Cilantro Hummus is a fresh vibrant take on one of the healthiest and most versatile vegan appetizers out there. Vibrant cilantro brightens up a traditional Middle Eastern chickpea dip and gives it a fresh flavor profile.
cilantro hummus is not for cilantrophobes!
Cilantro haters, you may want to make your exit right about now. I’m not poking fun at you, I know you can’t help the genes mother nature gave you, but this recipe is for the rest of us who appreciate the unique, crisp flavor of one of the coolest herbs out there. If you ask me, cilantro is right up there with basil for bright vivid flavor, and it’s just one of the ways that I keep hummus interesting.
Statistically, I’m pretty sure hummus is the thing I make most often.
I make it on a weekly basis because I love it, and because my husband Grant has an obsession with it, he would eat it every night if he could. I keep cans of chickpeas in the cupboard, and a jar of tahini in the fridge…that way I can make it on a moment’s notice, and change it up with whatever I happen to have around. One of my favorite things to do is make it green. I chose this recipe to share because cilantro really is a striking flavor and gives a great lift to the creaminess of plain hummus.
Everyone knows that homemade hummus is far and away better than store bought
And that’s even more true for the flavored varieties. You simply can’t get real fresh herb flavor, for instance, in pre-packaged form. But you will get a surprising payoff by throwing in a big handful of fresh cilantro into a batch of plain hummus while it’s processing. The cilantro turns the hummus a pretty, fresh shade of green, and I usually enhance the flavor with a little extra garlic and lemon.
the trouble with cilantro
The only beef I have with cilantro is how hard it is to keep it fresh. It’s so delicate it wilts if you look at it funny. And while I grow several herbs in my yard, I’ve never been successful with cilantro — if any of you have luck with it, I’d love to know your secrets!
for cilantro lovers
- Steak Fajitas with Cilantro Pesto
- Beer Battered Zucchini with Lime Cilantro Aioli
- Chimichurri Shrimp
- Salmon Coconut Curry
Cilantro Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15- oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup tahini, sesame paste
- 1 cup, firmly packed, cilantro leaves (take the extra time to remove the leaves from the stems)
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- olive oil for drizzling
- paprika or sumac for garnish
Instructions
- Put the chickpeas and the clove of garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Turn the machine on and let the chickpeas go for about 5 minutes, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides often. Do not add any liquid at this point, even though the mixture is dry. This step helps insure a very creamy hummus. Just keep scraping down the sides.
- Add the tahini and lemon juice and process for another minute or so, still scraping down the sides of the machine as necessary.
- Now process in the cilantro, letting it go until it is well incorporated.
- Add enough cold water to loosen the hummus to a dippable consistency, approximately 1/4 cup, but you may need more. The hummus will thicken further as it chills in the fridge, so don't be afraid to add that water to loosen it up.
- Taste to adjust the salt and lemon, and then cover well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil, and a sprinkle of sumac or paprika.
Nutrition
I grow three barrels/planters of cilantro each summer from seed, just cover with a thin layer of dirt, overplant, and keep it watered, it loves sun!) I make cilantro pesto (using whatever is available, if I can’t find, or afford, pine nuts) with the abundance and vacuum seal and freeze it for use over the year. Then I add THAT to a batch of hummus (I prefer soaking and simmering garbanzo beans to the canned) and I just made some and if I don’t finish typing this response, it means I’ve died and gone to cilantro heaven. This past winter (in SW Virginia) my cilantro in two planters overwintered and I cut fresh all year.
Heaven!
I have planted cilantro from seed with success and I’ve had it reseed successfully. I live in east TN at an elevation of 1100′ FWIW.
Plant and cover with very little soil.
The reseeding happened by accident. The dog we shared with our neighbor stole one of his heavy work gloves and left it in my herb bed. I didn’t see it. The next spring, lots of cilantro came up in one part of the bed. When I dug down, I found the moldy leather glove. That told me that slight cover with leaf mold and well draining but moist were important and winter temperature didn’t matter.
To keep it going, get the slow bolting variety (there are two that are slower bolting). Plant to replant several times in the season. I like Stokes seeds for buying cilantro seeds in bulk.
I had to modify this recipe by adding 1 Tbsp Olive oil and 1/2 C of the juice from the garbanzo so it would mix and get creamy.
Sometimes the beans can vary in their moisture level, so I always improvise at the end, usually with cold water. Lately I’ve been putting a little olive oil in my hummus and I like it, it makes it a little richer.
I keep cilantro fresh by cutting the ends and placing the bunch in a cup/vase filled with water (like you do with fresh flowers) and storing in the fridge. If it is fresh and not damaged when purchased, it will last four days to a week. Make sure all the stems stay below the water line.
Thanks for sharing these yummy recipes!
Thanks Darlene!
This looks delicious, am a cilantro-lover. How do you think this would freeze? Am prepping foods for recovery from hip replacement and this looks like a lovely treat when I have restrictions on maneuvering around the kitchen. Thanks.
two things i love very much are cilantro and hummus, yet i’ve never been clever enough to combine the two. this sounds absolutely fantastic. beautiful too!
I just washed and spun dry a huge bunch of cilantro. I absolutely love it and feel bad for those who just can’t get into it. In a way, I think I don’t like hummus, unless it’s made with white beans. It’s time to change that mindset, and this would be the perfect way to do it. My husband loves hummus, and I have all the ingredients on hand. I’ll definitely let you know how this turns out. Looks fabulous.
Thanks Debby — and I think this would be great with white beans in place of the garbanzos, I use them interchangeably depending on what I’ve got.
Sadly, I am one of those cilantrophobes (and I passed the gene on to my kids, too!). I curse it often, because this looks really good 🙂