Hello and welcome to this beautiful world where we’re blending one of my favorite dips with my all time favorite sauce to make the ultimate, crave-able snack that can be used hundreds of ways! If you haven’t tried my cilantro pistachio pesto recipe yet it’s time to dust off that food processor because today we’re turning it into PESTO HUMMUS.
That’s right, this homemade pesto hummus uses our ultra creamy hummus base and blends it all up with my cilantro pistachio pesto. The result is a slightly herby, fresh, and extremely delicious pesto hummus that you’ll seriously want to put on everything. The whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes with plenty of pantry staples you might already have on hand.
Use it as a dip for veggies and crackers, spread it on your favorite sandwich, and even use it as its own pasta sauce. The options are endless! I can’t wait to hear your fav ways to use it — drop a comment below and enjoy!
Let’s talk pesto
This herby and delicious pesto hummus recipe has my favorite cilantro pistachio pesto blended right in, which is made with fresh cilantro, jalapeño for a kick of heat, garlic, lime juice, olive oil and some roasted pistachios. I’ve found that pistachios create even better flavor & texture than pine nuts (found in many pesto recipes) and the freshness of cilantro takes the flavor to the next level!
Can I use a different nut?
While I find that pistachios give this pesto such a unique, delicious flavor, you’re also welcome to use cashews (my second fav), walnuts, almonds or even pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to keep this recipe nut free.
Everything you’ll need to make this pesto hummus recipe
Hello creamy, herby, dreamy pesto hummus! You’ll just need a few pantry staples and a little fresh produce to make this amazing hummus flavor.
- Chickpeas: the base of this hummus is made with just one can of chickpeas. Remember to save the liquid that comes in the can, too!
- Tahini: your best friend when making homemade hummus! Tahini is just a paste made from sesame seeds that gives hummus the perfect texture.
- Lemon juice: a little bright acidity help to balance the flavor in this pesto hummus recipe.
- Salt: don’t forget to adequately season your hummus.
- Pesto: as I mentioned, we’re blending in my famous cilantro pistachio pesto! If you have a favorite store-bought pesto on hand you can 100% use that instead.
- Optional: if you want super creamy hummus you’ll also need a little baking soda — more on this below.
The key to super smooth, creamy hummus
This step is totally optional, but if you’re looking to make this cilantro pistachio pesto hummus EXTRA creamy you’ll want to remove the skin from the chickpeas before blending it all up! Here’s how to do it:
- Drain the chickpeas. Start by draining your can of chickpeas and reserving the liquid in a bowl. Rinse the drained chickpeas and dump them into a different, microwave safe bowl.
- Add baking soda. It might sound strange, but you’ll then toss the drained, rinsed chickpeas with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda!
- Heat them up. Once your chickpeas are coated with baking soda, microwave the whole bowl for 90 seconds.
- Cool off & remove skins. Finally, pour the hot chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them with cool water. Gently rub the skins off of the chickpeas using your hands and drain off the water that has the skins in it. Repeat until all of the chickpeas have been skinned. This might take 4-5 changes of cool water. Then, follow the instructions as written!
How to make pesto hummus from scratch
This pesto hummus recipe comes together in under 30 minutes, including the time you’ll need to make the cilantro pistachio pesto!
- Make your pesto. Start by blending up all of the pesto ingredients so they’re nice and smooth. The cilantro pistachio pesto recipe makes more than you’ll need, so reserve 1/3 cup for this hummus recipe and store the rest in the fridge for other delicious recipes!
- Skins or no skins. Next, decide whether you’d like to remove the skins from your chickpeas using the method above or leave them as-is. Once your chickpeas are ready, add them to the bowl of your food processor or blender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Next, add some chickpea liquid from the can, tahini, lemon juice, salt and your cilantro pistachio pesto.
- Blend it up. Pulse or blend the ingredients for about 60 seconds or until everything is completely smooth. If anything is getting stuck or appears too thick, simply add more chickpea liquid 2 tablespoons at a time.
- Taste, adjust & serve. Once the hummus is nice and smooth and creamy, taste it and add more seasonings if you’d like. Then serve and enjoy!
Store it for later
Store your homemade pesto hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Our fav ways to use this cilantro pistachio pesto hummus
- Enjoy it as a dip for fresh veggies, pita bread, crackers and pretzels! We love these grain free crackers.
- Use it in place of regular pesto in recipes to add a lovely boost of protein. You may just need to thin it out a bit with warm water. It would make a wonderful, protein-packed “sauce” for noodles like in this recipe!
- Spread it on your favorite sandwiches or wraps. This pumpkin seed & avocado chicken salad sandwich would be perfect.
- Top some baked chicken or even salmon, or use it as a “sauce” for a flatbread pizza.
More hummus flavors to try
Get all of our dip recipes here, and more tips & tricks for making the best homemade hummus here!
I hope you love this cilantro pistachio pesto hummus! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Cilantro Pistachio Pesto Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained but with the liquid reserved
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (if removing the chickpea skins -- see below for instructions)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cilantro pistachio pesto*
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas over a colander, reserving the liquid in a bowl. Skip to step 5 if not removing the skins from the chickpeas.
- To remove the skins for creamier hummus: rinse the chickpeas and add them to a small microwave-safe bowl.
- Toss the chickpeas in 1 ½ tsp. baking soda and microwave them for 90 seconds.
- Pour the hot chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with cool water. Gently rub the chickpeas between your hands to remove the skins. Drain off the water with the skins, and repeat the process until all the skins have been removed. It may take 4-5 changes of water.
- Add the chickpeas (with skins on or off), ¼ cup of chickpea liquid from the can, and all other ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth, about 60 seconds. If things aren’t moving around very well, you can add 2 extra tbsp. at a time of the chickpea liquid.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with crackers, chips, veggies, or as a sandwich spread.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
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very nice recipe
This is very tasty! I just made a half batch of pesto so used most of it just for the hummus I was taking to a party. To simplify further, I would love to have been able just put all ingredients together at once instead of making the pesto separately. The half batch pesto ingredient size will probably work I may try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, there! SO happy you enjoyed it 🙂 I’m not sure how well everything would combine if you tried blending them all at once (some things might stay chunky!) but you could definitely blend up a half batch of the pesto first and then add the hummus ingredients right into the same blender/food processor.
To start, prepare the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Another great recipe. I don’t like salt, so, I used 1/3.
So glad you enjoyed it, Joan!
I love this recipe, made a few times.
Can I freeze the hummus?
So glad you love it! I haven’t tried freezing hummus before, so I’m not sure how the texture will turn out when thawed. I did a little research and it says you can freeze it for about 3-4 months!