Hummus is so so so simple to make at home and the great thing about making it yourself is controlling the ingredients. When you make hummus, or any food for that matter, yourself, you don’t have to worry about artificial ingredients or nasty preservatives sneaking into your food. It also gives you the freedom to use different combinations! Like Lentil Hummus instead of the traditional garbanzo bean hummus.
Here, we used pumpkin seeds instead of tahini and lentils instead of garbanzo beans. While the traditional hummus is fabulous and full of amazing ingredients, this allows you to introduce different foods that you may not consume very often, thus diversifying your diet! Having diversity in your diet is extremely important because it ensures that you are getting optimal vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients since every food has a different nutrient profile. Not only that, but lentils are easier to digest, so for people who have issues with beans, lentils may be a better option!
Lentil Hummus Ingredient Spotlight:
Lentils are an amazing food that is super cheap, quick to cook, and full of heart healthy fiber! Legumes, like lentils are extremely high in fiber which is great for managing blood sugar, digestion, fabulous for cardiovascular health, and great for satiety. They are also a great source of vegan iron and folate!
Pumpkin seeds are full of minerals, especially zinc, which makes them important in a plant-based diet, since zinc is mostly found in animal proteins. The unique and diverse amount of antioxidants, especially the multiple forms of vitamin E in pumpkin seeds, make them extremely beneficial in antioxidant support. Pumpkin seeds have also been found to have merit in diabetic treatments, have anti-microbial benefits due to their anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, and the lignans in pumpkin seeds have been studied for their anti-cancer benefits.
- ¼ cup soaked/sprouted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup cooked lentils (I used a mixture of black and green)
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp ACV
- 1 tbsp miso
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- Blend all ingredients together
- Yeah...it's that easy! Serve and enjoy! 🙂
This Lentil Hummus dip is great served with homemade crackers or cut up vegetables. But it also makes a great sandwich spread or salad accouterment. I loved using it on my Paleo Charcuterie Board!
Do you ever use other bases for hummus besides chickpeas? Let us know what fun spin you put on this popular snack dish!
Blair is a Nutrition Consultant and Natural Chef with a passion for helping others achieve optimal health through a holistic approach that focuses on body, mind, and spirit. 
