Carbs in Hummus: Should You Have This Delicious Dip on Keto?
by Eric Gordon on September 09, 2020
What You'll Learn...
What is Hummus
Making Hummus Keto-Friendly
How to Make Keto-Friendly Hummus
Tips
Because of the popularity of the keto diet, which has helped millions of people lose weight, more and more dishes are being altered to fit the low-carb lifestyle. This means that even if you’re following the keto diet, you can still enjoy most of the foods you love.
But what about hummus? Can you really enjoy this flavorful dip and stick to your diet? Fortunately, the answer to this question is “yes,” and it ends up being a lot tastier than you might think.
What Is Hummus?
Hummus is a dip usually made out of chickpeas, although you can find recipes that use other legumes instead. Although not all Middle Eastern dishes have been embraced by Westerners, this is one that is very popular indeed. In fact, hummus is now considered a basic go-to dish even for vegans and vegetarians, as well as those who include meat in their diet.
If you look at the ingredients used in hummus, you’ll understand that making it keto-friendly may not be that difficult, except for those pesky chickpeas. As a general rule, legumes are high in carbs and therefore not included in keto-friendly recipes, but can you make hummus without them? Furthermore, what will hummus taste like if you remove these legumes and use something else instead?
Chickpeas themselves are high in carbs and contain roughly13 grams of carbs in a half-cup serving, so they are definitely not keto-friendly. Some hummus recipes offer a lower carb count once the chickpeas are mixed in with the other ingredients, but you’ll still find them to have around three net carbs in just two tablespoons of dip, and most people won’t stop at two tablespoons.
Making Hummus Keto-Friendly
Because chickpeas are high in carbs, the key to making hummus that is keto-friendly is to use something else in place of those chickpeas, but don’t panic just yet. If you just made a face because the thought of eating hummus without using chickpeas makes you wince, not to worry because chickpea-free hummus does not have to taste yucky.
In fact, many people who are following the keto diet have found that their new way of making hummus is actually very tasty indeed, and because you can use a variety of vegetables in place of those chickpeas, you can easily find a hummus recipe that makes it taste delicious while also being low enough in carbs for you to eat it on a regular basis.
Yes, we did say vegetables. Replacing chickpeas with yummy, healthy vegetables such as cauliflower and others can still give you a great-tasting hummus dip that is low enough in carbs to stick to your keto diet.
Some keto-friendly recipes even use ingredients such as avocados and almonds, so the key is finding one of these recipes that is sans chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, as they are also called) but which contains ingredients that you enjoy eating. After all, what good is a healthy hummus recipe if you don’t enjoy eating it?
If you’re curious about making your own hummus versus buying it in the grocery store, just know that there are keto-friendly hummus products already on the market. If you’re not exactly a whiz in the kitchen or don’t want to spend your time making your own hummus, you can still find something in your local grocery store instead.
Some grocery store brands includeLily’s Hummus, Tahini by Roland, Lantana Edamame, and Gopal’s Raw Organic Sesame Tahini. Many of these are vegetarian or even vegan, so they can satisfy numerous palates regardless of your preferences and tastes.
How to Make Hummus Keto-Friendly
We mentioned some substitutes for chickpeas when making your hummus. For the most part, you’ll simply swap out the garbanzo beans for another food item, and here are some basic rules to follow:
Almonds. All you have to do is toss some raw almonds into a blender along with the other ingredients required to make hummus – such as olive oil, tahini, garlic, and so on – and make sure you keep it chilled until you are ready to eat the dip.
Cauliflower. Just bake your cauliflower florets with some cumin and tahini until they’re soft. After you take it out of the oven, blend it until it is chunky and add your seasonings, which can include paprika, salt, garlic, and any others you crave in a hummus recipe.
Avocado. This ingredient is super easy to use in a hummus recipe and tastes delicious. Just put some of the “meat” of the avocado in a blender along with ingredients such as your favorite seasonings and blend it until it’s smooth. Oh, and make sure it stays in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.
With any of these recipes, you may have to play around with the flavor until it tastes the way you think it should. Different people have different tastes when it comes to the amount of salt, paprika, and tahini found in their hummus, so you’ll have to do some taste-testing to get it to taste just right, but this shouldn’t be a problem because it normally doesn’t take that long for you to come up with the perfect hummus in the end.
There is even a recipe for hummus thatuses zucchiniinstead of these other veggies, but with each of these recipes, just keep in mind that the first time you make the dip, it may not taste exactly like you think it should. Don’t throw it out and never use the recipe again. Instead, use different seasonings or different amounts of seasonings next time you make it until you discover which combination will make your taste buds the happiest.
The point here is, you can find tons of keto-friendly hummus recipes online and even make up one of your own once you know how to get started, and the information you’ve received so far should help you feel more confident about experimenting in the kitchen until your hummus recipe fits you just right!
A Few Things to Remember
Being on a keto diet has its restrictions, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself completely, even if you’re craving hummus.
Indeed, keto-friendly hummus recipes are not difficult to find, and if you want to keep the snack even healthier and lower in carbs, keep in mind the following tips:
Don’t eat large amounts of hummus at a time. Remember that even if you’re eating hummus made out of chickpeas, you can usually stick to your low-carb lifestyle by simply eating one to three tablespoons of the dip at a time.
When eating hummus, make sure you use fresh vegetables such as cucumbers and celery sticks instead of carb-filled chips or vegetables like carrots. If you can find low-carb chips, you can eat those, but don’t ruin your diet by eating bread and chips with your hummus.
When you’re on a keto diet, it may seem like you have to give up a lot of your favorite foods, including hummus, but if you know what you’re doing, that really isn’t the case. In fact, with all of the low-carb products on the market today, you really don’t have to feel like you’re missing out on life just because you’re trying to stick to a keto-friendly diet, and this information on hummus proves it.
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