You’re probably familiar with hummus, the healthy bean dip that’s often served with pita bread. Today, you can find it everywhere – from high-end Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants to convenience store cooler cases, airplane snack carts to elementary school lunch menus, and everything in between.
The creamy dip is commonly made with chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. It’s an easy healthy bean dip to make, but subtle changes to the preparation can alter the flavors and consistency of the dip dramatically.
For instance, adding roasted garlic instead of raw garlic will make a sweeter hummus, while adding garlic powder instead of roasted or raw garlic will result in a more subtle flavor.
But it’s time to change things up a bit! And that’s where sun-dried tomatoes come in. Their sweet and savory flavor is the perfect match for the more neutral chickpeas, and they bring a dash of vibrant color as well.
I prefer the jarred variety that comes packed in oil for this recipe, since the flavorful oil can be used to garnish the dip before serving. But you can also use your own homemade sun-dried tomatoes, made in the food dehydrator, reconstituted in hot water for about 30 minutes, and then patted dry. Just remember to add a little extra olive oil to the dip if you go this route.
Bonus points if you use tomatoes grown in your own garden! If you’ve got the gardening bug, check out these tips from our sister site, Gardener’s Path.
Tips and Tricks
As for preparation tips, I recommend using dried beans and processing them when they are still warm from cooking. This is a key step to making your hummus very smooth and creamy. Some cooks even like to add some baking soda to the cooking water, to hasten this process.
Plan ahead by soaking your garbanzos at least 24 hours in advance, or use your pressure cooker to soften them more quickly.
There are even some homemade hummus recipes that call for removing each of the thin skins from every single chickpea, a super tedious process, to make the smoothest puree possible. I’ve tried this and it will do the trick, but it also removes a lot of the healthy fiber from the beans.
Canned chickpeas can be used instead, just be sure to buy a no-salt variety, or rinse them well to remove the salty brine they are stored in.
And don’t forget to save that water, especially from the beans that are packed without any added sodium! It’s a wonderful vegan egg replacement known as aquafaba that can be used to make meringues, homemade mayonnaise, and more.
The following hummus recipe is a favorite of mine that I like to make regularly, and it’s delicious at any time of year. Feel free to make it your own, by using different types of hot pepper to vary the spice level, or adding fresh herbs like basil to create a more Italian-style version.
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The Best Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
The combination of sun-dried tomatoes and chickpeas in this recipe gives you a delicious Mediterranean twist that is a little tangy, and very rich in flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1–2 cans, drained)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, roasted (or raw) and minced
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- If you are using dried beans and you haven’t already cooked them: Soak 1 cup chickpeas in water for 24 hours, changing the water twice. Rinse, then place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked all the way through, then drain.
- If you still need to roast your garlic: Drizzle a whole bulb with a bit of olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil, then roast in the oven or toaster oven at 425°F for 30-45 minutes, or until soft. Open the foil package and allow to cool.
- Place chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1 tablespoon water in the food processor. Puree until combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for 1-2 more minutes, until smooth. Gradually add additional water as necessary, until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- If you like, garnish with more olive oil, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and/or minced fresh herbs before serving.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe by Sarah Hagstrom.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prepare Chickpeas, Garlic, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
If you haven’t already, cook your chickpeas and roast your garlic if you need to. Raw garlic is also delicious and it will contribute an added kick of almost spicy flavor, and canned garbanzos are also fine to use.
Drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes, using a chef’s knife and a sturdy cutting board. For this recipe, you want to use the jarred kind that come packed in oil, though you could reconstitute the dehydrated version if you like.
Be sure to reserve that flavorful oil, though! It makes a delicious garnish for this tangy dip.
Step 2 – Measure Ingredients
Measure the remaining ingredients for the recipe, so you will have them ready to add to the food processor.
Drain the chickpeas in a colander with a bowl beneath it, reserving the liquid for a later use. Give them a rinse if you are using canned salted beans.
Juice the lemon, and mince the garlic. Want to save yourself a little time? It may be worth it to invest in a garlic press.
Step 3 – Add Ingredients to Food Processor
Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1 tablespoon water to your food processor with the regular blade insert.
A high-speed blender can also be used to make a nice smooth puree.
Step 4 – Puree
Puree until combined, then scrape down the sides of the food processor. Pulsing a few times at first can help to incorporate the beans.
Continue to puree until smooth, adding water as needed until the desired consistency is reached. Now you are ready to serve the hummus!
