Love hummus? Then you have to try this tangy, creamy red lentil hummus! I love it as a dip, a dressing, or straight out of the fridge on a spoon.
You know how much I love chickpeas, and you know how much I love hummus, but today I’m going out of my chickpea comfort zone with this red lentil hummus recipe! It’s creamy, tangy, and nicely spiced with turmeric and other curry spices, because sometimes you run out of chickpeas, but you still want a dippable snack.
We’ve been enjoying this lentil hummus with veggies, naan, pita chips… I’ve also been caught sneaking spoonfuls straight from the fridge.
Red Lentil Hummus Ingredients
Don’t let this ingredient list intimidate you – it’s all spices – hopefully you have most of them on hand in your spice drawer already. If you don’t, they’re worth investing in. This mix of spices – cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and cayenne – will add a big punch of flavor to so much more than this dip! You’ll use them in curries, soups, and beyond.
Aside from the spices, this recipe calls for these basic ingredients:
- Red lentils make up the creamy, protein-rich base.
- Coconut oil and tahini add richness and contribute to the luscious texture.
- Lemon brightens it up!
- And ginger and garlic add a nice kick and extra depth of flavor.
How to Make Red Lentil Hummus
To make this dip, start by cooking the lentils. Add water to a medium saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Add the lentils and simmer until they’re tender, about 15 minutes. For more lentil cooking tips, click here!
Then, drain the cooked lentils and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes. When they’re almost at room temperature (it’s ok if they’re still a bit warm), add them to a blender with the other ingredients, and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
The first time I made this, I tried it in a food processor, but I was able to get the red lentils to be much creamier in a blender. See up there? So luscious.
This red lentil hummus is delicious straight from the blender, although it’ll keep well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. If it gets a little thick, stir in some water before serving.
Here’s another tip: when you have just a little bit of red lentil hummus left at the end, thin it to a drizzle-able consistency and pour it over a roasted veggie bowl with some quinoa. That was our quick dinner a few nights ago, and the lentil dip really pepped up an otherwise boring bowl.
More Favorite Dips
And if you love hummus, you’ve gotta try these creamy dips next:
Red Lentil Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- ¼ cup smooth tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Water, if necessary, for consistency
- Naan and/or cut vegetables, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the lentils. Reduce to low and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Drain and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a blender with the tahini, lemon juice, coconut oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Blend until creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to blend into a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill until ready to use.
- Serve with naan or cut vegetables, as desired.
I made this before I walked my pup! Which is amazing because I normally only have coffee! It was so easy and quick. I used Baron tahini which is so creamy and needs no mixing. My Ninja blitzed it as it should. I didn’t use cardamom or ginger and subbed smoked paprika. If I had time I would have roasted a head of garlic and added! It 2as creamier than chick pea hummus, I think tastier too. I make a roasted sweet potato dip and I might marry them together and see what happens!
Yum-o! Used the food processor and it came out ultra creamy. I added in lemon zest. Great recipe.
Hi Cathy, I’m so glad you loved it!
This has become one of my favorite recipes. Only modifications I make to fit my pantry staples are to sub olive oil for coconut and ground ginger for the grated.
Aside from using it as a dip, it makes an excellent spread for toast and sandwiches, and a great addition to dairy-free/vegan quesadillas to get the “gooey” effect of melted cheese.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you love it!
The best hummus EVER! I made mine with lentils as my tummy does not like chickpeas. It’s so good. I also added probably double the amount of pickles because I like it super dilly. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Wow! This is delicious! A few subs based on what I had on hand … Olive oil instead of coconut oil, no cardamom, a little additional heat. This is a keeper!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Delicious! I’m curious what the nutrition/calorie content is though. Thanks for the awesome recipe ♥️
Great substitute for chickpea paste without the hassle.
making it for years, since even in Israel it’s hard to get fresh chickpeas (less than a year), and its a lot easier & faster to prepare, 15 min after you master it, which is about after the 3rd time 🙂
i sprout the lentils(not splitted)/chickpeas for 2-3 days, which means, to put them in a bowl and cover them with water ( 1/2″ above them) and change once or twice a day depending on the temperature summer/winter.
