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
Linda says
This was fantastic. I tweaked it just a bit by skipping the water and baking the cauliflower, oil, salt and garlic cloves for about 45 minutes (flipping it over halfway through) to get a nice overall browning on the cauliflower and garlic. Instead of olive oil and paprika, I finished it off with a sprinkle of olive oil, sumac and za’atar. :)
Pat says
AWESOME Recipe ! I made the process even easier by using a small box of frozen plain mashed cauliflower (cooked per directions to lose the moisture). Also added a few shakes of dried red pepper and topped it with a drizzle of EVOO and Everything bagel SPICE Mix. I’m sure the flavors will be even better once I wait for it to properly chill. I love Hummus w/ Red Pepper strips and Cucumber slices.
Lastly, I’m loving the SCKC diet! It’s a big change for this cheesehead, but feeling great without dairy or artificial sweeteners.
Jennifer says
I L…O…V…E this stuff. I have to keep it on hand at all times. My best advice is now to make a big batch, then line a plate with parchment and freeze measured “hummus piles” that can be stored in a Ziploc until you need it….I do have to leave out the raw garlic, but everyone tweaks seasoning, right?
Selkie says
I found this recipe very bland, disappointed.
Elaine says
Absolutely delicious! I would definitely make it again. I used one bag of Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower rice and followed the above directions. It worked perfectly.
Kimberley DeFay says
I am such a skeptic when it comes to wannabe recipes made with cauliflower. But since I also subscribe to the notion, “nothing ventured, not gained” philosophy and I miraculously had all the ingredients on hand I decided to give it a try. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception, more garlic (2x). I used a food processor to blend. This stuff is super easy to make and tastes better than store bought chickpea hummus, Follow the recipe, you will not be disappointed.
DORIS SCHULER says
I’m about o make this! Can someone tell me if you cooked ingredients covered or uncovered in the microwave? I imagine it’s covered but just want to check, I’m anticipating diving right into this after it’s preparation so I don’t want to make any mistakes ?
Mellissa Sevigny says
uncovered!
Cetandi says
I followed the recipe, and I am dissapointed!
However, not the fault of ingredients.
I don’t know how no one else has had this problem, but I put 3 cups of cauliflower florets (fresh) along with the water olive oil and garlic in my microwave and came back to almost nothing in the pyrex container!
The garlic was brown, and petrified, and the cauliflower was shrunk to less than 1 cup…im feeling as deflated as the cauliflower.
Allan Danbrook says
This is truly very good, just made it and will see what the family say when they get to taste. But wife and think this is a winner. Well done and thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry it wasn’t to your taste.
Cid says
lmao. I know you’re from CT, but you sound Canadian! ;)
I wouldn’t apologize in any form to that a**. Why not just say that they didn’t like it, but would suggest adding those ingredients, or say that they DID add extra ingredients and preferred it? People can be so freaking crusty! What happened to constructive criticism?!
BTW, Thank you for sharing your experimentations and food adventures!
Courtney says
This was fantastic! I love it and my husband said it wasn’t bad (This is extremely high praise from someone who hates cauliflower, tahini, and doesn’t like hummus in general)
Mellissa Sevigny says
That IS high praise, thanks for letting me know Courtney! I can get this one by my cauliflower-hating husband too ha ha!
Betty says
This recipe is amazing! After adding 1-1/2 T. of Tahini and tasting, I decided to add more Tahini. Yep, I like the flavor of Tahini. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Can hardly wait to make it again next week