This Red Lentil Hummus has everything you love about traditional hummus, but made with gorgeous red lentils that boast a sweet and nutty flavor. It’s lemony, smooth, creamy, and perfect for a nutritious and satisfying snack.
Who else has a big bag of lentils that need a good use? That’s exactly how this red lentil hummus came to be! There are only so many lentil soups I can make until I’m ready to switch it up. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I nailed it with this recipe.
Easy Lentil Hummus
- Easy To Make
- Twist On A Classic Dip
- Simple Ingredient List
- Healthy, Delicious & Versatile
If you’ve made hummus before, you’ll see that the ingredients are exactly the same as a traditional chickpea hummus! Lemon juice, oil, tahini, garlic, and seasoning. It’s a simple recipe that we all love with its bright, fresh flavor and addictively creamy texture.
Ingredient Notes
- Dried Lentils – The star ingredient. I used red, brown or green will work too.
- Garlic – The more garlic the better! Feel free to adjust the amount.
- Tahini – If you’ve never used tahini (toasted sesame butter) before, it’ll likely be in the same aisle where you’ll find almond butter. You can also check the international foods aisle, or you can also make your own tahini at home! See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for instructions.
- Olive Oil – You can use regular olive oil or extra virgin olive oil if you like the stronger flavor, but I do recommend a good quality olive oil.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is best!
- Smoked paprika – This is one of my favorite items in my kitchen! The smoky flavor is amazing in this lentil hummus.
How to Make Red Lentil Hummus
- Prep the lentils: Bring the water to a boil and add your lentils. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally, it should take 15 to 20 minutes.
- Make the hummus: Add the cooked lentils to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until everything is blended and smooth. Scoop the hummus into a bowl, garnish with smoked paprika. Chill until ready to serve.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Just like traditional hummus, this version is amazing with practically everything. Serve this lentil hummus with fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, or celery, tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers, you name it! You can also spread it on some bread as a condiment for your sandwich.
No worries! I’ve got you covered. It’s super easy to make.
1. If you don’t have already toasted sesame seeds, start by toasting 1/2 cup sesame seeds in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir often to avoid having the sesame seeds burn. Toast until they turn golden.
2. Add the sesame seeds to your food processor and blend until a paste begins to form. Next, add 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and continue to blend until the tahini is smooth and creamy.
You can! This hummus can be made up to 1 week in advance and also freezes well. See “Storing/Freezing” sections below for full instructions.
Tips
- You can make your own pita chips to go with your red lentil hummus! Simply cut the pita into wedges, brush them with a bit of olive oil, and toast them on a sheet pan in the oven at 400F until they started to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
- You don’t need to use red lentils for this recipe! Brown or green will both work as substitutes.
Leftover Hummus
Store your hummus in the fridge for 4-7 days. You can keep it in the same bowl you’ve served it in covered with plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight container.
Freezing
Surprisingly, this is a dip that can be frozen without ruining the consistency! Transfer your red lentil hummus to an airtight container, drizzle a thin layer of oil over the top, and store up to 4 months. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw fully either at room temperature for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge. Give it a stir to mix the layer of oil in, and enjoy!
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Red Lentil Hummus
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon tahini paste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice from a lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the lentils: Bring the water to a boil and add your lentils. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally, it should take 15 to 20 minutes. Let the lentils cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the hummus: Add the cooked lentils to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until everything is blended and smooth.
- Serve: Scoop the hummus into a bowl, garnish with smoked paprika. Chill until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
- You can make your own pita chips to go with your red lentil hummus! Simply cut the pita into wedges, brush them with a bit of olive oil, and toast them on a sheet pan in the oven at 400F until they started to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
- You don’t need to use red lentils for this recipe! Brown or green will both work as substitutes.
- Store your hummus in the fridge for 4-7 days. You can keep it in the same bowl you’ve served it in covered with plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight container.
- Surprisingly, this is a dip that can be frozen without ruining the consistency! Transfer your red lentil hummus to an airtight container, drizzle a thin layer of oil over the top, and store up to 4 months. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw fully either at room temperature for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge. Give it a stir to mix the layer of oil in, and enjoy!
so easy to make and yummy.
I used split red lentils since that was I had on hand and ended up with a soupy mess (will cut the water in half next time). Ended up microwaving the mixture in a heatproof bowl to remove the water and thicken it. Turned out pretty good thank you for the recipe!
My pleasure, glad you liked it.
This was perfect for dipping my sweet potato fries. Will definitely be making this often! I cut the recipe in half as I was only making 1/2 cup red lentils, and used only 1 tbsp oil (coconut because that’s all I had on hand). So happy to have a new and easy way to eat red lentils. Thanks!
I cant get enough!!
I divide this recipe into 3rds and flavor one with roasted red pepper, one with spicy chili sauce and double the garlic in the 3rd batch. I get lots of compliments.
So glad you like it!
How much is a serving?
Hi Keri, We don’t calculate how much a serving is but the nutritional information assumes 8 servings for the entire recipe.
My favorite dip! So tasty and healthy!!!
Jo , this is a winner. Thanks.
Tastes good, but very runny, like a smoothie. Cdnt spread on toast. Wd add chickpeas to thicken it up another time.
Before adding chickpeas, try to let the lentils cook more when added to the boiling water until the water is completely absorbed. Let us know if that helps!
Note to self: whip aquafaba first, use small portion of this instead of any tahini or oil.😉 Use little less than amount called for of smoked paprika when making for company.
Those are some good notes! Thanks for sharing them with us.
I like the recipe but how many servings does it make for the calories.
The nutritional information is for the entire dip recipe itself!
OMG! This recipe is fantastic!!! Such a nice change from regular old chickpea hummus. Even the hubs liked it, which is very unusual. Thanks! I’m going to buy a 5 pound bag of red lentils soon.
Love to hear it!!
OMG! I just made this and it is AMAZING!! I was uncertain, but it came out so perfectly- I made no changes to the recipe – my husband had no idea it was any different than what I give him with his lunch everyday. Thanks Jo!!
So glad you liked it!!!
I decided to comment after making this dip at least a dozen times so far. My fam prefers this to chickpea hummus, so that’s high praise.
I like a little more kick in my hummus, so I add 2-3 sundried tomatoes and 1-2 chipotles (with adobo sauce). I also do 4 Tbsp tahini instead of 2.
Great stuff! Keep em coming.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe but reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp and it was perfect. I also used lemon olive oil.
Thank You!!!! This recipe is almost too good! I’ve had Green Lentil Hummus, but this is just as good as any!
Very good! I added some cumin & cayenne.