Butter Bean Hummus

Hummus is a delicious snack when paired with some pita bread and crunchy vegetable sticks. Our Butter Bean Hummus is a little twist on a classic hummus recipe that would use chickpeas. Easy to adapt with different flavours, it's ready in minutes and one of our favourite butter bean recipes.

A bowl of bean hummus next to sliced pita bread, carrot sticks and cucumber sticks.

We eat a lot of hummus in our house as it's my favourite snack and the kids love it. However, my husband is allergic to chickpeas, so I have to use a different bean to make hummus for him. This isn't just for people allergic to chickpeas, you might just be looking for new ways to eat butter beans. Still all the classic hummus flavours of tahini, lemon and garlic, but with butter beans.

You can use it as a dip, or you can use it as a spread on a sandwich or even stirred into pasta for something a little different and it goes really well on our Grazing Platter. If you are looking for some more butter bean recipes, then why not try our Butter Bean Soup, Spanish Beans or White Bean Pasta?

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Why you will love it
How to make butter bean hummus - Step by step
Health benefits of butter beans
What to serve with butter bean hummus
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
Extra tips
More dip recipes
Recipe
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Why you will love it

A twist on hummus - You don't just have to use chickpeas to make hummus, as any white beans work. This butter bean hummus is our favourite though.
Adaptable - The great thing about hummus is that you can adapt it with different flavours. You can blend roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes in to. Or why not use butter beans in our Roasted Carrot Hummus.
Stores well - We love making a big batch of this and keeping it in the fridge for easy snacks throughout the week.

How to make butter bean hummus - Step by step

One: Put all of the ingredients into a blender.

Hummus ingredients in a blender jug as viewed from above.

Two: Blend until smooth.

Health benefits of butter beans

Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are native to South America and they have been cultivated for at least 9,000 years. Larger than most other beans, butter beans have a creamy and buttery texture when cooked which is where they get their name from.

Butter beans are super nutritious too. They contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, which will help keep you fuller for longer. This is a hearty and filling soup, thanks to the beans. Butter beans are also a great source of vegan fibre, vitamin B9 (folate), iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc.

What to serve with butter bean hummus

Hummus is the best dip! You can't go wrong with some warm pita bread and crunchy sticks of cucumber, bell pepper and carrots. Why not try our Homemade Flatbread Recipe that is perfect for tearing up and dipping in this. You can also dip our Baked Tortilla Chips into it.

Butter bean hummus is far more than just a dip though. We like spreading it on a sandwich instead of mayo and you can even stir it into warm pasta for a creamy sauce.

Hummus topped with oil and a sprinkling of ras el hanout.

Storage

Store: This will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze: If you are wondering if you can freeze hummus, then the answer is yes! Plain hummus tends to freeze better than flavoured hummus, but it will still freeze well. You can either put it in a little air tight container and put it in the freezer, or you can put spoonfuls on to baking paper on a tray and then put that in the freezer (flash freeze). Once that is frozen, then you can peel them off the paper and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. This is great for individual portions.

Defrost: You can defrost it in the fridge overnight. You will need to give it a really good stir before serving.

A hand dipping a piece of pita bread into some hummus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is butter bean hummus vegan?

Yes, this is a vegan recipe.

Can I use dried butter beans?

We used a can, to make it much easier, but you can use dried butter beans that have been soaked and cooked.

Is butter bean hummus gluten free?

Yes, this is gluten free, you just need to make sure that there is no any cross contamination and that whatever you are serving it with is gluten free too.

Can I make oil free hummus?

Yes, you can leave the oil out. Just add a little bit of water to thin it out.

Extra tips

• We added some ras-el-hanout on top of the hummus before serving but sumac or even just a pinch of chilli or paprika will work.
• For a different flavour, stir some pesto into the hummus.
• Make sure you are using a high powered food processor to get the hummus super smooth.
• To make the hummus even lighter, add a couple of tablespoons of the water drained from the beans.
• For a spicy version, add a drizzle of your favourite hot sauce before serving.

More dip recipes

If you’ve tried this butter bean hummus recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe