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 or if you have leftovers from a roasted pumpkin or roasted butternut squash fall recipes side dish.
Jump to:
🧾 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?
I wrote a detailed post about creating an authentic classic hummus, so please check it out. If you like roasted red peppers, you might also like our red peppers hummus. Also check our avocado hummus for guacamole lovers and our chickpea-less pink beet hummus.
- Cooked chickpeas
- Roasted fresh pumpkin, or canned pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- Lemon juice
- Tahini paste
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Curry powder (or ground cumin)
- Smoked paprika
Optional ingredients:
Cinnamon and Rosemary.
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
🔪 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), so 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 the pumpkin, steam it 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.
A faster option is simply to heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, rosemary sprig (whole), and sauté for 1-2 minutes until slightly brown and allow the flavors to infuse the oil.
Tip: you can also use the puréed squash to make a creamy vegan butternut squash
Infuse rosemary with garlic in olive oil.
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 chose 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.
💡 Garnishing ideas
Garnishing your Savory Pumpkin Hummus recipe is optional, but I think 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, and freshly ground black pepper, a couple of cooked garbanzo beans, roasted garlic cloves, and roasted pumpkin wedges or dice.
As you can see, you have plenty of ideas to play with, don't overdo it, just 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.
🥢 How to serve
What to eat with pumpkin hummus?
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)!
🍶 Substitutions
You might wonder, what's the point of substituting pumpkin on pumpkin hummus? Well, the thing is that many members of the squash family can do the job just fine because they have a very similar flavor and nutritional profile.
You can use butternut squash, regular green pumpkin, sugar pumpkin, Hokkaido pumpkin, acorn squash, and delicata pumpkins without drastically affecting the outcome.
📖 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 farther from reaching the hummus flavor profile.
🥡 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 simply have lots of leftovers, you can freeze the pumpkin hummus in an airtight container and freeze 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.
❓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.
🫕 More hummus and dip recipes
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 Hummus 3-Ways post, which outlines the basics of making a classic hummus recipe, a staple of the middle eastern diet, and vegan recipes, plus another two variations.
We love Middle-Eastern cuisine; if you do as well, you will love our classic Eggplant Babaganoush recipe, this tahini-free fantastic roasted bell peppers Muhammara dip, and our Crispy Falafels recipe, and pair it with a flavourful Tabbouleh Salad.
Creamy Pumpkin Hummus is a favorite recipe for Thanksgiving dinners and everyday meal planning during the fall season.
🎃 More pumpkin Recipes
⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Hummus Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz cooked chickpeas or 1 ½ can, drained (Plus 8 tablespoons of its starchy COLD water (you can add some ice cubes to it))
- ⅔ cup roasted pumpkin or roasted butternut squash, or pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 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
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.
- 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.
Jen says
A quick and easy holiday appetizer. Enjoyed as a snack and making for Thanksgiving day. Yum.
Gus says
Thanks for taking the time to review this recipe Jen, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I love hearing from our readers so please do keep in touch with your feedback.
Julia says
Loved this version of hummus. I've never tried adding cinnamon before to a hummus recipe. We loved it. Thank you for sharing this.
Gus says
Thank you Julia for your review and feedback. We're so happy to hear that you enjoyed the cinnamon twist on our hummus recipe!
Biana says
Pumpkin hummus sounds delicious! Such a great fall appetizer.
Gus says
Thank you so much for your review, Biana. We are happy to hear that you liked the recipe!
Choclette says
I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to hummus. But I absolutely love the sound of this as well as the pretty colour. So I'm going to break one of my own rules and try your pumpkin hummus.
Gus says
Thank you for your review, Choclette! I'm so glad to hear that you are willing to try something new. We hope this pumpkin hummus will be a delicious experience for you and we look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Healing Tomato says
Perfect hummus recipe for the season! It looks so easy to make and love the flavors in it. I can't wait to dip my veggies in it.
Taly says
Me encanta el hummus de garbanzos, y también la calabaza!
Cuando pruebe la receta, les cuento...
Gus says
Qué bueno Taly! Por fa no dejes de contarnos cómo te va con la receta! Segura la amarás!
Maricruz says
Amazing recipe for this season, Gus. I definitely need to give a try, even if I’m not a big fan of salty zucca recipes, but hey, I love hummus so I think this is the perfect recipe for me.
Oh and the photos? Stunning, as usual 🙂
Gus says
Maricruz, thank you for your feedback and the time to write a review. I'm glad you're excited about our recipe!
I was also happy to see that you are interested in trying it even though zucca is not your favorite vegetable. The hummus can really make all the difference, I promise!
Thank you about the compliments on the pics! 🙂
Holly says
This was an excellent addition to our Friendsgiving snack board! The smoked paprika and masala take this hummus to a whole other level.
Gus says
Hi Holly, thank you for your review! We're so glad to hear that our Smoked Paprika and Masala Hummus was a hit!
We hope you have a great time with friends and family. Thank you again for sharing your experience with us!
Cathleen says
Why have I never thought of making pumpkin hummus?? This is so perfect for the holidays, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Andrea White says
i love hummus! This recipe is awesome!
Gus says
Thank you Andrea! We are super hummus lovers as well!
Caitlyn Erhardt says
WOW! This was incredible! Love the texture and flavor and paired mine with carrots. Thanks for a great recipe.
Gus says
We are very glad you enjoyed it Caitlyn! Carrots are great to pair with hummus!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love creative and new food ideas this is perfect!
Cathleen says
I'm kicking myself for not thinking of making this earlier!! I am definitely going to be making this for Thanksgiving, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Jamie says
The smoked paprika and curry made this so wonderful! It's such a great appetizer for fall!
Gus says
Jamie, thank you for your review of our smoked paprika and curry hummus.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this appetizer as much as we do!
We hope to see you again soon at Our Plant-based World!
Emily says
This savory pumpkin hummus recipe is a fall favorite! So good with smoked paprika and curry powder!
Gus says
Emily, thank you for the review and I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Caroline says
I love how easy it is to make hummus and this fall-flavored twist sounds delicious as well. Looking forward to trying soon!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
What gorgeous flavours. I really have to try this!
Lucy says
This pumpkin hummus is perfect for the fall. I love the paprika and curry seasoning.
Andrea says
Creamy, smooth and a perfect Fall flavored appetizer.
Shilpa says
This looks so good.. what a gorgeous colour. And I love the idea of adding curry masala to it. Will make it soon
Michelle says
I absolutely love making different kinds of hummus! This pumpkin hummus was quick to make and did NOT disappoint. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this for an afternoon snack and it does not disappoint! Delicious, creamy and perfect for fall; my whole family loved it!
nancy says
simply delicious and super healthy!
Gus says
I am glad you liked it Nancy!
Gus says
they are! I am glad you liked it!
Holley says
So flavorful! I will be making this again for the next holiday!
kushigalu says
Love this interesting variation to hummus. Thanks for sharing. Making this soon
MJ says
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.
Carrie Robinson says
Homemade hummus is the best! I will have to give this recipe a go soon. 🙂
Toni says
This is really an amazing hummus recipe! Everyone at my house enjoyed it.
Gus says
I am so glad to hear that Toni! Cheers!