If you’re like us, sometimes you consume so much hummus on a weekly basis you just need an alternative to switch things up. Something without so many beans? Anyone else?
If this is you, look no further than our tasty hummus alternative: sunflower seed “hummus” dip! It has all of the amazing flavors of classic hummus, plus herbs (!), and it utilizes nutritious soaked sunflower seeds in place of chickpeas! Let us show you how easy it is.
The base for this 7-ingredient recipe is soaked raw sunflower seeds, which are neutral enough to absorb other flavors, and also incredibly nutritious, providing plenty of vitamin E, vitamin B1, and selenium!
Next comes fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt for flavor. Once blended with olive oil and water to create a creamy base, add in some of your favorite herbs. We went with dill because lemon, garlic, and dill pair so well together. But other herbs would be delightful as well!
We hope you LOVE this dip! It’s:
Creamy
Lemony
Garlicky
Herbal
Versatile
& Incredibly delicious!
This would make a lovely dip to have on hand through the week to pair with fresh vegetables, roasted vegetables, crackers, wraps, and more!
Into dips? Be sure to check out our Golden Goddess Turmeric Hummus, Classic Hummus from Scratch, Simple Baba Ganoush, Roasted Jalapeño Hummus, Chickpea Shawarma Dip, and Kale & White Bean Artichoke Dip!
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!
Garlic Dill Sunflower Dip
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked*
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled and minced // reduce slightly for less garlicky flavor)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup good olive oil (if avoiding oil, sub a bit more tahini and a little water)
- ~1/2 cup water (to thin)
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped dill (plus more to taste, or sub with half the amount of dried dill)
FOR SERVING optional
- Fresh vegetables (we like radish and carrots)
- Roasted Vegetables
- Gluten-Free Crackers (or pita chips)
Instructions
- Soak sunflower seeds in room temperature water for at least 2 hours or overnight (up to 24 hours). We soaked them overnight (10 hours) and found that to be perfect.
- Rinse and drain sunflower seeds and transfer to a food processor (you can use a blender for a creamier dip, but we preferred the texture of dip made with a food processor).
- Add garlic, sea salt, and lemon juice and mix for 30 seconds to combine. Then add tahini and mix for 1 minute.
- While your machine is mixing, stream in your olive oil. At this point, your dip will still be quite thick, so we recommend adding water a little at a time until it’s the texture of hummus (creamy). NOTE: The sunflower seeds will keep a little bit of their texture and not become entirely creamy. But we think that’s one of the enjoyable aspects of this dip! If that isn’t for you, feel free to blend in a blender with more oil or water to make it completely smooth.
- Lastly, add dill and pulse a few times to combine. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon for acidity, garlic for zing, salt to taste, or dill for herbal flavor.
- Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate and keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week or the freezer up to 1 month (thaw before enjoying). Best when fresh.
Video
Notes
*Recipe inspired by Floreli Sunflower Seed Hummus.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without serving ingredients.
Karin says
Oh. My. Gosh. This is so delicious. The recipe is perfect as is. (We love garlic at our house.) I used my Vitamix to get it super creamy.
Since I have an overabundance of tarragon growing in my garden, I might try subbing that for the dill next time.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Karin! Thank you for sharing! xo
Cait says
New favorite dip! I made this with the 2-hour soak of the sunflower seeds and it was wonderful! I also used my blender because my small food processor was just too small. Worked like a charm! Great with veggies and pita chips! My boyfriend even put it on his sandwich!
I’m going to start keeping raw sunflower seeds around so I can easily make this.
Highly recommend!
Love it! So happy to hear you both enjoyed this dip, Cait. Thanks for the great review!
Kristi says
First of all, this website is fabulous! I have a very strict diet…GF, DF, V, and no refined sugars. I always find wonderful things to try on Minimalist Baker. I had a lot of dill in my fridge and searched for recipes. I found this one, but I can’t eat sunflower seeds, so I used the sprouted pumpkin seeds that I did have. It turned out wonderful!!
Thank you for making recipes that are healthy and delicious 😋
We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Kristi! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Jolly says
Just made this and the family is currently devouring it with carrot and bell pepper sticks! Such a super easy and yummy snack. I soaked my sunflower seeds overnight and used 1/4 cup of dried dill instead of fresh. Turned out great in the food processor with a hearty texture, but also curious to try a super smooth version in the vita mix next time! YUM.
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Jolly!
Ann Opinion says
In my opinion, this turned out great–love it.
