It is time to prepare for those holiday gatherings with the chilly fall season. What about an all-time favorite with a delicious fall twist for your Thanksgiving dinner table appetizer? This Seasonal pumpkin hummus recipe may be your answer!
This fantastic recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare and can be made in bulk if you expect a larger gathering. And the best part? It tastes so good no one will believe how easy it was to make!
This pumpkin hummus recipe is the perfect dip to use your pumpkin puree leftovers from your Thanksgiving Table Vegan Pumpkin Pie, a roasted pumpkin, or roasted butternut squash fall recipes side dish.
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🧾 Ingredients
This creamy pumpkin hummus recipe calls for all the usual ingredients for traditional homemade hummus plus pure pumpkin and spices. What about curry and smoked paprika?
Sure, here's why each ingredient is important in a recipe for roasted pumpkin hummus:
- Cooked chickpeas: Chickpeas form the base for this hummus recipe; they are the main ingredient that provides the signature creamy texture and subtly nutty flavor.
- Roasted fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree (unsweetened): Pumpkin gives this hummus a unique, seasonally appropriate flavor and contributes to its smooth consistency.
- Lemon juice: The acidity of lemon juice helps to balance the richness of the other ingredients, adding a tangy note that enhances the overall flavor profile.
- Tahini paste: Made from toasted sesame seeds, tahini paste adds a rich, nutty flavor to the hummus and contributes to its creamy texture.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a punch of aromatic flavor, a classic ingredient in hummus that offers depth and complexity.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is used for its rich, fruity flavor; it also helps to create a smooth, velvety texture when blended with the other ingredients.
- Curry powder (or ground cumin): These spices introduce warmth and depth of flavor to the hummus; curry for a complex flavor profile, and cumin for a more traditional, earthy taste.
- Smoked paprika: The smoked paprika offers a slightly sweet, smoky flavor that complements the earthiness of the pumpkin and chickpeas.
Optional ingredients
- Cinnamon: This spice may be used to introduce a hint of warmth and sweetness, enhancing the natural flavor of the pumpkin.
- Rosemary: Rosemary can add a fragrant, herbaceous note that pairs well with the other flavors in this dish, creating a more complex, layered flavor profile.
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
Substitutions
Tahini paste - peanut butter or other nut butters.
Pumpkin - You can use butternut squash, regular green pumpkin, sugar pumpkin, Hokkaido pumpkin, acorn squash, and delicata pumpkins without drastically affecting the outcome.
🔪 Instructions
To make pumpkin hummus, You'll need a food processor and a blender. We like making hummus in large batches because we always make good use of leftovers on sandwiches (like you would with a chickpea-baed vegan "tuna" salad, or buddha bowls),
Tip: we like using a large food processor or blender if you are planning to make a small portion you can easily make it on a nutribullet or immersion blender.
I do not frequently use canned pumpkin puree (leave that for pumpkin pie filling). I usually use fresh pumpkins to eat fresh or freeze. To make the pumpkin puree, either roast, steam, or boil it. Here is a detailed pumpkin post on how to cook with pumpkin puree.
If you choose to use freshly roasted pumpkin, I recommend roasting it with a garlic head, olive oil, and rosemary sprigs so the flavors get even more complex.
I personally prefer to use roasted garlic instead of raw garlic to avoid the garlic flavor taking over the nice pumpkin flavor and nutty tahini notes.
Step 1. Optionally roast the pumpkin wedges and garlic head in the oven or use air-fryer acorn squash; otherwise, use unsweetened pumpkin purée, then smash it.
Note: A faster option to infuse the oil with garlic is to heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and rosemary sprig (whole), and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until slightly brown and allow the flavors to infuse the oil.
Tip: you can also use the puréed squash leftovers to make a creamy vegan butternut squash
Step 2. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.
Step 3. Adjust the seasonings and liquids to ensure you have creamy pumpkin hummus until you reach the desired consistency. You might have to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
Step 4. Garnish and serve with toasted pita bread or pita chips.
Pro tip: whether you are using canned chickpeas or you choose to boil dried chickpeas, reserve some of the liquid to adjust the creaminess to your liking without adding more olive oil or lemon juice, which can affect the final taste.
💡Top Tip to make it super creamy
Adding ice-cold water to hummus helps to emulsify the ingredients and create a creamy texture. When you blend chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor, the mixture can become thick and clumpy.
The water's cold temperature also helps to prevent the mixture from becoming too warm during blending, which can cause the oil in the tahini and olive oil to separate and result in a less smooth texture.
Furthermore, the iced water helps to aerate the mixture, adding more air bubbles that give it a light, fluffy texture. This results in a creamy hummus that is easier to dip and spread.
👨🏻🍳 Garnishing ideas
Garnishing your Savory Pumpkin Hummus recipe is optional, but I think it should be a must! Otherwise, no matter how delicious it tastes, it just looks like a purée.
My favorite toppings include black and white sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs (chopped parsley or rosemary sprig), olive oil, smoked paprika or cayenne pepper, freshly ground black pepper, a couple of cooked garbanzo beans, roasted garlic cloves, roasted pumpkin wedges or dice.
As you can see, you have plenty of ideas to play with; don't overdo it; pick three or four and make your pumpkin hummus look beautiful.
Pro tip: after you transfer the pumpkin hummus to a serving bowl, make some pockets with the back of a spoon. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and then add any other of your chosen toppings.
📖 Variations
- Celiac - hummus is naturally gluten-free, so there is nothing to worry about there. Just make sure to enjoy it with raw veggie sticks instead of the suggested pita bread or pita chips.
- Oil-free - you can safely omit the use of extra virgin olive oil, but you decidedly need a fatty component like tahini paste or nut paste; otherwise, you will have just a dip, which I can assure you, will taste good but will be further from reaching the hummus flavor profile.
🥢 How to serve
Use this pumpkin hummus recipe as a delicious snack for warm pita bread, crackers, pita chips, or sliced raw veggies like cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, and celery sticks. Veggie sticks are a great option if you want to keep the appetizer gluten-free.
We also like serving it with focaccia bread, our toasted sliced bread loaf, and spiced pearl onions.
You can add a bit of pumpkin hummus over plain boiled quinoa, millet, baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, poke or buddha bowls, pasta salads, and flatbreads.
Serve them in vegetable sandwiches for extra protein and flavor. It is delicious with sourdough bread or classic Italian Pagnotta bread (bread loaf)!
Check our comprehensive guide on What to eat with hummus!
❓FAQ
Yes, you can. There are a lot of people whose tummies' don't tolerate garbanzo beans well or simply you ran out of chickpeas.
To avoid changing the flavor profile of the dish or its beautiful color drastically, I have successfully switched the garbanzo beans for white beans (cannellini beans), which have a similar color and slightly blander taste, which you can easily adjust with some extra tahini paste, roasted or raw garlic and/or seasonings.
Hummus is a simple, healthful appetizer. I strongly recommend using good-quality tahini for hummus since it adds a decisive and particular flavor. If you struggle to find tahini or just want to make your pumpkin hummus, have everything but the tahini, don't allow that to stop you from making it.
Replace the butter with soft peanut butter, almond butter, or any other nut butter you have handy.
🥡 Storage
This easy savory pumpkin hummus recipe tastes even better with a couple of hours in the refrigerator, giving the flavors some time to sit, although it is unnecessary.
I strongly encourage people to prepare it a couple of hours in advance before serving.
It is definitely not my choice as nothing beats freshly made pumpkin hummus, but if you are in for meal prep or have lots of leftovers, you can freeze the pumpkin hummus in an airtight container and freeze it for up to three months (adding a tablespoon extra olive oil over the top).
Your season pumpkin hummus may lose its scent when it freezes, so feel free to add spices and flavorings after thawing, then blend until smooth and creamy.
🫕 More hummus
If you try the pumpkin hummus and like it, or you are looking for more ways delicious recipes to make your hummus, check out our Lebanese hummus post, which outlines the basics of making a classic hummus recipe, a staple of the Middle Eastern diet, and vegan recipes.
If you fancy the subtle sweetness of carrots, try our carrot hummus made without tahini.
If you're seeking chickpea-free hummus, consider trying our beet and white bean hummus, edamame hummus, or black-eyed peas hummus. Each offers a delightful twist on the classic recipe and is sure to please your palate.
Creamy Pumpkin Hummus is a favorite recipe for Thanksgiving dinners and everyday meal planning during the fall season.
If you feel adventurous and are in for a mindblowing idea, try our dessert, dark chocolate hummus, a dessert hummus, made with chocolate and enjoyed with fresh fruit. Curious?
🎃 More pumpkin Recipes
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⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
🎥 Video
📋 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Hummus Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz chickpeas cooked, or 1 ½ can, drained (Plus 8 tablespoons of its starchy COLD water (you can add some ice cubes to it))
- ⅔ cup pumpkin roasted, or roasted butternut squash, or pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic medium, roasted and minced, or 1 raw. These are NOT in addition to the optional ones mentioned below.
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground curry masala or madras curry or ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- iced water 2-5 tablespoons
Optional Garlic and Rosemary preparation (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic medium, roasted, and then minced
- 1 rosemary fresh
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
FOR SERVING (optional)
- Pita chips or toasted pita bread
- rosemary
- Fresh chopped raw veggies like carrots and/or celery
Directions
- Rinse and drain chickpeas. Then add to a food processor or blender along with pumpkin, tahini, garlic cloves, lemon juice, salt, smoked paprika, curry or cumin, and cinnamon. Blend until the pumpkin hummus is creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. See notes below.Add iced water little by little until you reach the desired texture.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding extra lemon juice for acidity, cumin or paprika for smokiness, tahini for nuttiness, more garlic for intensity, pumpkin puree for sweetness and added pumpkin flavor, salt to make it savorier and extra virgin olive oil or garbanzo beans liquid for creaminess.
- Transfer hummus to a serving bowl and garnish (suggestions in notes).
Video
Notes
- Stovetop: Heat the oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and rosemary sprig (whole) and sauté for 1-2 minutes until slightly brown to allow the flavor to infuse the oil.
- Oven: roast the pumpkin wedges for 20-30 minutes, along with a garlic head and rosemary sprigs.
The leftover liquid from the canned or boiled chickpeas is a great resource to adjust the thickness and creaminess of your creamy pumpkin hummus without altering the flavor. Garnishing options:
Our favorite garnishes for homemade hummus are sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped parsley, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika (or cayenne pepper), a couple of cooked garbanzo beans, roasted garlic cloves, and roasted pumpkin chunks.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
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Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
As the lead content writer and recipe developer at Our Plant-Based World, he combines his passion for health and sustainability with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certification to create accessible, delicious vegan recipes. His expertise in plant-based cooking supports the blog's mission of fostering a healthier, environmentally conscious lifestyle through simple and seasonal dishes. His commitment to making vegan cooking enjoyable and inclusive for everyone shines in each recipe and article.
Toni
This is really an amazing hummus recipe! Everyone at my house enjoyed it.
Gus
I am so glad to hear that Toni! Cheers!
Carrie Robinson
Homemade hummus is the best! I will have to give this recipe a go soon. 🙂
MJ
I was looking for a new hummus recipe and this caught my eye. Loved the spices in this! Such a nice flavorful change from our regular hummus.
kushigalu
Love this interesting variation to hummus. Thanks for sharing. Making this soon
Holley
So flavorful! I will be making this again for the next holiday!
nancy
simply delicious and super healthy!
Gus
I am glad you liked it Nancy!
Gus
they are! I am glad you liked it!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for an afternoon snack and it does not disappoint! Delicious, creamy and perfect for fall; my whole family loved it!
Michelle
I absolutely love making different kinds of hummus! This pumpkin hummus was quick to make and did NOT disappoint. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Shilpa
This looks so good.. what a gorgeous colour. And I love the idea of adding curry masala to it. Will make it soon
Andrea
Creamy, smooth and a perfect Fall flavored appetizer.
Lucy
This pumpkin hummus is perfect for the fall. I love the paprika and curry seasoning.
Jacqueline Meldrum
What gorgeous flavours. I really have to try this!