As I was wandering the aisles of Publix for Pumpkin Week, I got a harebrained idea!  Pumpkin hummus!  I obviously love hummus and pumpkin so I figured the marriage would be perfect.  I hit up Google to see if it had been done before.  It has.  However, I didn’t love any of the recipes I found.  Some didn’t use beans at all – which is kinda the base for hummus – and others used chickpeas, which I didn’t feel would be the right texture to accompany the pumpkin.  So in a swift experiment, I whipped together my own version…and fell into pumpkin love yet again.

Though hummus is traditionally made with chickpeas or garbanzo beans, I love making it with other kinds of beans, too, like black beans.  In this case I opted for cannellini beans since their mild flavor and creamy texture pairs well with pumpkin.

Pumpkin Hummus Recipe makes 2 cups

1C pumpkin puree

1C cannellini beans or white kidney beans

2-4T olive oil

2T tahini

2T lemon juice

1-2 cloves of garlic

2T cinnamon

1T nutmeg

1T chili powder

2t salt

1t ginger

1t paprika

1 dash of cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a food processor

and blend together until smooth.  Adjust the seasonings to your taste if you like it sweeter or spicier.  Garnish with cinnamon, chili powder, and drizzle honey over the top.

Here’s an artistic shot compliments of my helping husband.  

Serve the hummus with cinnamon-sugar pita chips as I did, wheat crackers, or apples for a yummy appetizer, snack, or dessert.

Man-approved pumpkin hummus.