Move Over, Chickpeas! There’s a New Hummus in Town
RECIPES

Move Over, Chickpeas! There’s a New Hummus in Town

Send your favorite hummus to North Africa, picking up some ingredients along the way.

Ready IN
40 mins
Servings
2
Save
By Lynda Balslev
Updated:

Who doesn’t like a good hummus? Mild, nutty, and agreeably versatile, this creamy Levantine dip is a go-to for snacks, spreads, and parties. It’s also a wonderful starting point for variations, such as carrot hummus.

Picture your favorite Middle Eastern hummus—the ubiquitous blend of chickpeas, sesame paste (tahini), olive oil, lemon, and garlic. Then, send it further west to North Africa, picking up a few more ingredients along the way, such as coriander, mint, and harissa, a fiery Moroccan chile paste. Now, add the carrots—but before you do, roast them, softening them to a blending consistency and coloring them with specks of char while coaxing out their ample natural sugars. Give it all a good blitz in a food processor until thick, creamy, and smooth. Take a taste—it will be mildly sweet, slightly nutty, a tad smoky, and bright with citrus. Scrape it into a bowl and lick the spoon, then decorate the top with a shower of chopped crunchy pistachios and fragrant cilantro. Chances are you will never go back.

Move Over, Chickpeas! There’s a New Hummus in Town
Lynda Balslev
Time
40 mins
(Prep 10 mins)
Servings
2
ingredients
For the Carrots
  • 1 pound orange carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pinch sugar
For the Hummus
  • 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon harissa sauce (or sambal oelek)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for garnish
For Garnish
  • pistachios, shelled and chopped
  • fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the carrots in a small baking dish. Add the oil, salt, and sugar, and stir to coat. Roast in the oven until the carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove and cool slightly.
STEP 2
Transfer the carrots and any pan juices to the bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining hummus ingredients and process until smooth. If hummus is too thick, add additional olive oil or warm water to your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.
STEP 3
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl and garnish with the pistachios, cilantro, and extra black pepper. Serve with pita wedges, baguette, and/or crudités.
Note
Makes about 2 cups
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Lynda Balslev
Lynda Balslev
Author
Lynda Balslev is a cookbook author, food and travel writer, and recipe developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her Danish husband, two children, a cat, and a dog. Balslev studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and worked as a personal chef, culinary instructor, and food writer in Switzerland and Denmark. Copyright 2026 Lynda Balslev. Distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication.