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!
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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
Wisteria says
This is SO good! Way back in my Weight Watcher days (thank goodness those are over!) I remember trying to make a faux guacamole recipe by pureeing canned asparagus and adding the usual guac ingredients. It was hideous, so I was a little skeptical with cauliflower hummus, but this is really amazing. I love it with some sumac on top and think this would make an awesome base for Greek layer dip with cucumber slices for dipping.
Ruth says
Is the nutritional info you list for the hole batch or for one serving? For instance, are there 3.5 net carbs in the whole recipe or 3.5 carbs in 1/4 cup?
Thanks for sharing. This looks amazing.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Approx. nutrition info per ¼ cup: 141 calories, 14g fat, 3.5g net carbs, 2g protein
Ruth says
Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re welcome Ruth, hope you like it!!!!
Kelly Mac says
just made this and it was good. But we love flavor, so I took your advise and split the batch in half, adding jarred jalapeno slices and juice, cumin and cilantro to half, and roasted red peppers to the other. Both were really outstanding. Glad to have hummus back as a snack option. (My tahinni had been feeling neglected just taking up space in the fridge.) Thanks for another great recipe. Don’t know how I missed it when it first came out!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad you found this recipe and tried it out Kelly! Both of your flavor options sound delicious – wish I had some right now! :)
Angela (Divalicious) says
This is just genius and delicious! The texture and taste were spot on too! *applauds loudly*
Sharon says
You are wonderful! I just made this recipe and I didn’t think that cauliflower could make such a good hummus but it was so good. It tasted like the hummus that I used to love. My husband and I both loved it. While we were eating it, he said that today is like a party with food. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. This is definitely a keeper!
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad you guys liked it Sharon! I was really shocked myself when I first tasted it! Now I make it all the time and I’m working on some flavor variations so stay tuned! :)
Sharon says
I think I will be making it regularly too. We ate it with some “flax seed cinnamon bun muffins” that I made and it was heavenly to have the “hummus” with “bread.” I’m already anticipating having it again but I have to work around people tomorrow so it will have to wait until later tomorrow or Tuesday, but it’s not fun waiting. I want it now! LOL
I also thought I’d mention that my husband told me that he likes it better than hummus.
Cid says
Holy lots of cauliflower Batman!!!!! Hahhahahahahahaha!!!! Too funny…. I love this blog!!! Our neighborhood is having a potluck next week and this is what I’m going to bring! Can’t wait to try it out on the gang!
SerenityNow says
This recipe looks great, and I thought I’d mention another recipe idea I just came across, that is low-carb & should pair nicely: Cucumber Boats! If you enjoy cukes, that is. Thanks for sharing so many terrific recipes :)
Leslie says
Mellissa, first the celery root latkes, and now this?! Lol. Delish! This was fabulous. Haven’t had hummus in 9 months and this was great. I hate to disagree with Steven, but the garlic was right on for my family. I even had to double the recipe for my hungry bunch. Thanks again!
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad you guys liked it Leslie! Garlic varies in intensity and the size of the cloves could have made a difference, but for me there is almost no such thing as too much garlic! I try to plan my garlic indulgence for when I don’t have to be around people the next day though – there’s nothing worse than someone else’s garlic breathe lol!
Terri says
Do you have options without microwave since I do not like using it
Steven says
I’ve made this, and maybe I got something wrong, but the garlic is so strong! 5 garlic cloves and it burns! I think I had enough cauliflower as it’s produced a good quantity. I normally love garlic but this was way too much for me.
I’ll have to try it again with fewer cloves. They were quite big cloves..
GiGi Eats says
Totally pinning this geniusness!