Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My roasted red pepper hummus recipe turns classic hummus into a bolder and zestier dip with lots of bright and savory ingredients. Whirled up to a cool, creamy consistency, perfect for dipping pita chips or veggies into, this colorful hummus-with-a-twist is filled with roasted red peppers, garlic, tahini, feta cheese, lemon, and spices for loads of color and zippy flavor!

Hummus with a Roasted Red Pepper Twist

If you've ever taken the opportunity to peruse through some of my appetizers on The Cozy Apron, you may have noticed I'm a huge fan of dips of all sorts.

I love the hot and cheesy dips, the cool and creamy dips, the dips with both warm and cool elements...I could go on and on about all sorts of dips without getting bored!

One of my all-time favorite dips to indulge in is classic hummus dip, which I love to enjoy with chicken or steak kebabs, or simply on its own with warm pita wedges or crispy crackers to plunge into it—so deliciously irresistible!

And because I love creamy, spicy hummus as much as I do, I couldn't help but tinker with my original, classic recipe to create an even bolder, zestier version, one brimming with flecks of smoky-sweet roasted red peppers, garlic, spices, tahini...even a generous sprinkle of salty-tangy feta cheese!

My roasted red pepper hummus takes traditional hummus to a whole new level, and makes for a fantastic appetizer or side to whip up and serve alongside of a meal with a Middle Eastern slant, or whenever you simply crave munching on a cool and creamy snack with lots of bold, zippy flavor that's deliciously healthy for you!

My Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

Friends, here's a little confession: I never buy my hummus dip at a store, and I barely ever order it up at a restaurant anymore, especially if I'm getting takeout to enjoy at home.

Because hummus is so easy to prepare in my own kitchen, I always make it from scratch, so I can have lots left over to enjoy over a few days. It's so cheap and easy to prepare myself, plus I like to make it according to my taste.

All you really need when preparing this roasted red pepper hummus is a food processor and a handful of delicious ingredients, and then just allow everything to blend up together for a few minutes until wonderfully rich and creamy.

For my version here, I'm using a couple of cans of organic garbanzo beans, some good quality, diced roasted red pepper from a jar, garlic, tahini, a touch of Greek yogurt for creaminess, lemon, and crumbled feta.

Then, I allow the processor to do the rest of the work with a bit of olive oil drizzled in, and voila! Hummus is ready to be enjoyed.

Here's a peek at my roasted red pepper hummus recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To start, I add my garbanzo beans, roasted red peppers, tahini, Greek yogurt, feta, garlic, lemon zest plus juice, and salt to my food processor, and process until fairly smooth.
2. Next, with the processor running, I drizzle in some good quality olive oil, and continue to process until the hummus is creamy and smooth, for about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Then, I spoon the roasted red pepper hummus into a serving bowl and place it into the fridge to chill.
4. Before serving, I drizzle over top a bit of extra olive oil, plus a sprinkle of cumin and paprika, along with some extra feta, some toasted pine nuts, and some chopped parsley.
5. I serve with an accompaniment of pita wedges or chips, veggies and/or crackers.

Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This roasted red pepper hummus is a twist on classic hummus dip with roasted red peppers, garlic, tahini, feta cheese, and spices!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 300 calories per serving (hummus only)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup roughly chopped roasted red peppers (from a jar), patted dry
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons (heaping) Greek yogurt, or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon finely crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
• 2 small cloves garlic, smashed and peeled of papers
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ½ cup olive oil, divided use
• Sprinkle of ground cumin, for garnish
• Sprinkle of paprika, for garnish
• 1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, for garnish
• Pita bread or flatbread, pita chips, or cut veggies, for dipping

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Add all of the ingredients up to and including the salt to the bowl of a food processor, and process until chunky-smooth. Then, with the processor running, slowly begin to drizzle in the olive oil, reserving about 1 tablespoon worth to use as a garnish/topping before serving. Process the roasted red pepper hummus until completely smooth and well blended.
3. Spoon the hummus into a bowl or container, and keep covered in fridge until ready to serve. Then, to finish/garnish the hummus, drizzle over top the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil, add a couple of pinches of the ground cumin and the paprika, the teaspoon or two of feta crumbles, the chopped parsley, and the pine nuts for a little crunch.
4. Serve cold with pita bread or flatbread, pita chips, or assorted cut veggies.

Tips & Tidbits for my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe:

• Remove the garbanzo bean skins for an even smoother, creamier hummus: While this can be a bit labor intensive, if you're craving hummus with an incredibly smooth and creamy texture, then rub and remove the skins from the garbanzo beans once you drain and rinse them. I like to pour them out onto a clean tea towel to gently rub the garbanzo beans and then use my fingers to pick through and remove any loose skins as much as possible. This step is totally optional, but it makes a pretty noticeable difference in the texture of the hummus.
• A hint of Greek yogurt or sour cream for creaminess: Just a little touch of Greek yogurt, or even sour cream, adds a bit of richness and creaminess to this particular hummus recipe. If you prefer to leave it out, then no worries. Just add a touch more olive oil or tahini, as needed.
• Make roasted red pepper hummus ahead: You can easily prepare this dip a day or two ahead of when you plan on serving it, and then just garnish/dress it with the additional olive oil, spices and toppings right before serving.

Hungry for more zesty appetizers? Check out this classic Hummus recipe, this Artichoke Dip, this Warm Eggplant Dip with Spiced Yogurt, this Labneh, this Sour Cream and Onion Dip, or this healthy Spinach Dip!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!