Pizza-flavored sun-dried tomato hummus

Sun-dried tomato hummus takes the spirit of pizza and adds it into everyone’s favorite dip. Garnish it with your preferred pizza toppings for a vegan & gluten-free optional appetizer that the whole gang will love. 

If there are two things we can all agree on, it’s the deliciousness of pizza & hummus.

Now those two party favorites are coming together in pizza-flavored sun-dried tomato hummus.

This garbanzo bean spread is a melding of sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, lemon juice, oregano, basil, onion powder, and garlic.

After blending the hummus, it’s finished with a pinch of red pepper flakes, a drizzle of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, and garnished with your favorite pizza toppings.

(If you have sun-dried tomatoes left afterwards, make a batch of raw tacos!)

Then it’s served with your choice of toasted pizza crust wedges, pita chips, or red bell pepper slices.

To keep this hummus mostly oil-free, I use the wizardry of aquafaba.

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is the liquid inside of a can of chickpeas or other beans. It’s surprisingly helpful in recipes.

I use it to brown the top of pastry in my vegan pot pie. People also use it as an egg replacer. And as you can see in a recipe for vegan lemon meringue pie, aquafaba can make things surprisingly light and whippy.

(My pal, Becky, has a whole aquafaba guide with everything it can do.)

In this recipe for sun-dried tomato hummus, aquafaba is used in place of oil.

I used to add water to my hummus instead, but that diluted the flavor. By using chickpea liquid, you keep all of that garbanzo bean flavor while thinning out the hummus, so that it’s not overly thick.

How much aquafaba do I need?

It depends. I recommend starting with a few Tablespoons and working up from there.

Some chickpeas are drier/denser than others. If a chickpea has more moisture already in it, the hummus won’t need as much additional liquid. But if the chickpeas are harder & drier, you’ll need to add more liquid to the hummus to smooth it out.

When I make chickpeas from scratch, they are usually on the softer side. And when I buy canned chickpeas from Field Day, they are soft as well.

However, Trader Joe’s canned chickpeas are on the drier side. So if that’s what you’re using, you’ll likely need more chickpea liquid.

As you’re blending it, the hummus should run smoothly through the blade of the food processor. If it’s thick or paste-like, you need more. But you also don’t want to make a chickpea smoothie. So add the aquafaba slowly.

If you need to add a lot of chickpea liquid, I recommend increasing the tahini a bit & adding a splash of the sun-dried tomato oil (or more sun-dried tomatoes). That way those flavors still stand out.

What is tahini, and where can I find it?

Tahini is similar to peanut butter. But it’s made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts.

It adds a muted nuttiness to hummus. 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!)

Some tahini brands are runnier than others. If yours is particularly dry, you may want to add a splash of sun-dried tomato oil or more aquafaba to your hummus.

How to make this dip

Use a mesh sieve over a bowl to strain the chickpeas from a can.

(You’ll need the chickpea liquid, also known as aquafaba. So don’t throw it down the drain. Not a fan of aquafaba? Use water or extra virgin olive oil instead.)

Then put the chickpeas into a food processor along with aquafaba, sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, and lemon juice. Blend until mostly smooth, stopping once to scrape down the sides.

Now it’s time to add some seasonings!

Add dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, granulated garlic, and salt to the food processor. Blend until fully combined.

The hummus should move smoothly through the blade. If it’s too thick or paste-like, add more aquafaba, oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, or extra virgin olive oil.

Move the hummus to a bowl, and top it with your favorite pizza toppings.

Topping ideas

I like to use fresh basil or spinach and browned slices of seitan pepperoni to adorn my pizza hummus.

Herbivorous Butcher is my go-to brand for pepperoni. That’s what’s shown here.

Yves also makes vegan pepperoni. Although, it can be hard to find.

You can also make your own. I like the recipe in the Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner, or the recipe from Fatfree Vegan.

