Black Bean Hummus
This Black Bean Hummus is creamier and smoother than a classic chickpea hummus, but is still flavored with classic hummus ingredients like tahini and cumin. It’s a great healthy appetizer or healthy snack!
Hummus is traditionally made with chickpeas, but I’ve come to enjoy black bean hummus a lot more.
I will admit that black bean hummus is a lot uglier than chickpea hummus, but it makes up for it in taste. Black beans have always been one of my favorite beans, and they blend up so beautifully with the traditional flavors of a hummus.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a classic hummus made with garbanzo beans, but having experimented with different types of beans beyond chickpeas, I think black beans are the best.
And, I’ve started seeing creamy black bean hummus more and more at the grocery store. It’s great for something a little different.
Why make hummus with black beans?
It not only has the delicious flavor of black beans, but it also blends a lot smoother than hummus made with chickpeas.
It shouldn’t be surprising, since even eating black beans and chickpeas straight out the can, it’s noticeable how much creamier the texture is of a black bean.
Whenever I make a classic hummus recipe, I peel the skins of the chickpeas as much as possible so that it’s creamier. There’s no need to do that here!
To get started, rinse and drain canned black beans. For this recipe, I use three cans.
Best Quality Brands of Beans
I had no idea that the quality of canned beans can vary so much until I tried a few brands.
The best in my opinion is Bush’s. Goya is also good.
Then combine in the bowl of a food processor with fresh garlic cloves, tahini, fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, kosher salt, and olive oil, and blend until it has a smooth consistency.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a paste made with sesame seeds. It’s essential for a traditional hummus, and I use only a tablespoon here. If you like a pronounced sesame flavor, you can increase to 2-3 tablespoons tahini total.
Most grocery stores stock tahini in the same aisle as the peanut butter.
Once you’ve blended everything together, it’s ready to enjoy, right at room temperature! The prep is pretty much the same as regular hummus.
Serve it in a dish and pair with warm pitas, crackers, tortilla chips, or veggie sticks.
Serving Suggestions
You can eat this delicious hummus with all the things you’d normally pair hummus recipes with, like pita bread or pita chips, crackers, and sliced fresh veggies like carrots, celery, and radishes.
I also enjoy this black bean hummus as a spread in sandwiches or even as the “sauce” for pizza.
One of my favorite healthy breakfasts is making a mock huevos rancheros with this homemade hummus, pairing with corn chips, salsa, fried eggs, fresh cilantro, and sour cream.
These Black Bean Burgers are really delicious too if you’re a black bean fan. Happy cooking!
Recipe FAQ and Tips:
Keep in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge, or 1-2 months in the freezer.
Yes, it freezes very well, for a month or two. When ready to eat again, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
For many people, yes. It is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Recipe Variations
This is a great recipe for changing things up per your tastes.
For black bean hummus without tahini, simply omit the sesame paste from the recipe. The hummus will still be creamy and smooth without it.
For a spicy black bean hummus, add cayenne pepper to the food processor when blending the ingredients. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more as desired. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, or 1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle peppers for a smoky note.
For roasted red pepper hummus, add a 16 ounce jar of roasted red peppers (drain before blending).
For more garlic flavor, add one head of roasted garlic before blending. This is also a good substitute if raw garlic clove is too strong for you.
Too thick? You can up to 2 tablespoons of cold water if you want to thin it slightly, but do not add any more. It’s better to thin with more olive oil, so the consistency doesn’t get watery.
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Black Bean Hummus
Ingredients
- 3 15oz cans black beans
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the beans until the water runs pretty clear. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
- Roughly chop the garlic and add to the food processor.
- Add the tahini, cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Blend in the food processor until smooth, then taste and make any necessary seasoning adjustments. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated with more tips and writing in July 2018. Originally published January 2015.
21 Comments on “Black Bean Hummus”
Omg I absolutely loved this recipe. I thought it was going to be gross but its actually pretty amazing. I did add some cayenne to it though. :)))
I have made this recipe countless times! It is delicious. I was wondering if it would be possible to make this in a blender instead of a food processor. Thoughts?
I actually made it in a blender. :)) it still turned out amazing!
Have you ever tried using roasted garlic with the black beans? we love it with the chickpeas.. was going to try it then saw your recipe.. thanks
Sometimes if I’ve got some I’ll throw it into hummus, whether it’s black bean or chickpea. It’s delicious!
How much dried beans would you need for this recipe?
Between 1/2 & 2/3 of a cup of dried beans roughly equals one can of 15 oz canned beans.
I have never had black bean hummus before! I think it looks pretty!
Have you tried to freeze hummus. I would like to make this black bean hummus; but would also like to freeze some. Any suggestions?
Hi Patricia, hummus actually freezes pretty well! Try pressing plastic wrap into the top of the hummus, so it’s not exposed to air.
I’m really keen to try this, I wish I’d found it over Christmas when we had people over! It’s tricky for me to find gluten free AND dairy free party food as most everything seems to have cheese in it, but yay for your dip!
I absolutely love all things hummus. I question everyday why the word hummus is not in my blog title. This black bean hummus looks insanely tasty!
This sounds like a great recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Haven’t tried it, but my daughter loves black beans so will give this recipe to her to try…have you had hummus made from white northern beans ? Saw it the other day on tv….I love northern beans, just not a black bean fan, but willing to give it a try if my daughter makes it 🙂 I love hummus too…..love it with the Manischewitzs Matzo crackers…..
Thank you for this recipe! Will make this one for sure….
I love hummus, never tried a black bean version before though, time to try it out!
My husband is a fan of hummus and I’m so intrigued to make this black bean hummus for him. So creamy looking and looks delicious.
I love black bean hummus! This looks so creamy and delicious 🙂
Something I would definitely try. Only, I have to drive a country mile (about 50 miles) to get tahini.
Laurie___Get in online am sure Amazon has it.
I love black bean hummus too! So creamy and I especially think it’s great with a little extra spice 😉