, lightly spiced…OMG….and I made my tahini past too…..
I have a question for you…..Could you tell me how time I could freeze this recipe…..
Really I need it for 8/25 and today it’s 8/10…
I really appreciate your response
Tks
Glad you liked it Zoraida! 🙂 Yes it can be frozen. Place it in a freezer-safe container, pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top, and freeze for up to four months… the less time you freeze it, the better it will taste. You’ll need to stir it when you thaw.
Fabulous recipe! Used another recipe in the past and what I brought from it to this one is to roast the garlic, if you are gonna peel chick peas you might as well roast the garlic I say! I loooove the smoked paprika and I always add a little cumin. And just in case you find yourself out of Tahini paste it’ll fly without…