It’s fall and I’m so excited! I know that it’s easy to go overboard on the pumpkin stuff this time of year, but hear me out.
This hummus dip is SO worth making. Like, it’s the real deal. Get ready to experience a fluffy, creamy, smoky, perfectly spiced dip that just happens to come together in 10 minutes.
Origins of Hummus
Like many foods, the exact origin of hummus is debated. But it’s believed that the first recipes appeared in 13th century cookbooks (source).
Hummus is an Arabic word that simply means “chickpeas.” And chickpeas have been grown in the Middle East and India for thousands of years.
Hummus bi tahini (but often just referred to as “hummus”) is made with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon. It’s a common dish in Turkish, Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian cuisine, among others. And it’s now gained popularity throughout the world.
Those looking for a deeper dive into the history of hummus can find more information here and here.
This version is inspired by the concept of hummus as it’s a creamy dip with beans and tahini. But it uses white beans instead of chickpeas and infuses the flavors of pumpkin, sage, and more!
How to Make This Hummus
It all starts with white beans and pumpkin, which are puréed with lemon, tahini, and a blend of smoky, seasonal spices and salt. Then we add garlic and sage sautéed in olive oil – major swoon! That’s what kicks it up a notch.
I mean, just look at the roasted pumpkin-y, sage-y goodness! I want to dive right in.
We hope you LOVE this hummus. It’s:
Creamy
Fluffy
Savory
Smoky + subtly spiced
Easy to make
SO satisfying
& Super delicious
This would make the perfect dip to have on hand to snack on throughout the week with vegetables (raw or roasted!), pita chips (recipe below!), or just about anything else you can think of. It would also be a great appetizer for hosting or taking along to parties.
If you’re into hummus, also be sure to check out our Roasted Jalapeño Hummus, Butternut Squash Hummus, Easy Hummus from Scratch, and Golden Goddess (Turmeric) Hummus!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
White Bean Pumpkin Hummus
Ingredients
DIP
- 1 15-ounce can white beans
- 2/3 cup pureed (unsweetened) pumpkin (fresh roasted or canned // if using canned, we prefer Libby’s brand for a deep orange color and rich flavor)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
SAGE & GARLIC
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
FOR SERVING (optional)
- Pita chips*
- Fresh Parsley
- Fluffy Pita Bread
- Fresh vegetables (like carrots and beets)
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Rinse and drain white beans in a fine mesh strainer. Then add to a food processor or blender along with pumpkin, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, cumin, smoked paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne (optional). Purée until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
- Heat oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sage and sauté for a few minutes to brown slightly (this allows the flavor to deepen). Then add both to food processor and pulse to incorporate (you can reserve some for garnish if desired).
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt for saltiness, lemon for acidity, cinnamon for warmth, cumin or paprika for smokiness, tahini for nuttiness, olive oil (or water) for creaminess, or cayenne for heat.
- Serve immediately with pita chips and vegetables of choice (see notes for pita chips). Alternatively, refrigerate until chilled – about 3-4 hours – for a thicker, creamier dip. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days.
Video
Notes
*Recipe as written yields roughly 1 3/4 cups dip.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of oil and without optional ingredients.
T. Williams says
I am interested in making this for a meeting next weekend. What type of white beans do you recommend? Also, do you recommend any other vegetables to dip? Thanks!
Hi, love that! We typically use cannellini beans. Other veggie ideas: cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes, snap peas. Hope that helps!
Joanna Rollins says
Lovely and easy. My truth. I forgot to do the olive oil last step. Enjoyed it without it. Which helps in my low fat quest. It was honestly still very good. I also had to use lime as out of lemons. Worked just fine. Definitely passed this forward to family. Will make it again.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Joanna!
Kim says
As always, another fantastic recipe from Minimalist Baker! I didn’t modify anything, it was perfect and the sage and garlic next level.
Thank you MB
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Kim. Thanks so much for the wonderful review!
Julie Farrow says
What a delicious spin on hummus! I made this tonight thinking I’d try it before our Thanksgiving dinner to make sure it would fit in well with our appetizers. I should have known that it would be fantastic as all the Minimalist Baker’s recipes that I have tried have been so good.
