If you’re an olive lover, you will be all over this kalamata olive hummus with artichokes. It pops with briny flavor. Scoop it up with pita, crackers, or fresh vegetables.
Kalamata olive hummus is like a tapenade but with the filling extra of chickpeas. The dense flavors of olives and artichokes pervade every bite with a murmuring of lemon in the background.
It definitely doesn’t shy away from its olive flavor. It comes back with another hit instead.
Kalamata olive hummus is wonderful as a dip with toasted pita. Or it makes an excellent addition to a colorful mezze platter with sliced vegetables, pita, and baba ganoush.
This dip can be made without added oil. However, it does look extra inviting with a little drizzle of oil, vegan feta cheese, and freshly chopped chives as garnish.
What is tahini?
One essential ingredient in hummus is tahini. Tahini is similar to peanut butter. But it’s made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts.
It adds a muted nuttiness to the dip. And it kind of mellows everything out. It also adds some lustrous fat, which makes hummus so addictive.
You can find tahini in the Mediterranean section or health market of most grocery stores. You can also find it online. (Here is my favorite brand!)
How to make olive hummus
Put the following into a food processor or blender:
- Chickpeas
- Aquafaba (liquid from can of chickpeas)
- Artichoke hearts
- Kalamata olives
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Tahini
- Salt
Put the hummus into a bowl. Then add any of these optional garnishes:
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- A handful of freshly chopped chives
- A sprinkling of vegan feta cheese
Get dipping!
Serve kalamata olive hummus with any of the following:
- Homemade pita chips (or store-bought)
- Toasted crostini or warm bread
- Add it to a veggie platter
- Spread it onto a bagel sandwich
- Roll it into a tortilla pinwheel
More hummus recipes I know you’ll love
- Easy hummus recipe
- Pizza-flavored sun-dried tomato hummus
- Buffalo hummus with vegan blue cheese dressing
Kalamata olive hummus with artichokes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas drained*
- 1 Tablespoon aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas
- 3 artichoke hearts drained from a water-packed jar
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives drained
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic depending on your preferences and the size of cloves, chopped
- 1 ½ Tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- Pinch of salt
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil optional
- Handful chives freshly chopped, optional
- Sprinkling vegan feta cheese optional
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas, aquafaba, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini. Stop to scrape down the sides once or twice, as needed. Taste for salt and add as needed.
- Once the hummus is entirely smooth, move to a serving dish. If using, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a handful of freshly chopped chives, and a sprinkling of feta cheese. Serve with crackers or crusty bread, or use it as a dip with carrot and celery sticks.
Notes
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated June 2020. Originally posted July 2012.
Caitlin
usually vegan “pates” are FULL of oil. but this isn’t! it looks SO GOOD, cadry, and i need to make this because i love 1. olives 2. artichokes, and 3. chickpeas.
funny story about me and olives- on the last night of me and dayv’s honeymoon in greece, there was NOTHING on the dinner menu i could get that was vegan. so i ate a gigantic bowl of olives for dinner(an appetizer they made bigger for me). i’m not gonna lie, it was amazing 😉
Cadry
If you love olives, you will love this. It may transport you to your honeymoon, because it is olive-central. Your honeymoon situation is definitely a bad news/good news scenario. Bad news: your meal is a bowl of olives for dinner. Good news: your meal is a bowl of olives for dinner!
Kristen
Oh this looks so good! I must make 😉
Cadry
Excellent! I hope you like it, Kristen!
jneclaiborne
Yum! I want to try this. I don’t use artichokes or olives often enough. My dad loves both; I’ll have to send him the recipe.
Cadry
Excellent! If he tries it, I hope he likes it!
Kristy
I love the idea of Vegan Good Mail Day! Or Vegan I-Found-Street-Parking-Right-Outside-My-House Day! I am going to have a ton of fun with this new phrase.
And this pate, holy heavens! I don’t buy artichoke hearts nearly enough. I need to get some and try this out- it would be a great break from all of the hummus we consume in this house (and we won’t go through chickpea withdrawls!).
Cadry
Vegan-I-Found-Street-Parking-Right-Outside-My-House Day is something that can only truly be appreciated in a big city! It’s like Vegan-No-Traffic-On-the-405 Day! 🙂
I definitely want no part in you suffering chickpea withdrawals. It’s a necessity to keep those at constant, safe levels! 😉
glutenfreehappytummy
oh yum! this looks OUTRAGEOUS! i could go for a bowl right now!
Cadry
Thanks, GFHT! I could go for a bowl of it too. I’m on my way to the store to replenish my olive supply! 🙂
Sarah
I have made this before and I am going to make it again today. This is a good version of hummus for the no-queso quesadillas. This time I am going to change up your directions and use the same ingredients. Garlic with lemon juice first to liquefy garlic. Garbanzo beans 2nd. And the rest of the ingredients last to keep them a little chunkier. Basically turn it into hummus. Love these ingredients. Especially olives.
Cadry
It’s funny that you say that! I used this pate in no-queso quesadillas all week last week for breakfast. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Deborah Gesaman
Oh my goodness – my mouth is watering so much right now that I’m going to look like a drooling fool! I am going to the store at lunchtime and get all of the ingredients. Thank you!
Cadry
Excellent! I hope you enjoyed it, Deborah. It’s still a big favorite around here!
Lizzie
Looks great! But is the tahini absolutely necessary? It comes only in HUGE bottles where we live + it’s really expensive. Strange though it may sound, I’m going to use about a teaspoon peanut butter instead, which I often do with hummus. With all the other flavors happening, it should not be a disaster.
Cadry
Hi, Lizzie!
No, the tahini isn’t absolutely necessary. In fact, it’s kind of funny that you mentioned it, because I just revisited this recipe to take updated photos. (The original ones from 2012 needed some love.) While I was doing that, I decided to update the recipe as well. The original version of this recipe actually did not include tahini. The tahini rounds out the flavor a little and gives some body. However, there’s so much going on with the olives, it’s not a must. If the hummus needs additional creaminess without the tahini, you could always add more aquafaba. (Maybe about a tablespoon?)
I used to use peanut butter in hummus often too. So I don’t think that sounds strange at all! Let me know how it goes. 😀
Lizzie
Hi Cadry:
Made this for guests yesterday. Four of us ate nearly the whole bowl and loved every bite. Something magical happens with those artichokes and kalamatas. Thanks for a great keeper recipe.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear that, Lizzie! I can’t stay out of it when I make a batch either. I’m thrilled that you and your guests enjoyed it!
Lizzie
Make this y’all, just make it.
Don Gallagher
This hummus is really yummy. My wife is an especially big fan of kalamata olives, so she was really glad when I found this recipe and made it. But hey, I love it too. Thanks Cadry.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear it, Don. Like your wife, I’m a huge fan of kalamata olives too. (All olives, really.) Thanks for letting me know you both enjoyed it!
Gina
This recipe is perfection! Thanks.
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gina!