Hummus and I go way back.
We’re kinda like best friends…
When you’ve adopted a whole-food plant-based, nutritarian lifestyle, how can you go wrong with chickpeas, tahini, citrus juice and spices?
You can’t.
Dr. Fuhrman classifies beans as one of 6 nutritarian superfoods (GBOMBS).
And, in his book, How Not to Die, Dr. Greger lists 1/4 cup of hummus as equivalent to one serving of the recommended three servings of beans daily (p. 276). And chickpeas have been shown to help treat and prevent diabetes and cholesterol!
It’s no surprise then, that one of the most popular recipes on the site is this no-oil Nutritarian Hummus. It’s delicious, dip-able and down-right good-for-you!
So I say: Give me all the hummus!
And now basic, beige hummus is getting all dolled up and pretty for ya–because pink food just makes life happier!
How to Roast Beets Without Oil
This was kind of a hurdle for me–I don’t know why, but there was something mentally holding me back from dealing with roasting beets.
The problem is that so many store-bought already roasted beets have salt, so I put my big-girl pants on and figured it out!
- preheat the oven to 375°
- trim beet greens and wash beets (no need to dry the beets off, the water helps them cook)
- wrap each beet in foil
- place on baking sheet and roast until tender (this ranges between 30 to 60 minutes depending on size)
- let the beets cool for at least 10 minutes
- unwrap from foil and then peel off the skin (I just rubbed them with my thumbs and skins come off easily)
- slice or chop to your heart’s content
So, now that I’ve learned how to roast beets, I’m doing it like all. the. time. Oh my gosh, roasted golden beets are sensational on a salad!
You know what else I love about this recipe? You make it in your high-speed blender! Woop woop!
I’m determined to hold out as long as I possibly can on buying a food processor–they just seem so fussy and hard to clean (if you have one that isn’t please be so kind as to share it with me below).
This recipe uses really straight-forward, whole-food ingredients, but there is one kinda-out-of-the-ordinary ingredient that sends the flavor of this beet hummus right over the top…
Beet Juice is Brilliant
Beet Juice is BrilliantYup, beet juice is what makes this recipe sing!
Now, this could be troublesome to find, but ever since I developed this recipe I’ve been spying beet juice all around: Trader Joe’s has a brand, Safeway and Srpouts.
Beet juice gives this hummus that amazing deep color and adds a real depth-of-flavor you wouldn’t get without it.
If tracking down beet juice just isn’t you’re thing, I totally get it! I would suggest reserving as much of the roasting juices as you can from the foil around the beets and using that in the recipe instead.
If you hang around the site much you can see I have a serious love affair going with this dressing I’m so happy to finally give you all a home-made beet hummus to use in the dressing recipe!
No-Oil Beet Hummus
This oil-free, no-added-salt Beet Hummus recipe packs a serious punch of flavor and nutrition into your healthy lifestyle. Perfect for Dr. Fuhrman's nutritarian plan and Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen!
Ingredients
- 2 packs/cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well (about 30 ounces including packing water)
- 1 1/2 cups diced roasted beets
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup tahini (one ingredient: sesame seeds)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup beet juice
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
FOR ROASTING BEETS:
-
Preheat the oven to 375°. Trim beet greens and wash beets (no need to dry the beets off, the water helps them cook). Wrap each beet in foil and place wrapped beets on baking sheet and roast until tender (this ranges between 30 to 60 minutes depending on size).
-
Let the beets cool for at least 10 minutes. Unwrap from foil and then peel off the skin (I just rubbed them with my thumbs and skins come off easily). Dice.
FOR HUMMUS:
-
Combine all the ingredients listed above in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
-
Store in glass containers, keeps for up to 10 days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Use this hummus on wraps and pitas and use it to make this No-Oil Beet Hummus Dressing too!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this No-Oil Beet Hummus recipe! Please leave a rating and comment below!
Hi Kristen
Just made this and it’s delish. Thank you! One question: does this freeze well? It’s a bigger batch than I thought it would be and I’d like to freeze half of it.
Jenifer
Hi Jennifer!
Thank you so, so much for taking the time to leave a recipe review–I’m so happy you liked it!
I am not sure if it freezes well or not–I always end up eating it all, lol!
To the extent that regular hummus freezes, I’m sure it will be fine! Please let me know how it does and I’ll add that into the recipe comments!
You can also use some of it to make a batch of beet-hummus dressing!
xo, Kristen
Kristen
Thanks for getting back to me. Turns out I didn’t need to freeze it anyway. Ate it all! Loved it….of course in vegetable but especially on a baked potato. Thank you.
Jenifer
Hi again Jenifer!
Thanks so much for letting me know!
Oh WOW–love, love, love the idea of using it on a baked potato–totally going to try that!
xo, Kristen
HI! I’m looking forward to making this hummus as I love TJ’s beet hummus but do not want the salt either. My question, though, is where do you get beet juice? If you are roasting the beets, there is no juice, right?
Hi Jean!
You can find beet juice in a bottle at the grocery store. Trader Joe’s has a 2 cup portion of beet juice near the milk and OJ section, where they keep the pre-made fresh juices! I’ve also seen beet juice at Safeway and Sprouts.
