Do you love olives and hummus? This Spicy Olive Hummus Recipe is the perfect blending of kalamata olives and creamy hummus, plus it’s sesame free so it works for almost any special diet–and it has just the right amount of kick!
Homemade dips of all kinds are a great food item for many reasons. First of all, dips are just fun to eat, but they’re super health because they are a great way to get extra fruits and veggies into your diet.
You can dip fruit into fruit dips and veggies into thick dressings / dips and also, of course into hummus. And in my mind, homemade hummus is the best because it’s such an inexpensive and easy food to make. And if you love it as much as we do, you will go through a lot of it so that the savings really add up!
As far as I am concerned you can rarely go wrong with hummus. I say rarely just because we are going to be going on the GAPS Diet soon and I know I will have to give it up, but for now we are enjoying this delicious, frugal, and healthy dip.
My husband is a little less convinced that hummus is what makes the world go round. He won’t even eat a big bowl of it with peppers, cucumber slices, gluten-free flatbread, or even occasionally a spoon for breakfast like the rest of his “normal” family.
No, he has to take a little more convincing to jump onto the hummus wagon.
While he has been known to enjoy a good classic hummus, he prefers flavored hummus. Since I have the attention of a 1 year old when it comes to making the same thing over and over and over again (why did I get into recipe developing?) I am all for flavoring it according to my whim.
Spicy Olive Hummus
Case in point, this was supposed to just be an olive hummus, but I had to make it spicy olive hummus. If I were making it for our entire family I would simply leave out the cayenne. But, it was a fun experiment that lead to delicious results. Olives are something both Mark and I thoroughly enjoy, and the heat level was perfect for us. Mark told me about 20 times it was delicious then I, with just a twinge of guilt, took the entire bowl to a lady’s function.
As well as it was received I was glad there was a bit left over, which he and I were able to enjoy as a light night snack after the kids went to bed. We actually had it with pita, but I think I even prefer the nature’s “scoops” that I originally served it with. Sweet peppers cut in half and seeded add a fresh crisp as well as nutrition.
It is an incredibly easy healthy recipe that I am sure you will love.
Serve with veggie strips, chips, crispy green bean chips, flat bread, focaccia bread, or eat it by the spoon :).
Other Healthy Dip Recipes
Here are some other healthy dip recipes to get dipping with!
Almond Butter Fruit Dip
Vegan Chocolate Dip
Vegan Pizza Hummus
Simple Savory Hummus
Zingy Avocado Dressing / Dip
Recipe Notes
- Olive Varieties: 6 oz canned olives can be substituted for the kalamata olives. Whether you use kalamata olives or regular olives, you can use a few more and chop them to use for topping if desired.
- I much prefer the kalamata olives, but canned olives can work as well.
- If leaving tahini out you will probably want to add a bit more liquid (olive oil, lemon juice, or even a bit of water) to get a softer texture.
- The beans are preferably home cooked and de gassed.
- Creamiest Hummus Tip: If you’d like the creamiest hummus ever, you can watch this video on peeling chickpeas. It’s extra work but oh–the results!
Spicy Olive Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpeas
- 20 kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup tahini (optional, but see notes)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 good size lemons)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (omit for mild, increase for spicier)
- 1 tsp salt (plus more if needed, omit if using canned or salted chickpeas)
- 1/2 cup olive oil (good quality, tasty; more for topping)
- Chopped cilantro or parsley for topping (optional)
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas rinse and drain.
- You can peel the chickpeas according to the directions in the video below, which leads to an incredibly creamy texture, but I did not this time.
- Blend chickpeas, olives, tahini, garlic, spices, and lemon juice together.
- Blend in the olive oil, be careful not to over blend. Olive oil will go from fruity to bitter if over blended.
- Taste and add salt as needed. If using the kalamata olives and canned chickpeas you might not need to add any. If not using canned olives start with about 1 teaspoon and increase from there. Just be careful to not over blend the salt in to keep the olive oil sweet. I used 1 about 1½ teaspoon salts this time, but the olives I was using were not as salty as I am used to. Salt levels will depend on taste, olives, if you are using tahini (more bulk) and if you use canned chickpeas.
- Put the hummus in a bowl and if desired top with chopped cilantro or parsley, chopped olives, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Do you like hummus as much as we do?
Debra Worth is first and foremost a daughter of the King of kings. She lives in mid-Missouri with her husband of five years and three young children. Debra has a passion for cooking healthy foods and blogs about healthy allergen friendly foods at her blog, Worth Cooking. You can also follow her on Instagram.
I’ve made this twice already. SO GOOD. I omit the tahini (allergic) and use either water or olive brine (not an entire 1/4 c).
We do the same for my Savory Hummus – glad you enjoyed it!! https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/savory-hummus/
Tahini can be expensive, at least where I live. Creamy peanut butter can be used as a substitute. I have used that many times in hummus recipes.
Great idea! My son is deathly allergic to peanuts, however. I guess sunflower seed butter could work?
Oh, my goodness! That looks amazing! Pinned.
Thanks!
I love hummus. The addition of olives sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
You’re in good company!
Perfect timing my friend. I needed another appetizer for my Thanksgiving menu!
Yea!!! Sorry for the delay – trying to catch up :).
We love hummus, and I know the kids would love this! Perfect for all those holiday snacking tables!
Us too!!! I’ll need a huge tub though :).
The tip alone is gold. Wow!
Thanks!! Enjoy!
Best tip of the month. Can’t wait to try it. I never bothered like the video said, to peel chickpeas, I just have a bit lumpy hummus. Most excellent indeed!
I have lumpy hummus too!
I love the smooth hummus, but once I tasted it and realized how much I LOVED it I stopped making hummus for a while because the step intimidated me. So, I rarely do it now, but I sure love the creaminess when I take the time.
You have an ** in this recipe, but what does it refer to “If leaving this out…” ? 😉 Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this!!! ? hummus!!!
~Tess
This hummus looks wonderful! I love hummus, and in the past whenever I was at a middle eastern restaurant, I would order either hummus or falafel. I make just a basic recipe at home, but this recipe for hummus, I will have to try because we like all of the ingredients. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I am sure Debra will be happy to hear you are excited about this!