Red Beet Hummus

by Carolina Jantac, MS, RD, LD   •  Jump to Recipe article
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What do you think of Red Beet Hummus? You either love them, or you hate them! Red beets, people tend to have strong opinions about beets. They have a distinct, earthy flavor with a dense consistency. Their bright color is powerfully staining and will leave ruby splashes on your clothes and skin! If you’re in without a grimace for the first part of the equation, that is, you don’t care about the red mess that beets inevitably create, then this is just another recipe you’ll enjoy often.

However, if you dislike beets, this recipe may just change your mind. At least we hope you’ll try it: After all, beets are so good for you!

Beets are a root vegetable low in fat, having about 37 calories in ½ cup serving, when boiled. Although they have only 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of fiber, the benefits of fiber come from their array of vitamins and minerals. Red beets are a good source of folate, delivering close to 17% of your daily recommended intake in ½ cup. They also contain other B vitamins such as niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, as well as vitamins A and C.

Beets also are a superior brain food due to their manganese content. Just one portion provides 14 percent of your daily manganese. This aids your body in hormone production, and it is essential for nerve and brain functions. Some other minerals in beets include potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and selenium.

As far as the vegetable’s culinary attributes are concerned, beets represent an efficient way to naturally color baked goods. The famous Red Velvet Cake can derive a beautiful rich red from just a few drops of concentrated beet juice, instead of artificial red food coloring. Since beets are a root vegetable made up mostly of carbohydrates, similar to potatoes, they can at times be used interchangeably in some recipes.

In the Red Beet Hummus recipe below, we introduced beets into a classic hummus recipe for a couple of reasons. Beets will bring the total caloric content of hummus down significantly since they have fewer calories than chickpeas. They will also add to the traditionally smooth texture of hummus, bringing a more silken texture to the final product. As for flavor, the lemon and tahini are the main taste enhancers in the recipe, but you will notice a new and refreshing earthy— not to mention—savory undertone emerging from the beets. Most importantly, beets will turn your beige hummus vibrant red! It makes for an elegant appetizer for parties and pairs well with blue chips, when perhaps garnished with a sprig of basil, as you see in our accompanying photo.

There are quite a few variations of hummus out there these days. We would love to hear about your favorites. Comment below with your version, and inspire our next creation!

If you’re looking for the tradition hummus recipe, find it here! Want to stock up on our product and find our monthly sales? Check ouronline store.

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