Not a pepperoni fan? It’s also great topped with grilled artichoke hearts, and Castelvetrano olives.

But get creative! Go with whatever vegan toppings you prefer.

Finish it with a drizzle of sun-dried tomato oil and sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

What to serve with it

To really amp up that pizza feeling, I like to serve it with slices of grilled pizza crust.

Trader Joe’s sells shelf-stable crust near the baguettes and ciabatta. They come two to a pack.

Use kitchen shears to cut them into triangles.

Then toast them in a grill pan or skillet. You can add a little oil to the pan if you like, but it’s not essential.

Warm the crust for a few minutes on both sides, until the slices get a little nutty brown on top.

Serve the toasted triangles with the hummus & let guests dip their own. Or slather the hummus on top of the crust, and adorn it with toppings.

It’s a really fun & unique appetizer that is reminiscent of a focaccia sandwich in flavor.

Sun-dried tomato hummus is also great with homemade pita chips.

For a gluten-free spread, garnish the hummus with grilled artichoke hearts & olive slices instead of seitan pepperoni. Then serve with bell pepper wedges for dipping.

Sun-dried tomato hummus is also nice on a vegan bagel sandwich or rolled into tortilla pinwheels.

Pizza-flavored sun-dried tomato hummus

This pizza-flavored hummus brings together everyone's favorite dip with everyone's favorite Friday night dinner. This sun-dried tomato hummus has massive party appeal, because toppings can vary to fit your group's preferences - just like regular pizza.

Add vegan pepperoni and green onions for something classic. Or elevate your hummus with grilled artichoke hearts and Castelvetrano olives. The options are limitless!

Nutrition & calorie info is for the hummus alone. It doesn't include optional toppings or dippers, since those vary.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Vegan

Keyword: dip, spread, vegetarian

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 40kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas drained & liquid reserved*
• 3 Tablespoons aquafaba chickpea liquid + more as needed
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes from oil-packed jar drained (About 6 to 7 whole sun-dried tomatoes)
• 2 Tablespoons tahini + more as needed
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oil from sun-dried tomato jar
• Pinch red chili pepper flakes optional
• 1/4 cup your favorite pizza toppings Choose any or all of the following: browned slices of vegan pepperoni, green onions, Castelvetrano olives, jarred grilled artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, fresh basil, or any of your favorite diced vegetables

For dipping

• 1 toasted pizza crust cut into triangles, or 2 toasted slices pita bread**
• 1 bell pepper cut into chunky wedges

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine drained chickpeas, 3 Tablespoons aquafaba, sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, and lemon juice. Stop to scrape down the sides, and continue blending until the hummus is smooth.

  The viscosity of tahini & dryness of chickpeas can vary by brand. So if your hummus is too dry, add splashes of aquafaba until the hummus runs smoothly through the food processor blade.
• Add dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, garlic granules, and salt to food processor. Blend until fully combined.

  Taste the hummus. If it needs another pop of flavor or is too thick, add more aquafaba (to thin it), sun-dried tomatoes or sun-dried tomato oil, or tahini.
• Move the hummus to a serving bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon of oil from sun-dried tomato jar and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional).
• Top the hummus with 1/4 cup (total) of your preferred toppings. Serve with toasted pizza crust wedges or pita chips, and bell pepper wedges.

Notes

*Save liquid (aquafaba) from can of chickpeas. You'll need it for the recipe.

**I like to use Trader Joe's pizza crust for serving. You can find it near the baguettes & ciabatta loaves. Cut it into triangles. Then toast it in a grill pan for a few minutes on each side until brown.

Or you can serve it with homemade pita chips.

To make this dip gluten-free, serve with bell pepper wedges instead of pizza crust or pita bread. Don't top it with seitan pepperoni. Instead, top it with any of your favorite vegetables. (I recommend grilled artichoke hearts from a jar & slices of olives.)

Nutrition

Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

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Content, recipe, and photos updated January 2020. Originally posted July 2017.