Beetroot-artichoke hummus is a delicious and striking blend of chickpeas, beets, artichoke hearts, tahini and seasonings. It’s easy to throw together, though it looks fancy because of the pink color.
When I was still attending potlucks in the pre-coronavirus days, this dip was a popular potluck offering because it is so beautiful. I liked it because I only had to dump the ingredients in my food processor, puree them, season and serve.
Canned or home-cooked chickpeas?
You can use canned chickpeas or prepare your own from the dry beans. I prefer to cook my own beans, and now use the Instant Pot to cook my chickpeas, especially if I am planning to make hummus. I want them to be thoroughly cooked so that the hummus will be creamy. I have not been able to achieve that creaminess consistently when I cook chickpeas in the slow-cooker.
In either case, use the extra liquid from the can or from cooking to adjust the hummus to the thickness you want. It can be a little thinner if people are dipping mostly chips or pita, or thicker if it’s going to be mostly vegetables.
The liquid from cooking chickpeas, also known as garbanzos, is called aquafaba. Aquafaba is a great emulsifier to add to salad dressings, and we save some of ours in the freezer between batches of cooking the beans.
Adding beets to hummus
This recipe calls for red beets to get the pink color, but you can use golden beets for a slightly golden color. The amount of color a golden beet gives is pretty subtle.
Beetroot hummus is actually a simple variation on my spinach-artichoke hummus. The main difference between that recipe and this one is to use beets here instead of spinach. This dip tastes just a bit sweeter than the spinach version, in my experience, because smaller beets can be a bit sweet. The color of the dip will depend on how deep a purple your beet is.
Adding salt, lemon or olive oil
When you taste your hummus, if you think it could use a little salt, remember that if you add lemon juice it will bring out the salty flavor of a dish. So try that first, unless the dish is already tart enough for you.
The olive oil is optional – you can substitute additional aquafaba instead – but hummus is typically drizzled with olive oil in Mediterranean restaurants. The oil adds a wonderful flavor if you use a good quality olive oil, and it doesn’t take much.
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment so I know how it went!
Enjoy, and please share!
Beth
Other dip recipes you may enjoy
“Cheesy” Green Chile Black Bean Dip Vegan
Baba Ghanoush Dip and Salad Dressing
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Beetroot Artichoke Hummus
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas cooking liquid and a few beans reserved *
- 1 medium 2-3 inch beet, boiled, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup jarred artichoke hearts plus about 2 tablespoonfuls of the marinade
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil optional, see note
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the drained chickpeas and garlic into a food processor and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the beet, the artichoke hearts and their marinade, and the tahini and blend until a uniform color.
- Add lemon juice, salt and the optional olive oil. If needed to thin your hummus, pour in 1 tablespoon (or more) of chickpea cooking liquid and blend to mix.
- If the hummus is too thick, add more cooking liquid. To adjust the seasonings, add more lemon juice or salt.
- Garnish with extra chickpeas, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of minced parsley, basil or cilantro. Serve the hummus with pita or chips or fresh vegetables.
Notes
Pin for later!
I love making homemade hummus. The color from the beets is beautiful!!!
Thanks, Rochelle we love homemade hummus too. I’m always amazed at the color variation in beets – this one gave a particularly pink hummus.
The color of this dip is just gorgeous – what a unique hummus that will be the talk of any appetizer party table!
Angela, thanks – it is beautiful and unusual enough to get lots of great compliments, easy though it is.
We love beets! It would have never occurred to me to add beets to hummus! That color is so beautiful, I can imagine the taste.
Thank you, Myrah, the beets add a wonderful sweetness – we absolutely love that in addition to how pretty it is.
I love eating hummus but Beetroot artichoke is new to me. This looks delicious and it is perfect with flatbread or pita bread
Saif, yes, this would be perfect with your flatbread recipe! And I hope you get to try the beet flavor, it’s really wonderful.
Oh my goodness, that color! That bright pink that beets add is so magical! Love that you added artichoke too, I love them 😀
Thanks, Ai, it’s amazing how just a little beet can bring that much color to hummus – and the artichokes are my little secret in the dip.
Beetroot hummus is sounds very healthy, all the goodness of chickpeas and beet roots, wow! And the beautiful pink color makes me want to eat it now 🙂
Alpa, we so agree with you, as we love hummus and the beet and artichoke just make it better than we ever thought. Thanks!
Looks so pretty. Not to mention healthy and delicious. It would be perfect for a little girl’s tea party or even Valentine’s or anytime. Makes me think of Dr. Suess. I would eat this anywhere.
LaRena, I love thinking of this as part of a pink-party theme, what a great image! Thanks for the idea and the comment.
I love hummus… I’ll have to try this recipe, it’s so unusual & original!
Thanks, Simone, we love hummus too and are exploring different flavors. I hope you enjoy this one!
I’ve only ever made hummus with just chickpeas but the colour of this one with beetroot is fabulous. I’m sure it tastes wonderful too. On my to-make list!
Jacqui, we love the flavor of this hummus and hope you will too. It’s worth the little extra step!
What a lovely looking Hummus. the beetroot and artichoke is an interesting combination. Loved the color.
Thank you, Lathiya, we love the color and the flavor too. And how easy it is.
Add beetroot colour all changes the hummus look !! it is something which I never heard or seen before!!
lovely
Thanks, Tanu, isn’t that fun! It’s really a great surprise dish for a group of people – and if they like hummus, they like this.
I enjoyed making this beet hummus. I love hummus but I’ve never seen one with such a beautiful color. Great idea of adding beetroot. It was very simple, easy & tasty! It is a great way to serve as an hours d’oeuvre dish for a party with fresh cut veggies & chips.
Hello Yukiko, I am so glad you enjoyed making the beet hummus. It’s one of our favorite snacks and I am glad you are thinking of it for a party!
This is as delicious as it is beautiful. And letting the food processor do all the work is great as well. Has anyone tried to freeze this? I made a double batch so I can have some later.
Thank you, Vicki! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I have read that hummus can be frozen, but haven’t tried it myself. I look forward to learning if it works for you!