Hummus Cucumber Bites
Crisp cucumber rounds topped with creamy homemade hummus—fresh, light, and completely plant-based
- 2English cucumbers(sliced into 1/2-inch rounds)
- 15 ozchickpeas(1 can, drained and rinsed, reserve liquid)
- 0.25 cuptahini(well stirred)
- 3 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
- 0.25 cupextra virgin olive oil(plus more for drizzle)
- 0.5 tspcumin
- 0.5 tspsalt(to taste)
- 2-4 tbspaquafaba(reserved chickpea liquid)
- 1 tbspfresh parsley or dill(for garnish)
- 1 pinchpaprika or za'atar(for garnish)
Hummus keeps refrigerated up to 5 days. Slice cucumbers and assemble up to 2 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated.
- 1FOR CLASSIC HUMMUS: Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cumin, and salt to food processor
- 2Process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed
- 3Add aquafaba 1 tablespoon at a time until desired creamy consistency
- 4Taste and adjust salt and lemon as needed
- 5FOR ROASTED RED PEPPER: Add drained roasted peppers to processor with other ingredients, adds sweet smokiness
- 6FOR ROASTED GARLIC: Cut top off garlic head, drizzle with oil, wrap in foil, roast at 400°F for 40 minutes until soft and golden. Squeeze out cloves and use instead of raw garlic for mellow, sweet garlic flavor
- 7TO ASSEMBLE: Slice cucumbers into 1/2-inch rounds
- 8Pat cucumber rounds dry with paper towel
- 9Pipe or spoon hummus onto each round
- 10Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with paprika or za'atar
- 11Garnish with fresh herbs
- 12Serve chilled
For ultra-smooth hummus, peel chickpea skins or use a high-powered blender. Room temperature tahini blends better. The aquafaba (chickpea liquid) makes it extra creamy without added oil. Variations: • Roasted Red Pepper: Add 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry • Roasted Garlic: Replace raw garlic with 6-8 cloves roasted garlic (roast whole head at 400°F for 40 min) • Everything Bagel: Top with everything bagel seasoning
Hummus is one of the most ancient foods of the Levant, with chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) cultivated across the ancient Near East for at least ten thousand years. The combination of chickpeas with tahini — ground sesame paste — lemon, garlic, and olive oil that defines modern hummus is documented in Levantine cuisine by at least the 13th century. A manuscript from 13th-century Cairo describes a similar dish of ground chickpeas with vinegar, lemon, and herbs. The Arab cookbook Kanz al-Fawa'id, also from the 13th century, contains one of the earliest documented recipes combining chickpeas with tahini. Hummus bi tahini — the full name — is a dish that belongs simultaneously to Palestinian, Lebanese, Israeli, Syrian, and Egyptian cuisines, with each tradition claiming particular mastery over its preparation. Tahini itself has been produced in the Eastern Mediterranean since at least the 13th century. Chickpeas spread westward from the Near East with Arab trade and the expansion of Islamic civilization, and were well established in Spanish, Sicilian, and North African kitchens by the medieval period. The global popularization of hummus in Western markets accelerated from the 1980s onward as Middle Eastern restaurants expanded and commercial hummus production scaled. Serving hummus on cucumber rounds rather than pita is a modern adaptation that makes the dish gluten-free and lower in carbohydrate while highlighting the freshness of the dip itself.