Yes, there are roasting juices that will accumulate, but to get that amazing flavor like in TJ’s brand you need to actually use beet juice (beets that have been juiced).
xo, Kristen
this sounds amazing, can’t wait to try! love hummus so much lately, i can’t get enough 😉
Hope you give it a try, Stephanie!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
xo, Kristen
Thank you, Kristen! I’ve made this before, and it is delicious. Today, as I was short on time, I blended a can of organic beets and its water (no salt added) with my homemade hummus and got a very vibrant pink color as well. I was so excited! Color is everything in these wonderful salads!
Beet juice, I’m sure we can juice a few beets to get the juice. Never seen it at my supermarket, well not without a lot of sugar etc with it 🙂
This recipe is delicious! Just wondering if there is nutritional info for this recipe and the other dressings for calorie counting? Thabks! 🤗
Hi Paris,
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for your review!
So sorry I don’t do calorie counts–it’s a big reason I was drawn to the nutritarian lifestyle to begin with 😉
xo, Kristen
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! I will certainly be trying them. Re: the food processor that I love comes with the Ninja Kitchen System — I make fresh chopped salads with it — so quick and easy!
I agree with the others, this recipe looks great, and will try it this weekend. I have a general few questions though… why drain and rinse boxed garbanzos? The packing bean liquor (aka aquafaba) is full of protein. Since I started buying tetra packed or BPA-free canned beans (no salt added), I no longer discard the liquid because it hasn’t taken on that “tinned” flavor. Am I missing something?
Second, have you ever used whole sesame seeds instead of store bought tahini? I assume a HSB like a VitaMix could handle it, but haven’t tried that myself. My gripe with store bought tahini is the oil separation, and it never feels like it recombined well.
And third, just a comment really about cooking beets… I use to roast mine like you do, but now I cook them in my Instant Pot, and I’ll never go back! (Trim and scrub well, use steamer rack and add beets and 1 cup water, “steam” function, 12 mins for small or 20 for the really big ones, 10 min quick release.) It’s really fast, no tedious wrapping and unwrapping, no wasted foil (I eat a ton of beets, and the foil waste always bugged me!), no hot oven. I don’t even bother to peel them anymore either.
I’m really looking forward to the new prep guide… Thanks for all your hard work, and sharing it!
Hi Jeanne!
I love all your options here! Youc an absolutely keep in the aquafaba or use it in place of the water! My most recent hummus recipe (you can find here) use aquafaba!
I haven’t used whole sesame seeds myself and I don’t have an Instant Pot but I’ve heard amazing things about them and THANK YOU for letting my Instant Pot readers know of this amazing alternative way of cooking beets!!
I’m so excited to share the 2nd edition with everyone, it’s going to be amazing!
xo, Kristen
I absolutely LOVE this!! It’s a real meal saver…just throw together some raw veg for dipping and you’re good to go. Thank you for all you do with your beautiful site. It has made my initial 6 week challenge so much easier!
Hi Donna!
YAY!! So happy to hear that you love this Beet Hummus recipe as much as I do! I’m so happy that you’re finding the site helpful in your nutritarian journey and I wish you an amazing 6 weeks (and more to come)!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review on this recipe!
xo, Kristen
This sounds amazing. Could I use beets that i cooked in the instant pot instead of roasting them? Would there be any difference in the flavour?
Hi Ellie,
I think it would definitely work! If you give it a try with cooking the beets that way please come back and let us know what you think (and any tips)!
xo, Kristen
Well this is indeed a winner! I used the Instant Pot to cook the beets as I usually do (with 1 cup of water) and that worked well, as expected. The juice in the instant pot (usually drunk by my husband) was great for the beet juice (he had some left over to drink – phew!
I have shared this with friends and even my elderly mother-in-law (going plant based at 84).
Thanks so much for sharing this! I
Let’s live better together, is a catching line and I love it.
So my question is can I roast vegetables without oil and without aluminium foil. That would be so much better for the earth.
Can I roast veggies in water in the oven ?
Thank you
Hi Margriet,
You can roast the beets without foil too–they are more dry. You can line your pan with parchment paper or use a glass roasting pan too!
Hi and thank you for the recipe, but I was wondering If using canned beets would be an option and use the liquid as a beet juice or maybe not use any liquid at all since canned beets seem to hold more water
Hi Jannah, you can definitely use canned beets, the only difference will be the color but the taste should still be great. I agree to do an experiment and leave out the liquid and sees if it needs it after blending!
Delicious!
Thanks so much, Lisa!
Hi Kristen,
If I’m using garbanzo beans which I cooked by myself, how many cups of garbanzo beans should I use or what should be the weight of the garbanzo beans?
(Sorry about my English)
Thank you 🙂
Hi Chen, I will have to find that out for you and update the recipe then!
Hi Kristen,
I have one concern – using aluminum foil in hi heat. Is there another way to roast the beets without the foil and still be done well?
Hi Sue, you can steam the beets or dry roast them uncovered in a glass pan!
This is the most delicious hummus I’ve ever had. I cut the recipe in half so it would fit in a 16 oz container and made it in my Vitamix . To get a smooth blend, I had to use the full amount of water, and I let it run to make a really smooth creamy hummus. No flavor dominates. I guess it just has a lot of umami. BTW, I will eat anything with sesame in it :>)
Thank you for sharing your personal technique and substitutions with the recipe, Sue! I’m so very happy to hear that it’s one of your favorites!