Green Basil Pesto Hummus

close up image of a pesto hummus in a round plate with pita chips

5 from 1 vote

This creamy hummus recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s an adaptation of my original hummus recipe. Homemade hummus can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and makes the perfect snack for those 3pm cravings when you just don’t have time to make anything.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 35

Soaking Time8

Total Time9 4

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Vegan

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 277kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients for the hummus

1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight in cold water
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin ground
2 tbsp chickpea cooking water reserved from soaking
4 tbsp green pesto

Ingredients for the Pita Chips

2 round pita pockets
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pita Chips

To make the pita chips, preheat the oven to 325⁰ F (170⁰ C). Lay the pita pockets flat and cut into 8 equal triangles. Open each triangle at the fold and cut along the fold so that you are left with 16 tortilla chip shaped pieces from each pita pocket.
Lay the triangles on a baking tray with the rough side facing up. Brush the olive oil evenly across all the chips. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the open face on each of the chips to give them a garlicky hint.
Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on them as they can turn quite quickly. As soon as they are golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Hummus

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours. After soaking, drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the chickpeas, simmer for 90 minutes then drain and rinse thoroughly. Reserve some of the cooking water for later.
Add the chickpeas, garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, salt, pepper, olive oil, and cumin to a food processor. Pulse until the hummus reaches a smooth consistency. I like my hummus to still have some texture, but if you like it more creamy, pulse for longer.
Add the cooking water one tablespoon at a time and pulse to mix in between each addition. I like 2 tablespoons for a medium consistency but you can add more or less depending on how you like your hummus. The more water you add, the thinner and creamier your hummus will be. Just be sure to add it 1 tablespoon at a time so as not to take it too far!
Lastly, stir in the pesto to flavor the hummus.

Notes

Store hummus in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Nutrition