sprouting, doubles the protein to 40% !
i also begin with some chopped parsley leaves in the blender before everything else.
it upgrade the dish and of course it is the secret ingredient for absorbing the gas which the Legumes pulp create in our digesting system, hence farts 😉 pardon my French.
keep half cup of the boiled water to add for the blend (1 dish). they are highly nutritious and add a refined flavor to the dish. let it cool a bit because tahini doesn’t react well to hot water , it stiffens. it likes cold water.
those paste dishes are best served with hard boiled egg, aside with pickles, olives, cherry tomatoes & onion\shallots. it is is a dish for labor workers peoples, not office worker, it’s a heavy dish (100 gr of proteins) that will make you nap, especially if you’re an office worker 🙂
i use only 3 spices, Turmeric, Cumin & Hyssop (must have spice, good for any paste or cheeses or even on eggs).
the lemon, garlic, olive oil & parsley do their magic.
Super tasty! I was making fritters for dinner and didn’t make as many as I’d planned so I needed something to add to the plate. I looked in the cupboard and found lentils and remembered seeing a recipe here and I’m so happy I tried it. Since it was last minute and I was using what was in the fridge, I had to go without the tahini or cardamom but it was still delicious. I love the zing from the lemon! This spread was great with fritters and then as leftovers on rice cakes.
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you loved it! So resourceful 🙂
Deliciously curried!!
I’ve been buying a bean and lentil curry hummus at the market but it’s super spendy. I’m very excited to try your recipe, especially because I already have all the ingredients. Thanks for sharing.
This is delicious! I ran out of garbanzos so this recipe is exactly what I needed! Perfect amount of spice and creaminess. It was a little thick in the VitaMix. I added several tablespoons of water and it came out smooth. Will make again! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Alison! Thanks for coming over here with your feedback (and for your comment on Insta!). ❤️❤️
Love the recipes and think they are all great. I would like to also share my own healthy recipes as well if anyone would like to take a look.
https://bit.ly/2EErTvf
This looks SO good. I feel like this would be awesome with pita chips too! 🙂 (Then again, we’re chip fiends in our house, LOL!)
Wow this looks so good! I will be trying it this week for sure??.
I made this, loved it, and then used it another way: I added some to a homemade vegetable lentil soup which needed ‘something’ – it worked wonders! The addition of a few tablespoons of this hummus-y delicious dip made the soup thicker and richer, as well as more nuanced and flavorful. Just passing this idea along, although I’m sure I’m the last to try this. I plan to keep a stash of this in the fridge for double duty – delish!
Hi Cyndee,
Ooh, yum, I’m glad it’s been so useful! I was thinking of using the idea of this recipe to make a soup at some point – sounds like we’re on the same page 🙂
I didn’t have red lentil so I used green lentil. Cooking time was 22 minutes . I use olive oil and the followed the recipe. Delicious. I added smoked Paprika at the end for a smoky flavor. Thanks for sharing
I can’t wait to try this dip! I’m loving red lentils lately–they’re so versatile! xo
I just tried it … And this is soooooooo good !!!!!
Thank you <3
Love your blog
Yay! Glad you loved it!
Sounds great! Do you have a favorite tahini brand? I have one that I’ve used a few times and don’t like; it’s really bitter, so I’m now always averse to recipes that call for it (which is a lot!). Or, if you’re not comfortable listing a brand, any tips on what to look for in buying a high-quality tahini?
Hi Gina, I love Seed + Mill (I think it’s only regional to the NYC area), but I also like Cedar’s which can be found at most grocery stores and it’s what I tested this recipe with. I agree, there are a few types out there that are super bitter. Hope that helps!
Soom tahini is amazing and it is a women-owned company. It has taken my hummus up a notch.
YUM! Can I sub olive oil for coconut oil?
Hey Farin! 🙂
Yep – I like the bit of coconut taste with the curry spices, but olive oil would work fine!
omg! can’t get better than thins right? will prepare asap!