I do not have raw sunflower seeds, so I soaked the ones I have overnight and the flavor is wonderful. I would say this recipe is as described. This will definitely be a go to recipe for me since I eat a whole30 / paleo diet and I’m always on the look out for dip recipes that fit those eating profiles. Thanks for a great recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ann! Thanks so much for sharing!
Vanessa says
I really love this dip, it was a lot of lemon and garlic so next time I will reduce it to the half. Also I add some extra raw sunflowers on top of the dip, gave it a mix by hand for a feeling of crunchy.
It`s a great alternative of hummus. Thank you so much
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Vanessa! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Nancy says
I thought there was too much lemon juice in it. Next time, I will cut in half. Also, I did halve the garlic and thought it was plenty. I only wish I had fresh dill to use! Overall, a good recipe. I might run this batch through a blender yet to see how tastes when smoother.
Megan says
Do you think this would still be good without the tahini? Or should I substitute something else for it? I’m excited to try this but I’m allergic to sesame.
Perhaps try subbing cashew butter?
Susan Andrews says
Hi, I have a food sensitivity to sunflower seeds. Is there any other seeds I could use instead ?
Hmm, we aren’t sure! Maybe pumpkin seeds, but the flavor might be too strong. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Sophia says
Do you shell the sunflower seeds before or after soaking, or do you keep the shell on?
Hi Sophia, for this recipe, we used sunflower seeds without a shell. They should be called raw shelled sunflower seeds.
T says
Great tasting dip. Luv it
Pomm says
This recipe made me famous at a party! Let me preface by saying, I do not cook, at all. When my bf and I moved in together, my kitchen contribution was 1 pan, 1 pot, 2 dishes, and 2 sets of flatware. He is the chef in our household. But when I was asked to bring a veggie platter to a party (because all my friends know I don’t cook), I decided to try to make this as a replacement to the generic ranch dip. Next thing you know, everyone was asking who made this and can I have the recipe! And at the moment, my bf is happily spreading this dip onto his lunch sandwich! Your philosophy of under 30 minutes, under 10 ingredients is perfect for a kitchen-handicap like me, plus I’m GF and DF. Wins all around! Thank you, thank you!!
So great! Thanks for sharing!!
Alastair says
Liked this lots. Is good fresh out of the processor but was even better the next day. A nice change from beans
Annie says
This dip is amazing and seriously makes me question whether I ever want hummus again. I love it with all the garlic. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Annie!
Sam says
Delish! I reduced the garlic by half and found it perfect, it’s a great substitute for hummus!
CMA Medeiros says
Dana, this is one of my favorites!!! WoW! It is so delicious: lemony and garlicy – yes. Add to those both the not quite ground up seeds and subtle dill – and the taste becomes so textured. Goes GREAT with Trader Joe’s crisp breads (I use the GF ones), and as a dip for roasted veg, as you suggested. Thank you for this!
Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your serving ideas. We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Carlotta says
This was so tasty! I was a little nervous because I forgot to soak the sunflower seeds, and I was in a rush, so instead of doing a long soak I did a quick, hot-soak and just covered the seeds with hot (almost boiling) water for 30 minutes and then made the dip just as the recipe said, and it was SO GOOD.
My fiancee and I just moved into our new place (wedding is in 20 days!), and some of our friends surprised us with flowers. I pulled out the dip with raw carrots and green beans, and it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it!
Thanks, Carlotta!
Kim W says
This is excellent!!! Thank you so much for this – I love hummus but even with Beano it is NSFW for me. :-D The base for this is a great jumping off point as well – I just made a batch where I subbed the oil, garlic and dill with several dollops of Zesty Z za’atar spread…so good! Thank you for all you do – keep up the great work!
p.s. your black bean brownies are superb!
Thanks, Kim!! xo
Nicole says
Made this last night and it’s yummy! I was excited to see a dip alternative to hummus because yes it can feel like a lot of beans. I saw lots of reviews about the garlic so I did half (3 cloves) and I was a little shy of 1.5 cups of sunflower seeds so I didn’t end up having to add any water and the consistency was perfect. I soaked the seeds about 12 hours (9 am before work till that night) and it worked great, not chunky or gritty in consistency. It was slightly reminiscent of tzatziki. I’d like to try with another kind of herb to see how that goes.
Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Byrum says
This dip is so fresh and flavorful! It is very quick and easy to throw together and goes great with pretzel Chips, raw veggies, roasted veggies…I even spread it on my sandwiches. It’s a nice change from hummus and I highly recommend!
