This keto hummus is surprisingly satisfying and authentic tasting! A wonderful low carb substitute for a classic hummus made with chickpeas, this keto hummus made with cauliflower can be flavored in an infinite amount of variations! This is the original cauliflower hummus recipe, and still the best in my opinion!
I have been missing hummus in a major way lately, and finally got around to trying this keto hummus experiment with cauliflower to stand in for the chickpeas. I noticed recently that my low carb cauliflower puree has the consistency of hummus when cold, and thought if I added just the right ingredients I could mask the cauliflower flavor enough to convince people that it was the real thing.
Um. You guys? IT TOTALLY WORKED. And I mean for real! If you put my keto hummus up against a store bought classic hummus, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Even I was surprised at how well this experiment turned out!
It did take a little fussing to get the flavor where it needed to be for this keto hummus. I had to keep tweaking it to hide the subtle sweetness of the cauliflower, but with just the right amounts of lemon, garlic (raw and cooked), and tahini paste, it turned out incredibly delicious. Almost dangerously addictive if I do say so!
When I finally got around to making this keto cauliflower hummus, I didn’t have a lot of low carb dipping options hanging around, so I improvised with some rolled up radicchio leaves and thinly sliced Granny Smith apple. The radicchio leaves are pretty for the photos, but the bitterness wasn’t my favorite. The apple slices however tasted AMAZING with it!
I ate the remainder of this low carb cauliflower hummus the next day with celery sticks, lower in carbs than the apple slices, and just as delicious in their own way. Another great keto dipping option would be radish slices, or my HOP crackers.
And of course, this keto cauliflower hummus would be amazing with my Low Carb Cauliflower Falafel and a side of my Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad!
As an added bonus, this keto hummus is super healthy for you! It is full on Paleo friendly – even Whole 30 compliant! It’s also egg free, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free (tahini is made from sesame seeds), so it fits into pretty much any eating plan.
This low carb cauliflower hummus recipe makes a great base for all kinds of other hummus flavors if you want to get creative.
I love Trader Joe’s jalapeno cilantro hummus and you could totally do that with this. A roasted red pepper version would also be delicious. Or sun-dried tomato and Kalamata olives, if you’re into that.
Pretty much any strong flavors will go well in this keto hummus recipe. I’ll probably experiment with some of these ideas and post the results sometime in the future. Update – my first book Keto for Life has several new keto hummus recipes with different flavors and they are all delicious!
Meanwhile, get your dip on and make this low carb hummus IMMEDIATELY! Then report back because I’m dying to hear what you think of it!
Print
Keto Cauliflower Hummus
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Six servings
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This keto hummus is so delicious that you’d never know it was grain free and made with super healthy cauliflower! Keto, Atkins, and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5 tablespoons Tahini paste
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 raw garlic cloves, crushed (in addition to above)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- smoked paprika and extra olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cauliflower, water, 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 whole garlic clove to a microwave safe dish.
- Microwave, uncovered, for about 10 minutes – or until softened and darkened in color.
- Put the cauliflower mixture into a magic bullet, blender, or food processor and blend.
- Add the tahini paste, lemon juice, 2 raw garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Blend until mostly smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- To serve, place the hummus in a bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.
- Use thinly sliced tart apples, celery sticks, raw radish chips, or other vegges to dip with.
Notes
Approx. nutrition info per 1/4 cup: 141 calories, 14g fat, 3.5g net carbs, 2g protein
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: keto appetizers
- Method: microwave
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 141
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Brigid says
Really bad Diabetes results and so out of ideas! This looks amazing!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Enjoy!
Nara says
Hummus means chickpeas in Arabic so you can not give your recipe this name may be you can call it cauliflower tahini mix or dip
Mellissa Sevigny says
Your objection is noted Nara, thanks.
Jessica R says
Ugh con silly correction abd yay thanks for the hard work!
Nara says
you are welcome sorry for the disturbance
mary says
How would one roast the cauliflower if they didn’t own a microwave?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You could roast it in the oven at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until soft Mary!
kariane says
This sounds great! I look forward to trying it,
Diane Shaw says
Dangerous is the perfect word for this recipe. All I can say is thankfully, I still had most of my twenty grams of daily carb left for this tonight. The texture is perfect and adding the fresh lemon juice and evoo finished it
perfectly. I feel like I am cheating by eating this. I have missed hummus so much!
And, it was easy to make! Thank you for yet another recipe from heaven.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback Diane and I’m so glad that you liked it too! I’ve been dying for someone to make it and report back so I’d know it wasn’t a fluke! Yay! :)
Diane Shaw says
Guess what I am having for lunch today? Yep, your “hummus” Y U M!
Julie says
Love humus, we do miss eating it. By an chance does this recipe mask the sulfur smell and taste of cauliflower? I have tried so many cauliflower recipes hoping to trick my picky eating son, but he says the taste of cauliflower comes through very loudly lol
Mellissa Sevigny says
I really think it does Julie, but everybody’s tolerance is different so I can’t guarantee that he will like it! If you try it though I’d love to know what he thought of it! I’m always working on converting cauli-haters like my husband! :)
Dita MacDonald says
In the top of the ingredients you mention avocado oil or olive oil. In the bottom area of ingredients you mention Extra Virgin Olive oil. Should they both be Extra Virgin or two different oils. I hate to be picky but I would appreciate your input. thanks for all your wonderful recipes and especially this Hummus. BTW I use pepparoni chips for dipping and they have no carbs at all. Thanks again.
Mellissa Sevigny says
When cooking the Cauliflower I used avocado oil because it’s a light flavor, then i finish with the higher quality EVOO because it enhances the flavor overall. Too much evoo though can overtake it. Any light flavored oil for the cooking process will work, but if olive oil is all you have go ahead and use it, the difference is pretty subtle. Hope that helps!
Leslie Preston says
I thought it was just me and staring at words for too long. Glad I’m not alone on that. I stumbled on “put” one time. Put? Huh?
Tamarra says
I can’t wait to try this! I have been a bit sad because low carb would mean no more hummus. I do miss it. And cauliflower mash has been a bit overdone at our house lately. Winning!
Jessica says
Looks fabulous! At first I thought it was a giant bowl of mashed cauliflower swimming in butter… also not a bad idea! LOL
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m always a fan of cauliflower with lots of butter Jessica – but this hummus is definitely a close second! :)