This might sound strange coming from the girl who just posted a recipe for Loaded Pizza Nachos (and spent the entirety of the post passionately declaring her love for cheese-covered triangles), but my favorite food to make is actually healthy food. Wait, let me rephrase that. My favorite is the kind that's flavorful, comforting, and healthy. No, make that flavorful, comforting, healthy, and easy-to-make. Yeah, that one.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good, greasy indulgence as much as the next gal, and I like to get elaborate and intense in the kitchen from time-to-time. But there's just something so awesome about being able to whip a recipe together that's guilt-free and delicious. Especially when you've only got a few minutes to spare and a few ingredients on hand.
Last week, I was preparing to a few have friends over for some fall festivities, and I felt like I was slacking in the snack department. I scoured my fridge for something to throw together when I saw a big can of leftover pumpkin puree from these Nutella Pumpkin Samoa Cookies. Because pumpkin puree isn't sweetened (like pumpkin pie filling), I decided to go the savory route and make a dip out of it. A foil-wrapped can of chipotles in adobo hiding in the back of the fridge, a half-empty container of tahini from my many batches of Michael Solomonov's Perfect Hummus Tehina, and a lonely can of chickpeas in the pantry sealed the deal for me.
I was going to make Smoky Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus, and I was (hopefully) going to love it.
I'm generally pretty confident about my recipe ideas before I start making them, but this time I had so many concerns. Does pumpkin puree taste good without baking it into anything? Is this going to remind me of baby food? Will the hummus flavor shine through? Will anyone even eat this?
Yet somehow I managed to convince myself to try it anyway. Into the blender the ingredients went, and my fingers stayed crossed until my first bite. Clearly you already know it wound up being edible because I'm sharing the recipe with you, but guys... it was so delcious. It was so, so delicious.
This Smoky Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus is creamy, warming, soothing, seasonal, slightly spicy, and chock-full of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. It's almost too good to be true, and it's really almost too good to share. In fact, I purposely only set out half of the hummus for my friends to enjoy because I wanted to hide some in the fridge to snack on later. Shh, don't tell them.
By the way, James wound up eating the hidden away hummus before I could get to it. Such is life.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, my friends loved it. Even the ones who "hate hummus" and make a face when I mention the word pumpkin. I'm pretty sure it's the smokiness from the chipotle peppers and smoked paprika that wooed even the strongest skeptics.
And to think, it took me all of 5 minutes to make this recipe! Tell me that isn't the perfect party food, or the greatest easy Thanksgiving appetizer? I know I'll be serving this up on turkey day while everyone waits for the main event. I have a feeling we'll hear a lot less questions about when the food will be done!
Give this recipe a go-- it will only take a few minutes and you'll be so glad you did. Use it as a dip, use it as a spread, or even top your chicken with it before baking! But whatever you do with your Smoky Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus, don't forget to take a picture. Use the hashtag #hostthetoast on Instagram and it'll show up on the You Made It page. I can't wait to see yours!
Smoky Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more, to top
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, plus adobo sauce, to taste
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more to top
- Roasted, salted pumpkin seeds, to top
Instructions
- Pulse the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and salt together in a food processor or blender until it forms a paste. Add in the chickpeas, olive oil, and chipotle chiles and pulse until smooth. Add in the pumpkin puree, cumin, and smoked paprika and pulse until well-combined.
- Transfer the hummus to a bowl and swirl the top using the back of the spoon. Drizzle over a little additional olive oil. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and top with roasted pumpkin seeds. Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
Anne says
So excited to try this for Thanksgiving! I've made a bunch of your recipes already and not a single one has failed me 😉
SharyG says
Has anyone tried this with butternut squash?
Kat says
I made this for a pumpkin-carving party and it was a total hit! (Made pretty much to recipe specs, with the exception of cutting the cumin in half and adding about a half tsp of coriander.) Thanks for the recipe!
Angela says
Can you sub the chilis for chili powder? How much?
Vicki Summitt says
What did you serve this with? crackers, apple and pear slices, or veggie strips such as celery, peppers, crackers etc.?
Morgan says
I served it with a whole cheese board / spread, you can get some inspiration here: https://hostthetoast.com/how-to-make-the-ultimate-autumn-harvest-cheese-board/
Margaret says
Can I make this 2 days in advance, store in the fridge and have it still be fresh and yummy?
Morgan says
Yes it will be fine!
Hunter says
Need to specify just two chiles in adobo and not two cans of chili adobos. I can tolerate the spice and thought it tasted wonderful but it was a bit too spicy for the people
Nic says
Made this for teacher appreciation at my boys school. It was a hit! They cleaned the bowl. Followed the recipe exactly. I served it with pita chips and crunch bread sticks. So good!!
Hillary says
Made this for Thanksgiving for my family. Served with pita chips and pretzel rods. Some also had it with carrots or other veggies. It was a HUGE hit! I'm back to forward the recipe to the whole family!