During a fall-weather visit in the United States a few years ago, I was able to finally experience everyone’s obsession with pumpkin!
With the abundance of fresh and canned versions of this vibrant squash available throughout the season, I loved playing with all kinds of recipes.
Due to my soft spot for desserts and sweet snacks, I usually ended up making mostly sweet recipes: scones, quick bread, and cheesecake bars were favorites of mine to bake in the kitchen.
When I eventually returned to my home in Buenos Aires, I brought a newfound love of this special ingredient with me.
Now that it’s the fall season again, reflecting on that autumnal visit brings back all kinds of mouthwatering memories. I’ve been feeling nostalgic, so a recipe featuring my new favorite winter squash was in order.
This time, I decided to make something savory, and was struck with the idea of a seasonally-inspired hummus.
This dish is not only a great way to satisfy your hunger, but it’s also an amazing appetizer to serve when friends are over on game day, or are visiting for a long, lazy afternoon spent cozying up inside.
It’s the perfect way to start any meal, and it’s easy to make – as long as you have a food processor or high-speed blender.
This is a twist on the typical hummus recipe, with a subtly earthy flavor from the freshly roasted squash combined with warming cumin spice and garnished with crunchy toasted seeds.
Needless to say, the beautiful yellow-orange hue is also something to admire and savor – it really is a breathtaking beauty that’s the perfect color for the season.
What are you waiting for? Fall won’t last forever… go make a big bowl of this creamy hummus right now!
Savory Pumpkin Hummus
- Author: Felicia Lim
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Most people love sweet pumpkin recipes, but try a savory one instead. This rich, creamy hummus is the best dip for the fall season.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fresh pumpkin (about 1/2 small sugar pumpkin), or 1 1/2 cups plain pumpkin puree
- 30 ounces (2 cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup cold water, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- Freshly cracked black pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- If making the puree from scratch, remove any seeds and stringy parts from the pumpkin half. Place the cleaned pumpkin half on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast the pumpkin for 40-60 minutes, until the flesh is tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the pumpkin to cool slightly before scooping out the flesh. Mash the flesh with a fork, and set aside to cool.
- As the mashed squash is cooling, combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and water in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process for 20 seconds on high speed, scraping down the sides as needed. Add an extra tablespoon of water at a time and continue processing if the mixture appears too chunky. It should be a little thick, yet smooth and creamy.
- Add the roasted pumpkin (or canned puree), ground cumin, and salt. Process until the ingredients are fully combined. Add an extra tablespoon of water at a time and continue processing if the mixture is too thick, until the puree is very smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides, and pulse briefly to recombine.
- Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and cracked black pepper. Serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dips
- Method: Roasting/Food Processor
- Cuisine: Appetizer
Keywords: pumpkin, hummus
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Roast and Mash the Squash
For a uniquely made-from-scratch recipe, roast and puree the squash yourself instead of using a store-bought product. Review our full tutorial for making homemade pumpkin puree for additional tips and tricks.
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
To yield 1 1/2 cups puree, you will only need about half of a small sugar pumpkin. You can choose to roast both halves at the same time, and reserve the flesh from the other half for another recipe. You’ll like snacking on these nut muffins, or sipping on this creamy smoothie!
Where I live in Argentina, we don’t have the exact type of pumpkin that is widely available in the United States. We also don’t typically have canned puree to buy in grocery stores, as you’ll find readily available in the US.
We have zapallos though, and since both zapallos and pumpkins are simply different types of squash from the same Cucurbitaceae botanical family, zapallos make a perfect substitute.
I especially like using the zapallo ingles, a squash with a thick, dark green skin and orange flesh that produces a subtly sweet puree when roasted.
Remove any seeds or stringy parts from the squash. Be sure to save the seeds if you like toasting them – even using them as a garnish for this particular recipe! – or choose to compost everything to limit your food waste.
Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet, and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the squash to cool slightly before scooping out the flesh and placing it in a bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork and set aside.
Dispose of the skin, or compost it.
Step 2 – Prepare the Other Ingredients
After the squash has been roasted and mashed, now is the time to get the remaining ingredients ready.
Measure out the tahini paste, olive oil, water, cumin, and salt. You might need more than the measured amount of water, in case the puree is too thick – so have more water in a separate bowl ready to go.
Drain and rinse two cans of chickpeas with the help of a colander.
Finely mince the garlic, or use a garlic press instead. Freshly squeeze the lemon.
For the final garnishes, set out toasted pumpkin seeds, and freshly crack the black pepper.
Step 3 – Puree the Chickpea Base
Combine the chickpeas, minced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and 1/2 cup of water in a food processor or blender.
Process the ingredients for about 20 seconds, scraping down the sides of the processor or blender with a rubber spatula as needed to reincorporate any ingredients stuck on the sides.
Does the mixture look and feel too chunky? Add an extra tablespoon of water at a time and continue processing until the chickpea mixture is thick but smooth.
Step 4 – Add and puree the Pumpkin, Cumin, and Salt
Add the pumpkin, cumin, and salt to the processor.
If you are using a canned puree product, be sure to buy the kind that is plain and unsweetened, without any other ingredients added. You certainly don’t want a spiced and sweetened pie filling here for this savory recipe!
Process for 20 seconds, scraping down the sides of the processor or blender as needed.
How is the texture now? If it is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of water at a time and continue processing to yield a very smooth and creamy puree.
Scrape down the sides one last time, and pulse briefly to recombine everything together.
Step 5 – Garnish
Almost done!
Transfer the hummus to your serving platter. Garnish the dish by scattering toasted pumpkin seeds on top, as well as a pinch or two of freshly cracked black pepper.
Serve and Impress
This hummus is so good that you can even eat it by the spoonful – I know I did!
But you may want a more elaborate serving idea than just a single spoon…
If you are hoping to impress your guests with a full presentation, serve the dip on a beautiful platter with crudite, as well as crackers, sliced crusty bread, fried tortilla chips, or wedges of sour barley pita bread.
And if you’re looking for some more delicious flavor combos in the hummus department, check out our roundup of gourmet varieties.
What are your favorite ways to serve winter squash? Do you prefer sweet or savory recipes? Let us know in the comments below!
Cheers to chickpeas! These little fellas act as a healthy, protein-rich base for so many other delish dishes. Try three more recipes featuring the gallant garbanzo bean now:
- Chickpea Veggie Burger
- Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
- Baked Falafel
Photos by Felicia Lim, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on October 27, 2016. Last updated on October 17, 2023.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Felicia Lim
Felicia Lim is a Singaporean who moved to Argentina for love. Based in Buenos Aires, also known as “the Paris of South America,” she fills her days with freelance writing, recipe development, and food photography – three passions that give her endless joy. When she isn’t typing away at her computer, cooking in the kitchen, or shooting in her balcony-studio, you can probably find her curled up on the couch, lost in the pages of a good book.