I really enjoyed the smoky, garlicky pumpkin flavor. I am not one for spicy food and found this just the right blend of spices for me.
Thanks for a great recipe. I hope it’s ok to use pumpkin at other times of the year as I know I will crave this again and again.
Woohoo! Love to hear this. Thanks so much, Julie!
Nina says
Hi MB! I was thinking of using a roasted butternut squash for this recipe. I have a big one I am using to make your butternut squash and sage pasta. Have you tried this out using butternut? With the similar flavor profile, it should work. Just curious 😄 Thank you!!
Ooo, we haven’t tried it but it should be yummy! Let us know how it goes!
Jessi Bustamante says
I completely forgot the sage before cleaning out the blender. (Happened to have garlic already because I tossed in the garlic that cooked with the beans.) Still delicious, I made this for hummus toast so maybe I’ll just top with sage?
Sounds delish! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jessi!
Heather says
This is delicious! I found that letting it sit for a bit really let the sage come through beautifully. I will definitely keep this in my hummus rotation.
Love that tip! Thanks for sharing, Heather! xo
Cari says
Yes, I added both. I followed the recipe exactly. If I try again I will definitely use the bean liquid to see if that helps. It was a huge struggle to make it in my vitamix, though, if I’m being honest. Lots of tamping and scraping because it was so thick. Usually my vitamix is great for hummus! LOL
Ah! We used a food processor for this one, so perhaps with a blender it needs more liquid to encourage blending.
Cari says
This didn’t come out like I’d hoped… it is super-thick, so thick I could mold it into any shape and put it on a plate if I wanted to. I added a tablespoon of olive oil and almost 1/2 cup water and it was still too thick. All of my homemade hummus recipes include some liquid (for instance, a can of chick peas plus 1/2 cup of water), but it seems this recipe was relying on the moisture in the pumpkin puree? I’m not sure, but any tips would be appreciated. Has anyone else had to add water at the start? I really wanted to like this one.
Hi Cari, strange that it was so thick! The lemon juice and tahini should also provide moisture. Did you add both of those? Otherwise, you could reserve some of the bean liquid for next time and add it in.
Nicol says
I was pretty disappointed with this recipe. I love pumpkin, and the only deviation was dried sage instead of fresh (all I had on hand). I kept adding spices to get a desired flavor after following the instructions, but this just didn’t taste good.
Sorry to hear that, Nicol. We haven’t tried it with dried sage, but that may have been the issue?
LM says
Love this recipe. I roasted the garlic with the butternut pumpkin and added a small amount of dried sage to the blitzing in my Vitamix with 1 Tb of cold water. I’ll be making this one again for sure. Thank you.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
SJ says
This was absolutely delicious!
I didn’t have pumpkin so I substituted butternut squash. Also I didn’t have any nutmeg.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Lisa says
I hate to rain on your pumpkin parade. I was really disappointed. The nutmeg did not help it and I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin. It Was not for me. I went back to the drawing board and made a whole new recipe. I’ll share later. I’m cooking for Thanksgiving. Have a great day!
Hi Lisa, sorry to hear that. If you aren’t a fan of pumpkin, we could see how this may not be the best recipe for you.
Stormie Raven White says
I sometimes use sweet potato. Loved the Pumpkin recipe thank you for the ideal
Jennifer Alessia says
I just made this and it’s fabulous! I don’t have tahini in the house so I threw in a bunch of sunflower seeds, and there were tiny bits of them that left a good crunch element in there. It was specifically for my kids so I left out the heat but otherwise made it as written. I will definitely do it again!! Next time maybe even play up the warm spices for my cinnamon lover. Great recipe for a scoop of pumpkin leftover from a can! Thank you!!!
Great! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer! This is one of our favorites for sure :D
Cynthia Clark says
Incredibly easy, delicious, will make this again and again!! Thank you!!!
Thanks, Cynthia!!
Melanie says
This hummus is better than the name suggests. I’m a pumpkin-lover and even I was a bit unsure of how it would taste mixed in my favorite dip. Let it be known that this is super tasty! I made the recipe as listed and it was quite yummy. I liked it with the added cayenne and a touch of harissa paste–for some more heat. While it is good as written, I’d be curious to try it without the cinnamon and nutmeg next time so that it tastes more like a spicy dip.
