A delicious and easy Spiced Pumpkin Hummus topped with pine nuts and pumpkin seeds recipe!
As a vegan, I'm pretty much obliged to be obsessed with hummus, which is just as well, as I really do love the stuff. It's such an easy and versatile snack that is great when you're on the go, or for adding into a sandwich. I also how you can get so creative with it, by using different types of beans, different herbs and spices as well as other all the other colourful veggies you can add to the mix.
Halloween is fast approaching, and autumn is here. This means that the squash and pumpkins are are being harvested in Louise's garden, and it's been a bumper year, so expect to see on our blog lots of yummy recipes with these unusual shaped and brightly coloured vegetables.
This hummus is made with pumpkin puree..
You can make pumpkin puree yourself or get from a tin (which is pretty widely available, especially at this time of year). Pumpkin puree can be used in savoury dishes, as well as for sweet dishes like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin puree has a lovely soft texture, and works really well in hummus.
The hummus recipe is about 3 parts chickpeas to 1 part pumpkin. This gives it enough of a pumpkin taste, and a lovely yellow-orange colour, but without the pumpkin being overpowering. I’ve used quite a bit of olive oil in this recipe, but you are welcome to use less oil, and put in more tahini or lemon juice instead. You can also mix up the spices; I chose cumin and coriander, because cumin goes brilliantly with chickpeas, and coriander goes perfectly with pumpkin. But spices like paprika will also work just fine, and give it a nice kick!
To top the hummus, you can use whatever you have available. If you’ve made your pumpkin puree from scratch, you may well have fresh pumpkin seeds left over you can toast (these will be so crunchy and a great contrast to the hummus). Pine nuts are also a great topping whether toasted or not for hummus. Serve with dipping tool of your choice; bread, carrot stick, celery, or just sneak a lick with your fingers when no one is looking.
Spiced Pumpkin Hummus with Pine Nuts and Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
For the Hummus
- 1 tin chickpeas (drained)
- 100 g pumpkin puree (from tin or homemade; see details below)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 7-9 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon pinenuts (for topping)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (for topping)
For the Pumpkin Puree (if making your own)
- 1 medium pumpkin (Or butternut squash )
Instructions
To Make the Hummus
- In a blender combine all ingredients except the pumpkin seeds and pinenuts. Blend until very smooth. You may want to add ¾ of the olive oil, test the texture, and add the rest if needed.
- Once blended, transfer to a bowl and top with pumpkin seeds and pinenuts, and drizzle with olive oil.
For the Pumpkin Puree (if making your own)
- Preheat oven to 200 C.
- Chop pumpkin into chunks a couple of centimetres wide and long. Remove all seeds and pulp from middle. Leave skin on the pumpkin.
- Place pumpkin chunks on baking tray and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft.
- Once done, peel outer skin of pumpkin off and you are left with a puree. Puree can be kept in airtight container for 5 days in fridge, or put in the freezer to use another time.
