Loaded Hummus

My loaded hummus is a fresh take on one of our favorite appetizers, with lots of delicious texture and vibrant color. Creamy hummus is topped with an array of cool, fresh, Mediterranean-inspired ingredients such as diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion, plus a trio of herbs for this refreshing loaded hummus recipe!

Hummus, Loaded Up with Cool, Fresh Toppings

To say that we're hummus fans in our household is a bit of an understatement.

I frequently whip up a quick batch of my classic hummus to enjoy with wine on a Friday evening, or some roasted garlic hummus or even roasted red pepper hummus when we're craving a zestier version of this healthy snack to dip veggies or pita into.

Hummus is just one of those staples that you can feel good about enjoying because it's filled with protein and fiber.

And whenever I can get creative with it by adding in different spices, herbs or even a topping, I love to do that—it's a fun challenge, and keeps this beloved dip interesting!

My loaded hummus recipe is our latest favorite version to enjoy.

It's a fresh, cool, and slightly more hearty version, similar to a hummus appetizer that we love to order at True Food Kitchen whenever we go to lunch there.

Creamy hummus is topped with a salad-like mixture of finely-diced Persian cucumber, quartered cherry tomatoes, thinly-sliced red onion, olives, feta cheese, plus a fresh sprinkling of dill, and mint.

This mouthwatering loaded hummus with a Mediterranean twist is terrifically refreshing, and absolutely delicious scooped up with warm pita wedges or lavash.

And the best part? We don't have to go out to lunch to enjoy it!

My Loaded Hummus Recipe

Classic hummus pretty much calls for chickpeas, some tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon, and salt. It typically gets a little sprinkle of cumin and paprika before serving, perhaps an extra drizzle of olive oil, and that's about it—delicious!

For my loaded hummus recipe here, I'm preparing a classic hummus base, but adding to it fresh toppings such as cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and red onion all kissed with a little lemon and olive oil. All those ingredients bring some cool crunch, a pop of brightness, and added texture.

This loaded hummus is super easy to make (also easy to prep ahead!), and is terrific to serve at a gathering, or to keep in the fridge and enjoy as a healthy snack for a few days.

Here's a glance at my loaded hummus recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I prepare my hummus, and spoon that onto either a large platter, or into a large, shallow bowl.
2. Next, I add all of my diced veggie ingredients to a bowl, along with a little lemon, oil and salt, toss together, and spoon that over top of of my hummus.
3. To finish, I sprinkle the top with fresh herbs and crumbled feta cheese, and serve the loaded hummus cold (or cool) with warm pita wedges or lavash.

Recipe

Loaded Hummus

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This loaded hummus is topped with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, red onion and herbs for a refreshing twist!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 181 calories per serving (about ¼ cup)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Hummus Ingredients:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans organic chickpeas, ¼ cup of their liquid reserved, then drained and rinsed (skins removed, optional)
• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus extra
• 3 cloves garlic
• ⅓ cup olive oil, plus extra

Topping Ingredients:

• 2 Persian cucumber, finely diced (about a heaping cup)
• ⅓ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or diced
• ¼ cup thinly-sliced red onion
• 8 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Small squeeze lemon juice
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons finely crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or mint, or combo of the two

Preparation:

1. To begin, gather and prep your hummus ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To prepare the hummus, add the chickpeas, the ¼ cup reserved liquid from chickpeas, the tahini, the lemon juice, the sea salt and the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor, and process for a couple of minutes to combine well, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the ⅓ cup of olive oil and continue to process until the dip is creamy and completely smooth, about 4-5 minutes (you may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides a couple of times with a spatula to get all of the ingredients well processed).
4. Once the hummus is smooth and creamy, spoon it out into a serving dish and keep either at room temp or chilled.
5. Next, gather and prep all of your topping ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
6. To prepare the topping, add the diced cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and olives to a bowl, and drizzle in the olive oil and the lemon juice. Add a couple of pinches of salt, then mix together until combined.
7. When ready to serve the loaded hummus, spoon the cucumber topping over the hummus, and sprinkle over the feta cheese and the fresh herbs, and serve with warm pita wedges or baked pita chips, crackers, or lavash.

Tips & Tidbits for my Loaded Hummus recipe:

• Good quality canned chickpeas: To keep things quick and simple, I always like to use organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans) when preparing hummus, to save on soaking time and preparation.
• Peel your chickpeas for a creamier hummus: If I'm not in the mood to remove the skins from my chickpeas, I'll just rinse them and add them to my food processor as they are, and still get a pretty darned creamy hummus consistency. But if I'm wanting to take the time to make it extra smooth, I'll gently rub the skins off the chickpeas after I've rinsed them, using a kitchen towel or paper towel, getting as many as possible, .
• Persian cucumbers for thin skin and flavor: Persian cucumbers are my favorite cucumbers, as they have a thin skin and virtually no seeds. They do not need to be peeled or seeded, and also have a milder, sweeter flavor and a fresh crunch.
• Prepare loaded hummus ahead: If you'd like to prep this yummy appetizer ahead of time for convenience, simply prepare the hummus and keep it separate from the topping. And to prepare the topping, toss together the veggies without the lemon juice, olive oil and salt (this will keep them from getting soft and soggy), then add those additions to the veggies just before you'd top and serve the hummus.

Craving more zesty and cozy appetizers? Check out this Burrata Recipe, this Chili Crisp Cauliflower, this Warm Eggplant Dip with Yogurt, these Oven Roasted Chickpeas, or this creamy Labneh!