In case anyone is wondering how to use it: it’s excellent as you would enjoy any other hummus! I make hummus “tacos” with it, plop it on zoodles, rice cakes, salad, etc.
So glad you like it, Melanie! Thanks for the review and suggestions!
mimi says
Followed recipe as suggested except cayenne. Taste great. This recipe allows me to integrate white beans into my diet. Your ingredient combinations are impressive. Merci beaucoup!!
Sarah Guidone says
Wow, this hummus (like you said) is SOOO GOOD. I am eating it with roasted vegetables (sweet potato, carrots) and it’s so perfect and comforting. Thank you for this one!
Cosamea says
Hey Dana,
I made this today for a quick dinner together with baked sweet potatoes, fennel-orange salad, homemade apple bread and carrot sticks. *jummy* Had leftover pumpkin purée from the baked pumpkin oats. This recipe is a keeper ?
Next time I’ll pair it with your vegan cornbread. Can’t wait!
Thanks for being such a great inspiration and a wonderful teacher.
Greetings from Germany,
Cosamea
Great! Thanks, Cosamea!
Alyssa says
I can’t get enough hummus. I recently made a white bean pumpkin hummus with chipotle but this one with the crispy sage looks DIVINE. Thank you for sharing :).
Yay!
Leni Fleming says
Wow!! A keeper. I followed the recipe exactly, then just increased the spices a little at the end. The sage-garlic-olive oil addition is wonderful. I really hope I get asked to bring an appetizer to Thanksgiving because this is it. So flavorful and also much prettier than regular hummus. It will be beautiful surrounded by colorful veggies.
Thanks for sharing, Leni! xo
Priscilla says
I had fresh pumpkin puree left over so I decided to make this. It was crazy easy and VERY good! In fact, the sage/oil part was probably the most work and I could’ve done without it (my friends like it with the sage).
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Priscilla!
Bridget says
Your hummus recipes are fantastic! Finally got a food chopper so I’ve been trying them out. Love the pumpkin twist.
Yay! We’re glad you enjoyed it, Bridget :)
Sarah Cook says
I love this twist on my regular hummus go-to’s! I roasted a delicious pumpkin and have made this, the baked pumpkin oatmeal and I still have some leftover to make some other pumpkin recipe of yours! So many thanks!
Thanks, Sarah!
Nan says
I made this and just substituted dried sage for fresh. It is SO amazing. I paired it with local organic “cornbread” chips and it was a huge hit. SO flavorful!
Thanks, Nan!
Deb says
Hi what an awesome looking recipe. What kind of white beans? For example. Navy beans or great northern beans or white kidney beans. Or?? Thanks
Cannellini are best!
Laura Hansen says
Delicious white bean-pumpkin dip! I didn’t have fresh sage, so I subbed a smaller amount of dried sage. The sage was a nice touch and this probably would’ve been even tastier if I hadn’t been too lazy to go to the grocery store.
Tara says
Loved this recipe! A great way to expand the recipe is to use the hummus to make a ravioli filling. Here is what I did:
About 4-5 tablespoons hummus
1 egg
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan (add more as needed)
Salt and pepper
Mix together until thick and use as filling for handmade ravioli. Use leftover sage from hummus recipe to make brown butter sage sauce for ravioli, so good!!
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
It’s so rare for me to find pumpkin hummus in stores! I wonder why for some reason…it’s a great flavor of hummus. Anyhow, this white bean pumpkin hummus looks more vibrant and flavorsome than ANY store-bought hummus I’ve seen yet. It’s probably even cheaper to make it at home depending on what beans you use!
Question: how much beans would you use if you were to use beans that were cooked from dry?
Hi Cassie! So for one 15-ounce can of beans, you can cook 3/4 cup (4.5 ounces) of the dried version and be in the ballpark. Hope this helps!
Elliot says
Holy. Moly. This is AMAZING. It’s not aggressively pumpkin, but it is aggressively delicious. I made it tonight for a work party tomorrow and purposely chose a just too small Tupperware so I’d get a little pre-dinner snack :) Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! We are glad to hear that, Elliot!
Madalynn Smith says
Het there! My name is Madalynn Smith, and I’m a writer for Washington and Lee University’s chapter of Spoon University. I was wondering if I would be able to use the picture of the hummus in my article. Thanks!
Hi Madalynn! You can find our image and recipe sharing guidelines here!
Suzanne says
Can I leave the tahini out of this? I’d like to make this with my son’s class but there is a nut/seed allergy, so I can’t replace it with another nut or seed butter.
Thanks!
That should work! It will affect the flavor, so adjust accordingly as needed.
Ava says
Hey Dana!! Can I sub pinto beans for the white beans? If not cool, I was just wondering for a “twist” effect!!!
Hmm, I think so! Let us know if you give that a try.
Annika says
If I want to boil my own beans instead of using canned, how many grams dried beans do I need? (This is always useful info – what you can get hold of canned, and can sizes vary around the world : )
Usually 1 15 oz / 425 g can of beans yields 1.25 cups cooked beans. Hope that helps!
Annika says
Thanks! I also did some research, and found out I need to (soak and) boil approximately 1/2 cup of beans to get the same amount as your 15 oz can. I know it is an extra piece of work, but freshly boiled beans (or peas) do taste lovely, and for hummus, where the bean/pea taste is so dominate, I think it is worth it! (Living alone I boil a big pot and freeze in portion sizes – makes it easy to be spontaneous).
Thanks for great recipes!
Thanks for sharing!
Aubri says
This turned out great! I didn’t have any sage, so I just added one pressed garlic clove, and a drizzle of olive oil directly into the blender. My family really enjoyed it, and it was a nice change from regular hummus. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks, Aubri!
jonas says
is there a sweet version of this? i hate to get all “dessert hummus” but i do love my sweet cinnamony pumpkin!
I haven’t tackled that yet! But yes, I’m sure it’s possible :D
jonas says
yes please please please…. before it’s not pumpkin “season” anymore. a few other sites have had them but i know only you can make it amazing.
Tiffany owens says
This was so delicious. I used the water from the beans (I made in the crockpot) and it turns out soooo creamy.
Thanks for sharing!
Adriana says
Can I substitute the tahini with something else? I think my daughter would love this but she is allergic to sesame.
Russell Colman says
Try it with peanut butter, if your daughter can eat peanuts.
Adriana, if you can sub another seed butter, such as sunflower that would be ideal. Or, cashew butter?
Angie says
Just made this, it is very good. I did not have sage at the time so I found out I could use poultry seasoning in its place. Yum.
Thanks, Angie!
Judy says
White Bean? My first guess was white kidney beans? Or chickpeas? One better than the other?
Cassie says
I happened to get two small pumpkins from TJ’s this morning and had dried northern beans and everything else on hand. So I made from scratch – and it’s delicious. I would have preferred to serve warm, but chilled to bring to a party tonight.
Whoop! Thanks, Cassie!
Katherine says
While this may not technically be hummus, it is technically delicious! I did not have sage, so I left that part out and it was super tasty and super easy. Go make it!
Thanks, Katherine!
Aida says
Hummus = chickpeas
No chickpeas = no hummus
DRK says
Life is too short to be so rigid….lol. Pretty sure you could be able to use chickpeas instead of white beans. :)
DRK says
“would”
Aida says
Well, the word “hummus” literally means “chickpeas” !!!
Yes! Chickpeas can easily be subbed here.
Irick Family says
Fabulous! Thank you for sharing! We used whole wheat pita with the avocado oil and that smelled so good in the kitchen while we made the hummus. It’s super-nutritious, too!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing!
Summer says
Just whipped this up! So comforting! I don’t use sage so I didn’t make that part. I did aggressive garlic into my hummus and omitted the cinnamon. This is delish, off a spoon. I also added a touch of olive oil, for smoothness. SO GLAD I MADE IT
karina says
Lol! I read your ‘aggressive garlic’ comment before seeing your correction and I thought – hmm, wow that’s a fun thing to be aggressive about!
Lol, spell checkers – am I right! : )
Thanks, Summer!
Sarah | Well and Full says
Wow this looks great!! I was drooling watching the recipe video lol ;)