Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates

A healthy fall or winter appetizer - great for Thanksgiving, the holidays, or just for snacking! Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates in a bowl

I hope you need a last-minute Thanksgiving appetizer because this butternut squash hummus dip is so insanely good! While I was making it, I couldn’t stop eating it. Now that the leftovers are in the fridge, I can’t walk by the kitchen without grabbing a cracker for a quick swipe.

It’s easy to make, especially if you’re roasting butternut squash for another recipe – just roast an extra cup of cubed squash and swirl this hummus together in no time. It’s thick, creamy, tangy, and nicely spiced from the cumin, coriander, and a bit of cayenne.

Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates

Now the important part – what REALLY puts this dip over the top is serving it all fancy with feta and pomegranates. The feta adds a nice salty bite and the burst of sweetness from the fresh POM POM pomegranate arils brings such a delicious pop of flavor, as well as a contrast to the feta. Plus that ruby red color is so pretty for the holidays!

Today we’re partnering with POM Wonderful, because we really really love pomegranates and ’tis the season for them (October through December). The little arils not only delicious but they’re packed with fiber and antioxidants. I love the convenience of the little ready-to-eat packs because they’re great for snacking or sprinkling and, let’s face it, I’m sometimes just too lazy to open up whole pomegranates 🙂

Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates in a food processor

I served my dip with crackers, pita, sliced black radish, and chopped up romanesco – I think the little green romanesco trees look so festive for the December holidays that are just around the corner!

Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates

For more appetizer ideas, check out this post with 50 easy appetizers.

5.0 from 24 reviews

Butternut Squash Hummus w/ Feta & Pomegranates

 
Author:
Serves: serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cubed butternut squash (½ inch cubes)
  • 1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne, less if sensitive to spice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • ¼ cup water, or as needed
  • freshly ground black pepper
for topping & serving:
  • ¼ cup POM POMS pomegranate arils
  • ¼ cup feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons microgreens, optional
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • pita, crackers and/or veggies
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Let cool slightly.
  2. In a food processor, combine the roasted squash, roasted peeled garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and sea salt.
  3. With the blade running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add water, as need, to blend to a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Note: this is a bit spicy before you add the olive oil - the olive oil tones down the spice.)
  4. Scoop the hummus into a serving bowl and top with pomegranate arils, feta, parsley, microgreens, if using, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with toasted pita, crackers, and/or chopped veggies.

Special thanks to POM Wonderful for partnering on this post!

 

49 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Barbara
    12.27.2022

    This recipe is just wonderful. I even cheated once and made it with frozen cubed butternut and it was still terrific! Definitely a delicious and very pretty dip ❤️

  2. Charles
    02.19.2022

    Loved this recipe!!

  3. Elizabeth
    01.07.2022

    I was looking for a nice holiday snack for a party of really healthy eaters. And I love all things butternut squash!! This was perfect! Made this as written but thought that it needed a bit more squash so I roasted some more to add before finishing the hummus!!!! Yum!!! I served it with homemade sourdough crackers and sliced English cucumbers and it was a hit! I’ll be making this to have on hand for myself since I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Wonderful dip and beautiful for the holiday’s.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.08.2022

      Hi Elizabeth, I’m so glad it was a hit!

  4. Lori
    11.23.2021

    Hi! Wondering how long this keeps in the fridge? Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.24.2021

      Hi Lori, the hummus will last up to 5 days. I’d assemble the garnishes when ready to serve.

  5. Debbie
    02.20.2021

    Outstanding!!!! Absolutely delicious!!!!

  6. Alicia
    01.29.2021

    This was my first successful hummus recipe! In all fairness, it’s only my second try. Couldn’t find pomegranate the time of year I made it. Even as a standalone it’s delicious. Adding the feta and mixed greens were a bonus.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.30.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  7. Ellen Hewlett
    11.29.2020

    I made this as written for a Thanksgiving appetizer. It was perfect and got rave reviews. I will be making more for the Christmas holiday parties

  8. TristaBoots
    11.26.2020

    What are your thoughts on using acorn squash instead (since it’s what Inhave on hand)? And roasting either?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.26.2020

      Hi Trista, I think it would work fine. Roast halves cut side down, then remove the skin (it’s easier than peeling it first). You’ll have to kind of eyeball the amount.

      • Trista Boots
        11.27.2020

        This turned out so thick and creamy! Such a yummy hummus with holiday-vibe garnish. I didn’t have tahini so I added chili powder for an extra kick.

  9. Kitchengeeky
    03.18.2020

    Wow, really a mouthwatering dish it is. Can it be served as dessert?

  10. Laurie
    02.13.2020

    I just made this, minus the cayenne because my four year old child can’t stand spicy food, and it turned out perfect.

    To speed things up, I cooked the squash in an Instant Pot.

    To create a silky smooth texture, I combined the ingredients in my Vitamix, which worked out lovely.

    Plus, to keep it vegan, I omitted the feta cheese and sprinkles extra salt on top.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.15.2020

      Hi Laurie, I’m glad you enjoyed the hummus!

  11. Beth
    12.09.2019

    This was delicious! I roasted the squash a few days in advance so it came together really quickly on serving day. Everyone loved it!

  12. Robyn
    11.26.2019

    I’m a serious hummus connoisseur and I’m suspicion of “flavored” hummus. Trust me when I say … this hummus is amazing! And beautiful when topped with the feta and dried cranberries (I couldn’t find pomegranate but this sub worked perfectly). YUM!

  13. Susan
    09.27.2019

    I didn’t have any coriander, so I used 1 tsp of garam masala and no additional cumin. It still turned out wonderfully! I’ll definitely be making this again.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2019

      Hi Susan, I’m so glad you loved it!

  14. HelpfulforHomes
    04.28.2019

    This recipe is loosely adapted from the Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Jerusalem. I looooove this cookbook and I reach for it often whenever I’m craving anything with middle eastern flavors.

  15. Lori B
    12.22.2018

    This is great! Don’t shy away from the cayenne.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.22.2018

      Hi Lori, I’m so glad you loved it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.