Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus

This healthy and colorful Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus is perfect for entertaining. Treat your guests to a stunning pink spread that will wow them with its fresh, delicious flavor!

Jump to:

• What is hummus?
• 🌶️ What spices can I add?
• 💕 Why add beets?
• 🧆 Why eat chickpeas?
• 🍋 Ingredient notes
• 🔪 Step by step instructions
• 🍲 How to cook chickpeas from scratch
• How to store cooked chickpeas
• 🥫 Can I use canned beets?
• 🥙 How to serve this Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus
• 💭 Top tips
• 🧊 How to store
• 🥘 Related recipes
• 📖 Recipe

I love having hummus around for a quick snack. I always have some in the fridge because it's such a great filling lunch option, especially when paired with veggies and a wrap or pita. This Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus recipe is one of my favorites. There are many great store-bought options out there; however, nothing beets, I mean, beats, homemade hummus!

What is hummus?

Hummus is a creamy and delicious dip or spread that originated in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It is made of cooked chickpeas, tahini (a paste made from hulled sesame seeds), olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. 

🌶️ What spices can I add?

You can add cumin, smoked paprika, sumac, or a combination of all three. I normally don't add any spices to this recipe because I want to focus on the subtly earthy flavor of the beets. I've added cumin as an option.

💕 Why add beets?

Apart from the gorgeous pink that the freshly roasted beets give to hummus, I love the subtly earthy and sweet flavor they add.

Beets are a great source of antioxidants, phytonutrients, beta-carotene, fiber, folate, iron, manganese, potassium, and vitamin C. Beetroots and their juice have been linked with numerous health benefits such as liver cleansing, improved blood flow, increased exercise performance, and lower blood pressure.

Beets are commonly found throughout Europe, and they are seen extensively in Eastern European, Russian, and Scandinavian cuisine.

🧆 Why eat chickpeas?

Chickpeas are a great source of plant-based protein and fiber. They also contain manganese, minerals, zinc, vitamins including B vitamins, and amino acids.

Hummus is a source of protein and fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, especially calcium, folate, magnesium, and potassium.

🍋 Ingredient notes

• Cooked chickpeas - you can use canned, but I've found that freshly cooked chickpeas have superior taste and texture.
• Roasted red beets for earthy sweetness
• Garlic for bite
• Tahini because it's essential for hummus! I start with ¼ cup, you can add more if you like after tasting it. It's easy to add more if you need it but you can't take it away if you've added too much.
• Fresh lemon juice for brightness
• Fine sea salt for bringing out the flavor
• Cold water for thinning the hummus

🔪 Step by step instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Roast the beets. Prepare the beets for roasting by cutting the stems and greens and reserve them for another use in vegetable broth or sauteing the greens with garlic. It's best to cut off the stems and greens within two days of buying the beets; otherwise, they will wilt.

Scrub the beets, dry them, and cover them with aluminum foil completely. You don't have to wrap each beet separately. Depending on the size of the small beets, roast them for 40 to 60 minutes. 

Once they are cooled, roughly chop the beets and reserve the beet juice to go in the hummus.

While the beets are roasting, you can cook the chickpeas - instructions are below. If using canned chickpeas, cook them briefly for 20 minutes to soften them, then drain and rinse them.

If you want extra creamy hummus, be sure to cook the chickpeas until they are soft and yield to the the pressure of your finger.

Remove the beets from the oven and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Once the beets are cooled, roughly chop them and reserve the beet juice to go in the hummus.

Put the chickpeas, chopped beets with any beet juice, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin if you are adding it, and salt in the food processor bowl. Blend until smooth for at least 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of cold water during blending. Stop the food processor and scrape the sides occasionally.

Add another 2 to 4 tablespoons of cold water if the hummus is too thick. Continue to blend until the hummus is smooth and creamy.

Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil on top, and add parsley or add microgreens and sesame seeds like I did.

🍲 How to cook chickpeas from scratch

I cook a pound of chickpeas at a time. That way, I always have some in the freezer to use for making hummus. Here's how to do it:

• Rinse a pound of dry chickpeas well, pick through them, and place them in a large stockpot the night before. Cover them with several inches of water on top, since the chickpeas will absorb water and get bigger. I leave them on the kitchen counter overnight, covered.

• The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place them in the stockpot and cover them with an extra 2 inches of water on top. Bring the water to a boil and cook them for at least one hour, up to one and a half hours at a simmer, occasionally stirring. Add more water when necessary. You want well-cooked chickpeas to get nice and creamy hummus. They should get so soft that they yield to pressure.

How to store cooked chickpeas

When the chickpeas are cooked, drain them, rinse them with cold water, and place them on a baking sheet to cool. Measure 2 cups for this recipe, and freeze the rest by placing them in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Lay the bag flat in the freezer, so the chickpeas do not freeze in clumps.

🥫 Can I use canned beets?

I don't recommend it, the flavor will not be as delicious, and the color will not be as vibrant. However, if that is all that you have available, you can try it and adjust the flavors to your liking. The color will be a lot more subdued, and let's face it, the vibrant pink color of fresh roasted beets adds a lot to this hummus!

You can try the store-bought pre-cooked beets that are sold in vacuum packaging. The color may be different, as well as the taste. If you're in a hurry, they'll do in a pinch, but I urge you to try roasting and tasting the difference for yourself!

🥙 How to serve this Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus

• Add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil to the hummus when you serve it. You can garnish it with parsley which is traditional, or microgreens and sesame seeds, which is what I did.
• I love serving this hummus with pita bread or wraps along with raw vegetables such as sliced red pepper, carrot sticks, or sliced cucumber and radish.
• You can also serve it on whole-grain crackers, tortilla chips, or put it on sandwiches along with avocado for a healthy snack that'll keep you full until dinnertime!
• Spread it on toast and top it with avocado.
• Add it to a Mediterranean Bowl, or add it to my Southwest Quinoa Bowl.
• Make a sandwich or wrap and add this beetroot hummus, avocado, cucumber, radish, and sprouts.

💭 Top tips

• You may want to wear gloves when cutting and handling the beets since the pigmentation can leave a reddish-pink stain.

• It's well worth the effort to cook the chickpeas and roast the beets. Plus, when you cook them yourself, you can control how soft the chickpeas get for a creamier hummus.

• Add cold water while the ingredients are mixing in the food processor until the hummus is creamy. Blend for at least 3 to 5 minutes.

🧊 How to store

• This hummus will keep for about 4 to 7 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. 

• You can freeze it for up to 4 months in a tightly sealed container. I've never had to do that since it disappears so fast!

🥘 Related recipes

If you make this Vegan Pink Beetroot Hummus, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchen.

This recipe is adapted from The Accidental Vegan.

📖 Recipe