Hummus is a great snack when paired with some vegetables sticks and pita bread, but why not add some vegetables to it with this Carrot hummus! Some added vitamins and a subtle sweetness and it gives it a wonderful vibrant orange colour too. This would stand out on a party food table.
We eat a lot of hummus, and our kids love it too, so we are always looking for new flavours to add to it and ways to give it a veggie boost. When we were doing baby led weaning, hummus was a favourite and we added in vegetables wherever we could so that our kids were getting a portion of vegetables with every meal and snack.
You can use it as a dip, or you can use it as a spread on a sandwich or even stirred in to pasta for something a little different and it goes really well on our Grazing Platter. It's a great way to us up carrots that are maybe a little bit past their best.
If you are looking for some other ways to use carrots, then why not try our Air Fryer Carrots, Carrot and Coriander Soup or Carrot and Coriander Side Salad.
Jump to:
Why you will love it
- A twist on hummus - Hummus is one of the best dips out there and the great thing about it is there are so many different ways you can make it. Adding carrots is a great twist on hummus, and adds some extra nutrients too.
- A great way to use carrots - If you have some carrots in your fridge that are looking a little sad, then roast them up and add them to this hummus. It will bring them to life again.
- Adaptable - We have added some harissa to ours for flavour, but there are other ways you can flavour it and we have given some options below.
- Stores well - You can keep this in the fridge for a few days, which makes it great for making a big batch and keeping it for snacks and meals. Did you also know that you can freeze hummus!
Ingredients needed
- Cannellini beans - This might seem strange for hummus, as it is traditionally made with chickpeas. We used cannellini beans because my husband is allergic to chickpeas. However, you can use chickpeas in this too.
- Oil - We used extra virgin olive oil in this carrot hummus. Try to use the best quality oil you can, as you will be able to taste the difference.
- Tahini - This is a paste made of sesame seeds and it is essential in hummus in my opinion. It is what gives it that smooth and creamy texture. You can find this in the world food aisle of most supermarkets. If you don't want to use tahini, then you can use the same amount of almond or peanut butter. Have you tried our Tahini Dressing?
- Lemon - A generous squeeze of lemon juice really lightens this dip up.
- Carrots - The star of the hummus. The great thing about this recipe is that roasting the carrots really brings out their flavour, so using ones that are a little past their best is fine. You can mix things up and use some yellow and purple carrots too. Obviously this will change the colour of the finished hummus though.
- Harissa - This adds a nice kick of heat and goes really well with the sweetness of the carrots. It is so easy to make your own Harissa Paste.
- Ras-el-hanout - A nice way to finish off the hummus and it adds lots of flavour.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Roasted Carrot Hummus - Step by step
One: Peel and slice the carrots and put them in a baking tray with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Two: Put them in the oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 25 minutes until roasted.
Three: Put all of the ingredients (apart from the ras-el-hanout and rest of the olive oil) in a food processor with the roasted carrots and blend until smooth.
Four: Put the hummus in a bowl and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and the ras-el-hanout.
Health benefits
Hummus is a really healthy snack option. You have protein from the beans, some healthy fats from the olive oil and tahini and then this has a healthy boost with the carrots too. Carrots are a good source of beta carotene, fibre, vitamins A and K1, potassium, and antioxidants.
Make this an even healthier snack by serving it with loads of vegetables sticks. We usually go with some carrot, cucumber, celery and bell peppers. Then some torn up pita bread on the side.
Variations
The carrots do give this hummus a lot of flavour, but we could always do with some more flavour in our lives, right? We blended some harissa in to the hummus and then once it had been put in a bowl, we added a drizzle of good quality olive oil and then a sprinkle of ras el hanout, to make Moroccan Hummus. Not heard of ras el hanout before? You need some in your life! It's a North African spice blend that is made up of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric.
If you didn't want to use those flavours, then you could make a pesto version. Blend some pesto in to the hummus, and then add some fresh chopped basil on top before serving.
You could just keep it as the carrots and add a generous pinch of paprika for some smokiness. A pinch of cumin also goes really well with carrots.
If you like garlic in your hummus (and I mean, who doesn't?) then you can roast some garlic cloves in their skin at the same time as the carrots and then squeeze the garlic out of it's skin once roasted and blend it with everything else.
For a different type of hummus, try our Butter Bean Hummus.
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 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.
Frequently asked questions
You can roast the carrots ahead of time if you are making this for a party, but the hummus itself is best blended up just before you will be serving it. Hummus can start to dry out a little after a while, so this is best enjoyed right away.
Yes, as long as you make sure that there is no cross contamination, this can be gluten free.
Yes, this is a vegan recipe.
No, you don't have to but we really recommend you do. Roasting them really brings out the sweetness and gives them a nice caramelised edge. If you want to make this carrot hummus a little quicker, then you can just boil the carrots until soft and then follow the rest of the recipe.
Extra tips
• We used cannellini beans because it's what we had in the cupboard, but you can use chickpeas to keep it a more traditional hummus.
• You can use this recipe to make other kinds of vegetable hummus too, like beetroot or courgette.
• Feel free to experiment with flavours in this hummus - you could give it a Mexican twist by using Mexican seasoning.
• Serve the hummus with vegetable sticks and pita bread.
• You will need to use a high powered blender for the best results as it will get the carrot hummus nice and creamy.
• To make the hummus even lighter, add a couple of tablespoons of the water drained from the beans.
More dip recipes
If you’ve tried this carrot hummus recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Roasted Carrot Hummus
Ingredients
- 400 g (2 cups) Cannellini beans
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for the carrots
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon Tahini
- 0.5 Lemon - (juice only)
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 6 Carrots - small
- 1 teaspoon Harissa
- 1 tablespoon Ras-el-hanout
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Peel and slice 6 Carrots and put them in a baking tray with 1 tablespoon Olive oil.
- Put them in the oven for 25 minutes until roasted.
- Put 400 g Cannellini beans, 1 tablespoon Tahini, juice of 0.5 Lemon, 1 teaspoon Harissa and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper into a food processor with the roasted carrots and blend until smooth.
- Put the hummus into a bowl and drizzle with the 1 tablespoon Olive oil and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon Ras-el-hanout.
Recipe Tips
- We used cannellini beans because it's what we had in the cupboard, but you can use chickpeas to keep it a more traditional hummus.
- You can use this recipe to make other kinds of vegetable hummus too, like beetroot or courgette.
- Feel free to experiment with flavours in this hummus - you could give it a Mexican twist by using Mexican seasoning.
- Serve the hummus with vegetable sticks and pita bread.
- You will need to use a high powered blender for the best results as it will get the carrot hummus nice and creamy.
- To make the hummus even lighter, add a couple of tablespoons of the water drained from the beans.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Carmela says
Hi, what’s a good sub for tahini, if any? Thanks
Dannii Martin says
You can use a nut butter instead.