Crostini with hummus, artichokes & cashews

This crostini recipe is delightfully light, flavorful, and easy. It includes layers of hummus, marinated cashews, and grilled artichoke hearts. Serve crostini as an appetizer at warm weather get-togethers. Or make a meal of them alongside a salad.

When you want an appetizer that’s tangy, satiating, and simple to prepare, this crostini recipe is a real winner. It is made with a slathering of homemade hummus, marinated cashews, and slivers of grilled artichoke hearts on toasted bread.

It’s easy to eat one crostini right after the other. Creamy hummus is a bed for briny cashews and savory artichoke hearts. The mixture balances beautifully.

To save time, you can use store-bought or homemade hummus. The grilled artichoke hearts are from a jar. And the cashews simply involve marinating raw cashew pieces with herbs, oil, vinegar, and garlic until softened.

What kind of artichokes should I use?

Don’t worry about cooking artichokes from scratch for this dish. This recipe uses jarred artichoke hearts packed in oil. They can be the marinated variety, or use grilled, which are my favorite.

Grilled artichoke hearts are sold in jars at Trader Joe’s. They’re one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. I’ve also seen them online & at other grocery stores in the Mediterranean section.

While I’m a fan of all things artichokes, there’s something extra special about the grilled flavor in these.

How to make this crostini recipe

Start by preparing the marinated cashews.

In a bowl, combine the following:

• Raw cashew pieces
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Granulated onion
• Finely minced garlic
• Salt

Cover the bowl & put it in the refrigerator to marinate & soften for a few hours.

Once the cashews have marinated, cut a baguette into slices. Then toast the slices in the oven, air fryer, or grill.

Spread hummus onto the toasted bread slices. Sprinkle on marinated cashews. And finish with a sliver of grilled artichoke hearts onto each crostini.

Make it your own

Here are a few ways to simplify this recipe or tweak it to make it your own:

Instead of homemade hummus, use store-bought. Or swap out standard hummus for olive hummus instead.

When making the marinated cashews, swap out balsamic vinegar for ume plum vinegar. (Balsamic gives a bit of sweetness. Ume plum vinegar adds cheesiness.)

In place of marinated cashews, use store-bought or homemade vegan feta cheese.

Instead of grilled artichokes, use marinated, water-packed, or fried artichoke hearts.

What to serve with them

This crostini recipe is a terrific spring & summer appetizer. Serve it with other complementary appetizers:

• Olive tapenade
• Tomato bruschetta
• Asparagus bruschetta
• Dukkah
• Fried olives with vegan feta
• Warmed Castelvetrano olives with lemon & garlic

Or enjoy crostini as a light lunch with:

• Tomato cucumber salad
• Avocado caprese salad
• Marinated lentil salad
• Roasted asparagus with chickpeas & spinach
• Grilled vegetable skewers
• Red wine mushrooms
• Roasted cauliflower

How long will it keep?

For best results, I recommend storing the toppings separately and then layering them on toasted bread when ready to prepare.

The marinated cashews will keep for several days in a covered container in the refrigerator. If they seem dried out, add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil & stir before serving. (Use leftovers on avocado toast or as a salad topper.)

Homemade hummus will last in a covered container for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Crostini recipe with hummus, artichokes, and marinated cashews

With layers of hummus, marinated cashews, and grilled artichoke hearts, this artichoke crostini is a delightfully light & flavorful starter for summer get-togethers. Or if you’re anything like me, make a meal out of them along with a simple side salad.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegan

Keyword: finger food, hummus, party food

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

Marinated cashews

• ▢ ½ cup raw cashew pieces
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Plus more if needed
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or ume plum vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon granulated onion
• ▢ 1 clove garlic zested with a Microplane zester
• ▢ Pinch salt

Crostini

• ▢ 1 baguette cut into ½ inch slices
• ▢ Extra virgin olive oil for toasting crostini (Optional)
• ▢ 1 batch homemade hummus Roughly 1 ½ cups
• ▢ 1 cup grilled artichoke hearts from oil-packed jar drained and cut into long, thin slices

Instructions

To make marinated cashews

• ▢
  In a bowl, combine raw cashew pieces with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic or ume plum vinegar, dried basil, dried oregano, granulated onion, zested garlic, and a pinch of salt.
• ▢
  Cover and put in the refrigerator to soften. Stir occasionally, so that the cashews stay moist and are evenly coated in seasonings. Allow the cashews to absorb the marinade for a few hours or more.

  (It can even be made a day in advance. If it seems too dry before serving, add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.)

To make crostini

• ▢
  The crostini can be toasted in a variety of ways - pick either the air fryer, grill, or oven.
• ▢
  TO TOAST IN THE AIR FRYER: Put half of the baguette slices in the air fryer. Some overlap is okay. Cook at 380 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip. Watch the crostini during the last minute to insure they don't burn. Remove the slices from the air fryer, and cook the other half of the baguette slices in the same way. (Overfilling the air fryer basket makes for less than optimum results.)
• ▢
  TO TOAST ON THE GRILL: Heat outdoor grill to 400 degrees. Lightly oil the baguette slices and grill on each side for a few minutes, until brown and toasted. Remove from grill.
• ▢
  TO TOAST IN THE OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on two baking sheets. Lightly rub oil on the slices. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stopping to flip the slices halfway through.
• ▢
  Slather each piece of toasted crostini with hummus. Sprinkle marinated cashews on top. Put a sliver of grilled artichoke heart onto each crostini. Serve on a platter.

Notes

Balsamic vinegar gives the marinated cashews a slight sweetness, while ume plum vinegar gives more of a cheesy flavor. Either option is delicious!

To slice the artichoke hearts, I recommend using a butter knife. It keeps the artichoke slivers intact and even, unlike a serrated knife, which tends to pull the heart apart.

Depending on how heavily you top your crostini, you may have toppings left over.

Marinated cashews adapted from cashew feta in Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Content, recipe, and photos updated April 10, 2021. Originally posted June 14, 2018.