Thanks, Ashley!
Caitlin says
Too funny- I also tried Floreli’s sunflower seed hummus, fell in love, and thought “I can make this!” Came across this recipe and it was pretty spot on (and I didn’t even notice your comment until later on)! It turned out AMAZING! A little heavy on the garlic (and I love lots of garlic) so I may use one less clove next time I make it.
Going to try a sun dried tomato version of this recipe next time!
haha yay! I’ll definitely try it with sun-dried tomatoes next! So good.
Kim Alvarez says
I have roasted unsalted sunflower seeds. Can I use these instead.
That should work! But we haven’t tested it and I’m not sure how it works. Let us know!
Evelyn Cranston says
This is incredible! I’ve been eating it on toast with arugala for about a week and I’m still not tired of it! My partner can’t eat chickpeas, so this is a new staple for us. I soaked the sunflower seeds for about 2-3 hours and it worked out fine. I also added a bit extra lemon juice, and it was perfect!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing!
Reverend Lisa says
Awwww! So glad you liked some of Austin’s vegan cuisine. I am going to try these tonight!
M says
Just made it for breakfast ?
We had this dip with toasted dark rye bread and cucumber, it was delish! Although I have to say I hope my breath doesn’t smell too bad since it was quite garlicky! ?
Whoop! Thanks for sharing! And yes, beware of garlic breath ;D
Chantal says
Holy sunflower dip. I couldn’t wait to make this. Just finished it and wow does it make quite a bit. I only used 4 cloves of garlic as that is all I had and I am glad because it is more than I will use next time. Very garlicky but very tasty. I’m curious to see if it bakes well because the taste and texture appear to be a similar to a ricotta and I am going to try it in a vegan lasagna. Until then, I dip with delight. Thank you for the great hummus alternative.
Smart! Thanks for sharing!!
Chantal says
I used some in a lasagna. Layered noodles, sunflower spread, marinara and spinach. It was the star of the show. Thanks again for the terrific recipe
So clever! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Chantal. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Beth Ann says
I really loved this and am putting on EVERYTHING! The fresh dill makes it!
I do enjoy garlic, but for my taste, found only 1/2 of a minced clove was plenty to keep flavor balance and taste other ingredients without overpowering. ?
Thanks for sharing! We can make a note of that in the recipe!
Shivika says
Dips are personally my favorite. I have never tired the sunflower dip. I am definitely going to try this dip.
Sonya says
What other herbs would you recommend instead of dill?
Most others would, yes!
charlotte says
6 garlic cloves! woah!
Holly says
Hi Dana, I really want to try this it sounds delicious! I buy my nuts and seeds pre-soaked so they’re dry not wet. I’m just wondering if the lack of moisture (from the soaking process) will mess with the flavors and maybe even the texture of the dip. Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Cheers!
Hmm, that should work just add more oil or water as needed for proper texture!
Cari says
What could I substitute for the the tahini? My niece is allergic to legumes (so I was excited to see this hummous alternative!) but also to sesame. . .
Thanks!
I would say cashew butter or even coconut yogurt would be great!
EH says
We make it without tahini (ss/chick pea allergies) and tastes great without substitute!
Pam van Muijen says
Any chance you could do this without the tahini?
I would say cashew butter or even coconut yogurt would be great!
Jenny says
I am allergic to sesame and therefore can not have tahini. Is there a good substitute for the tahini?
I would say cashew butter or even coconut yogurt would be great!
Pam van Muijen says
Darn, both of those are out due to allergies. Any other alternatives?
Joe says
Good, solid recipe. I make something similar with sunflower seeds and add in raw zucchini and it is delicious! I like it better than hummus made with chickpeas.
Thanks, Joe!
Chari Farin says
It’s so nice to have alternatives to hummus, awesome sauce, and marinara for gluten free, dairy free sauces. I will try this soon.
Kate says
I have wanted to make this since I bought some at our towns Vegfest..it was so good. I am so glad you are giving the recipe. I do love your foods.
xoxo!
Kate says
I finally got to making it. Delicious. Total winner!!
Natmaris Corner says
This sounds great! I absolutely love sunflower seeds. I love sunflower butter and hummus so I know I will like sunflower hummus. I cannot wait to try this. :-)
xo! Hope you love it
Susanna Nilsson says
Any substitutes for tahini for a sesame allergy?
I would say cashew butter or even coconut yogurt would be great!
? says
Awesome!