Don’t Forget the Oil!
Whenever I go to restaurants and order hummus, it’s always served with a lovely drizzle of olive oil and a seasoning of freshly ground salt and pepper.
It’s a gorgeous and simple presentation idea that is perfect for parties. I suggest serving this with a drizzle of the oil that comes in the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. It gives the hummus a little extra boost of flavor, and a sprinkling of additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes on top really brings the look together.
Serve with vegetables and pita cut into wedges. We also love it with homemade crackers like buckwheat cheddar or parmesan rosemary.
You can also place a hearty dollop atop a bowl of your favorite whole grains and leafy greens.
We’re also excited by the idea of using this as the spread in our recipe for hummus, avocado, and sun-dried tomato sandwiches. Double the sun-dried tomato fun!
Can’t get enough hummus? We’ve got plenty of other flavors to tickle your taste buds with! Here are just a few of our favorites.
If more sun-dried tomatoes are what you’re after, don’t miss this tasty, healthy, and gluten-free recipe for Spiralized Sweet Potato Noodles with Roasted Red Peppers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
Tell us what you think in the comments below! And don’t forget to rate this recipe while you’re at it.
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Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Lynne Jaques on August 26, 2014. Last updated: July 18, 2022 at 17:08 pm. With additional writing and editing by Meghan Yager and Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Lynne Jaques
Lynne is a stay-at-home mother of two boys. As a former US military officer and the spouse of an active duty US military member, Lynne enjoys traveling the world (although not the moving part!) and finding new cuisine and methods of preparing food. She also has the habit of using parenthesis way too much!
I love hummus and hadn’t thought about using garlic powder. It would make it less coarse and also less pungent. I may try it with some caramelized onions for an extra kick. Good tip to try out!
I just this week found a new and stable supplier of tahini paste in my new town. I am so happy. I was using peanut butter as an alternative out of desperation and it works, but it’s not ideal. I can’t wait to try this new hummus recipe. I’ve never tried one with sun-dried tomatoes and it sounds just perfect.
I do cheat and use canned chickpeas. Ever since I found a video from America’s Test Kitchen on how to quickly remove the skins from canned beans, the texture is just as good as hummus from dried.
Thanks so much for a hummus recipe! Hummus is yummus! Haha
What a lovely recipe! I love hummus and I love garlic, so this is a very nice combination in my opinion.
I find myself drifting farther and farther away from carbohydrates of any kind these days. Not as a health matter, but my taste buds and/or palate just doesn’t want them. I feel like I’d choke trying to get anything “bready” down. I like the looks of this but how do you think that might fare on zucchini sliced length wise and baked?
I have eaten a lot of hummus with zucchini, but usually fresh zucchini sliced in rounds. I think the baked zucchini might be a bit soft. I also love hummus on cucumber rounds. I am trying to avoid carbohydrates as well, so if you try the baked zucchini let me know how it goes!
I enjoy eating hummus and I use it as a replacement for meat. For a long time, I had knew hummus main ingredient were chickpeas.
Hi, Torreyy, you can also indulge in this delicious hummus recipe with veggie chips.
I love hummus, but I’m not a huge fan of making it with sun dried tomatoes. My favorites are roasted red pepper or pine nuts. I haven’t used dried chickpeas before, just the canned ones that have been drained and rinsed. I think a hummus like this, even with the sun dried tomatoes, would taste great on slices of fresh cucumber.
I am a big fan of hummus too. I usually have it as a starter when I eat out as it makes a great started to graze on with dips.
It is easy and quick to make and provides a great starter at home too, interesting ingredients, I think the lemon and garlic will go together really well.
Never tried hummus before, i always say the more positive votes, then the more positive that element must be, so without further ado am noting down this recipe, implement then will give feedback later. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this simple hummus recipe. I need more practice when making this creamy dip as I find it a healthy snack and a delicious one to spread on sandwiches. Thanks for the article that I maybe able to produce a fantastic one, and enhance the flavor by adding sun-dried tomatoes!
I can never get enough of garlic, and I love hummus. And funny thing – I’m not big on tomatoes unless they’re sun-dried, then I’ll eat them up! This sounds like a great mixture of all of them, and I’m excited to try it out!
I’m not big on tomatoes most of the time either. Though I really do like sun-dried ones. I’m a big fan of hummus and I think that this will work out really good together. I’m excited to try this. Hummus works well for a lot of stuff.
