I want to say first off that this genius idea is not mine. I actually found this a few years ago when I was exploring raw foods.
This recipe is lightly adapted from Matt Amsden’s book RAWvolution. Interestingly, there are a lot of raw food recipes that fit perfectly into a low carb lifestyle. Eating raw eliminates processed foods and grains – focusing on healthy fats and using vegetables in creative ways which naturally leads to some low carb friendly dishes. This hummus, which uses zucchini in place of the chickpeas is an excellent example. I was skeptical when I first tried it because I really love a classic hummus.
I was very surprised when I made it at how good and…well…hummusy it was! It’s perfect as a dip for low carb veggies or these flax crackers. You could even use it as a condiment for low carb wraps, a dressing for salads, or even a sauce for chicken or lamb dishes. I would normally eat hummus with falafel, which I love, and an idea just popped into my head to try making it with ground cauliflower instead of chickpeas. Could be brilliant or a total bust – I will try it soon and get back to you on that! (For those of you who have asked me where I get my ideas, this is usually how it happens, then one idea leads to another, and another, etc, etc. Sometimes it comes out great, other times….not so much!)
Ok back to the hummus! This is pretty simple to make but to get the right consistency you’ll need a blender. I used my vitamix which is pretty powerful so I don’t know how well a traditional blender will work – hopefully ok since zucchini blends easily. A food processor might also work but I’ve never tried it – so if you try it please report back on how it came out!
Low Carb Hummus (Bean Free)
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups peeled & chopped raw zucchini
- 3/4 cups tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until thick and smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Pour into a shallow bowl and garnish with parsley, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil if desired. Enjoy!
- Category: Dip/spread
- Cuisine: Hummus
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
- Carbohydrates: 2.5g net
Maria says
Maria
Great recipe…I love Hummus and have been looking for a recipe that would fit into my low carb way of eating…so thanks so much for sharing this one. I added approximately 10 Kalamata Olives to the zuccini…I made 1/2 the ingredients because I did not want to make a lot in case I messed it up…which I didn’t. I put in a lot of garlic because I love garlic…I did not have any Tahini in the house which I am sure would make it a bit thicker…not that it was runny, but it could’ve used some sort of binding substance…I follow the Wheat Belly low carb eating system so I have to be mindful of additives….any suggestions other than Tahini?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I love your idea of adding olives! Not sure what you could use to thicken it other than tahini. Tahini is sesame paste and a natural product so not sure that would conflict with the Wheat Belly principles. If you find an alternative I’d love to hear about it!
izy_ice says
I’m on the Dukan Diet right now – so I’m currently not allowed to eat the following ingredients the recipie inherits:
Oil
Tahini
I tried the recipie without those two, but added after blending the Zucchini 250 Gramm of smoked tofu! The colour and taste appered to be just like real hummus and it has exactly the consistency I knew from real hummus. This way the recipie has NO CRAB!
After letting it steep over night it was even more delicious! Still, can’t believe it… Simply love it!
xoxo
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for offering those options, good to know it can be made without the tahini and oil and still taste great! So happy that you liked it!
Anonymous says
Hi just attempted the hummus. I’ve added more zucchini and tahini, but it’s still a little thin and watery. Any suggestions? Thanks for the recipe.
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s never as thick as real hummus but I’ve gotten used to it. Not sure how to make it thicker without adding more carbs!
Ann says
Have you tried salting an draining the zucchini beforehand?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I never have, but that would be a good way to get the extra moisture out! I’ll have to try that for my next batch!
Anonymous says
This looks delicious. About how many servings does this make?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I’m guess-timating because I haven’t made it in months but you should get about 3 cups of hummus so it depends on how much you consider a serving. Twelve 1/4 cup servings maybe.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
More tahini or zucchini might bulk it up – maybe some cauliflower puree???
Anonymous says
I tried this today (and the flax crackers). It tastes good but is a little too thin. Any suggestions on how to thicken it??
Esther says
Hi Melissa, indeed I had very fresh garlic, so that could have been it. Roast red peppers sound very good to me! Keep experimenting, I’ll be back for more… What do you think of a combination of egg plant and zucchini? I might try that the next time.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hi Esther! I bet the eggplant and zucchini would work great together! Baba Ganoush is a dip made with eggplant that I’ve been meaning to make for the blog but I never thought of adding the zucchini as well – might have to add some just to see how it comes out!
Shari says
This sounds like an really interesting option, and I’m going to try it, but one thing needs to be said about all the versions of “hummus” that are all over the internet: “hummus”, by definition, are chick peas. Hummus (in Arabic)=chick peas.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Shari, hope you like it and feel free to call it courgette dip or whatever else you think is more accurately descriptive! ;)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Esther, glad you liked it! Maybe my garlic wasn’t as fresh as yours so the flavor was muted? I love it garlicky and lemony! I’m going to experiment with some other flavors next time I make it though. Maybe roasted red peppers or cilantro/jalapeno which is a flavor Trader Joe’s makes that I love in their traditional hummus…
Esther says
I just made it, and eating it with cucumber sticks while typing. The taste is really hummusy, though I would use less garlic the next time. I already used 2 cloves instead of 4, and it’s still very overpowering. And i really love garlic. So, next time will be better. But thanks for the tip!
Melissa says
There are also various sizes of garlic cloves. The garlic I usually get in the winter has small cloves (no more than 1/2″ wide at the widest point), but the summertime garlic around here has much larger cloves, especially the outer ones (1″ to 1.5″ at the widest point). I always count those larger cloves as 2-4 “cloves” of garlic, depending on their size. I also noticed that the winter garlic is very white, while the summer garlic has purple veining on the husk.