Red Lentil Hummus

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.

Curried Red Lentil Hummus in a bowl

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 lentils, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, spices, and ginger

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.

Red lentil hummus ingredients in a blender

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.
  Lentil hummus with naan

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.

Red lentil hummus

More Favorite Dips

And if you love hummus, you’ve gotta try these creamy dips next:

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red lentil hummus

Red Lentil Hummus

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 25 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This red lentil hummus is tangy, creamy, and richly spiced. Enjoy it with veggies, naan bread, or pita chips, or even straight off a spoon!

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.

 

40 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Paulette
    02.18.2024

    5 stars
    Big cooking day had cooked red lentils left over coincidentally needed hummus so why not? Little irritated at so many 1/4 tsp mumbling this better be good cause I got stuff to do … and it is worth every ounce of patience! Red lentils 5 min not 15. Extra ginger just happened. ☆☆☆☆☆

  2. Zosia
    01.16.2024

    Yo this is GOOOD, nah fr its really good. I used ginger powder cuz I didint have ginger at home aaand replaced thr coconut oil with olive oil, worked out great. So yeah the whole blog is worth it trust me lmao, 10/10 would recommend

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.17.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Mara
    01.14.2024

    This turned out so good! Is there any nutritional facts for this ?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Mara, I’m sorry, we don’t post nutrition facts but you could plug the ingredients into an online nutrition calculator.

  4. AM
    01.14.2024

    5 stars
    Fantastic! I salted the water the lentils were boiled in and omitted the ginger (because we didn’t have any) and it was absolutely DELICIOUS

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  5. AJ
    12.15.2023

    5 stars
    This turned out great. Much better than what I have been buying. Thank you.

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.