I’ve added garlic powder to hummus before and found it gave just the right depth of flavor – not too overpowering. This recipe looks really cost-efficient and it’s certainly much cheaper to whip up your own hummus than buy it from the store.
The picture looks yummy. I’ve never tried adding garlic powder to my hummus. Maybe this is what I’ve been missing in my recipe. It never really comes out as good as the ones I buy in the store. I feel like it’s been missing a certain taste. I’ll try this. Thanks!
Jen,
Yes, try it with garlic. I’m sure you’ll find that it’s much better. Garlic makes everything better (I probably spent too much time in Korea where garlic is almost everything).
This is a wonderful take on hummus. I am in Israel and have had many delicious types of hummus. Your explanation on how the type of garlic added, effects the flavor, is very helpful. I just know the roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes are going to leave a signature on this hummus. They are beloved ingredients here. The manner you present it is a great idea to use for parties, on a tray, looking so appetizing. Fabulous!
Did not find much hummus that I liked — sometimes, I just cannot abide the strong bean flavor, no matter the added ingredients! But considering how healthy a dip it is, I really, really want to like it!
After soaking the chickpeas, is there a moment where we need to get them rid of their “skins”? I know when I prepare lima beans, after a twenty hour soak we have to press them out of their soft shell (and the same way, lentils sort of shed their skins when cooked).
Anyway. I love garlic, especially roasted, and I love sun dried tomato. So I guess this would be a good fit for me to finally learn to love hummus.
I have been lured to every article here with the promise of sun dried tomatoes. Just the image of a sun dried tomato makes me want to love whatever is being made. What??? You added cheese??? It’s over.
What a coincidence, I just ate hummus and pita bread as an appetizer with an Iranian friend of mine in a ‘Persian’ restaurant the other day. Hummus is very tasty. Your recipe kind of gives me an idea to try it on other types of bread.
I really like the flavor profiles in this hummus recipe. I have been meaning to try and make my own hummus and I think this is the best recipe I have seen so far. Tahini is never available in my local stores so I will have to purchase some online. I really like the addition of roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Those are two of my most favorite things together. Yum.
I love hummus so much, and this recipe looks very good. I’ve never made my own, but I think I’d like to try using this recipe. I never realized that using dried chickpeas made that much of a difference, so I’ll definitely be taking that in to account. Sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic will add amazing flavor. I can’t wait to try it!
Yum, I’ve never actually roasted garlic, so I’m glad you gave that recipe, as well. I like the idea of a sweeter dip, so I’ll try it that way. I’ve been wanting to make tahini paste, so this gives me an excuse. This dip sounds delicious, and I’ll be using it on pita chips.
Hummus has become one of my staples since going vegan, as it’s versatile, low-carb, and spreadable. This is a simple enough dish to bring to get-togethers with a good selection of bread, pita chips, and veggies. I have neve tried making it with garlic powder- I’m curious to see the difference in texture.
This sounds very good and it would be a great appetizer to take to a friend’s house for dinner. It sounds like it is very healthy also. I love that it is gluten free also and could be put on gluten free crackers!
I’ve always used raw garlic because I prefer a stronger flavor. It didn’t occur to me to add sun-dried tomatoes though, I usually just use olive oil with a sprinkle of pepper and herbs. I think that the tomatoes could complement very nicely with the garlic. Another possibility could be using olives instead of tomatoes.
Another great hummus variation! Thanks! I love roasted garlic and this will add a great flavor to the hummus, using sun dried tomatoes and the oil is a clever idea. I always use dried chickpeas that I cook myself, never the canned ones. I have a feeling hummus will be on the menu this weekend 🙂
Having recently been struggling with the constantly raising prices of healthier foods, this article is a godsend! Mind you I might have to use the canned chickpeas, since those are cheaper in bulk than the alternative. This way I get to change things up and add other flavors. Thank you so much for this.
PS. Has anyone ever tried to add hummus on a pita bread then grill it like a pizza? it is delicious!
I’m going to try this one out. I’m always looking for new and interesting hummus recipes, and I love both garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. This sounds positively delicious!
Mmm, this sounds delicious. Of course, I like everything that goes into it, so that helps. I think I’m going to have to try it with the canned version first, since that’s all I have on hand and have already been to the store, but yeah, I bet freshly made is even better.
It looks pretty too with the garnish. This would make a nice alternative for party food instead of standard fare, but I’d also just have it as an anytime snack.