Make a crowd-pleasing and healthy dip with this harissa hummus recipe. Perfect for snacking or as an appetizer, this homemade hummus with a spicy kick is easy to make and better than store-bought.
If you’ve been here before, it will probably come as no surprise that I love a good healthy dip or spread and this harissa hummus is one I make regularly.
Easy to make and better than store-bought, homemade hummus comes together in a matter of minutes and keeps well in the fridge for days. Smooth and creamy with a bit of heat thanks to the addition of spicy harissa, this harissa hummus makes for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or healthy everyday snack that’s perfect for serving with vegetables or crackers or spreading in your sandwiches and wraps.
What is Harissa?
Originating from Tunisia, harissa is a widely popular chili paste made from red chilies, garlic, spices, citrus and olive oil that gives a smoky, spicy kick to everything it touches. Incredibly versatile, it gives dishes a bold, rich complexity. It’s become one of my kitchen staples for spicing up sauces, roasting vegetables and stirring into soups, but one of the easiest ways I use it is in hummus. It’s a quick and easy way to flavor a batch of hummus that’s a bit different from the usual. Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Chickpeas – I’m using canned chickpeas here for ease and availability, of course if you’d prefer you can also cook your own from dried.
- Tahini – Tahini brands can vary widely so choose a brand that’s smooth and creamy without any bitterness.
- Lemon Juice – The tartness of lemon juice is a crucial counterpoint to the creaminess of the chickpeas so make sure to use fresh lemon juice, not from a bottle for the best flavor.
- Garlic – Just one clove of garlic is all you need.
- Olive Oil – Use your best extra-virgin olive oil here.
- Harissa – You’ll need harissa sauce not powder for this recipe which can be found at many grocery stores, Middle Eastern markets or can be purchased online. The heat levels of brands can vary quite a bit so you may need to adjust the amounts you are using depending on the harissa brand you use.
How to Make Harissa Hummus:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
There are a few tricks for making the best homemade hummus from canned chickpeas: (1) simmering the canned chickpeas briefly in water to soften them and remove any tinny flavor, (2) removing the skins from the chickpeas before blending them, and (3) using a high-speed blender if you have one or processing for longer.
Do you have to remove the skins? No, you can still make a delicious hummus without removing the skins but if you have a few minutes it’s worth the extra step.
- You’ll start by draining a can of chickpeas then placing the chickpeas and a bit of baking soda into a small saucepan (the baking soda helps to soften the skins) covering the chickpeas with about an inch or two of water and heating them for a few minutes. (This will soften the chickpeas, making them easier to blend and making the skins easier to remove.) The chickpeas should be very soft and almost falling apart at this point.
- Some of the skins will have risen to the top of the saucepan which you can simply skim off before draining. If you’d like to continue to remove more of the skins, simply pinch the skins and they should slid right off. Now it’s just a matter of blending.
- Add the chickpeas to your food processor or high-speed blender along with the other ingredients and blend. With the motor running, drizzle in a little water (scraping down the sides if necessary) to loosen the hummus to your desired consistency and continue to blend until completely smooth.
You can make the hummus ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until needed. (I find the flavors develop when the hummus have a had a bit of time to sit so this is a great make-ahead recipe.)
Spoon the hummus into a bowl, add a spoonful of harissa and a drizzle of olive oil across the top and serve with your favorite vegetables or crackers and enjoy!
More Dip Recipes:
Harissa Hummus
Make a crowd-pleasing and healthy dip with this harissa hummus recipe. Perfect for snacking or as an appetizer, this homemade hummus with a spicy kick is easy to make and better than store-bought.
Ingredients
- One 15-ounce/425g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for serving)
- ¼ cup/56g tahini
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml – ¼ cup/60ml harissa sauce (plus more for serving)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- For Serving: crackers, raw vegetables
Instructions
- Reserve a few drained chickpeas for garnish.
- Place the remaining drained chickpeas and baking soda in a small saucepan and cover with water at least 1-2 inches above the chickpeas. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until the chickpeas are very soft and the skins start to pull away. Skim any skins off the top before draining.
- While the chickpeas are simmering combine the lemon juice and garlic in the food processor or blender (soaking the garlic in lemon juice helps to tame the pungency of the raw garlic).
- Strain chickpeas and place them in a large bowl of water to remove any additional skins if desired. Drain well.
- Add the cooked chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, 2 Tablespoons of the harissa and salt to the food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Taste and add additional 1-2 Tablespoons of harissa if desired.
- Drizzle in a Tablespoon of ice water at a time while the motor is running to thin hummus to your desired consistency.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve or store in an air-tight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Top hummus with additional harissa, reserved chickpeas and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.
Notes
Tips:
You will find harissa as both a paste and sauce. This recipe calls for harissa sauce, if you choose to use a paste instead you will need to cut the amount to ½ -1 Tablespoon instead.
The heat levels of harissa brands vary so always taste before you blend, if you find it to be very spicy start with less and work your way up.
Storage:
Store hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Simple Mills Veggie Pita Crackers, Himalayan Salt - Gluten Free, Vegan, Healthy Snacks, Paleo Friendly, 4.25 Ounce (Pack of 1) -
Les Moulins Mahjoub Traditional Harissa Spread - 185g -
Mina Harissa Hot Sauce, Excite Your Senses with Gourmet Moroccan Heat, Spicy Red Chili Sauce with a Tangy Twist (10 Ounces)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 299Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 627mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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