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Roasted Garlic Hummus is one of life’s great pleasures
Ok, so it’s not up there with getting married or landing your dream job, but Roasted Garlic Hummus is pretty close.
Garlic is a favorite
Garlic is a favoriteOne of my husband’s favorite things to grow is garlic. Once you get the basics down, garlic is quite easy to grow. And you plant it in October for harvesting in July of the following year, so it’s out of the way as a chore when there is so much else that needs doing in the springtime. We have a huge vegetable garden, so having one less springtime chore is a great thing.
Consequently, we usually end up with something like 200 gigantic heads of garlic every year. We grow more than that, but you have to save your seed garlic heads for the next year, and we give away or sell some of it. It is just now beginning to deteriorate, so I’m using even more than usual to make sure none of it is wasted.
One particularly fine way to use garlic is to roast it. It’s true when the garlic is young because it mellows the flavor. But it’s true as well, once garlic begins to get a little on the aged side. Older garlic can begin to lose some of its punch. Roasting it wakes up the flavor and deepens it.
How to roast garlic
Roasting garlic is very easy. I usually do it when I already have the oven on for something else anyway. Choose heads that are on the large side, and in good shape, with firm cloves. Don’t peel it – just cut the top, pointed part off, so that the tops of all the cloves are exposed. Put the heads in a baking dish small enough to hold them upright, or crumple aluminum foil around them to hold them up. Drizzle with a teaspoon or so per head of olive oil, and sprinkle with a good pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
Since I am usually using the oven for something else at the same time, the heat can vary, but 350º to 400º is a good range. Roast until the cloves are completely soft. At 400º [as on the recipe card] this takes about 20 minutes, longer at a lower temperature. The cloves will shrink inside the papery peels, and turn a little darker, and when poked with a toothpick, they should offer no resistance. Let them cool, and peel away the skins, or gently squeeze out the cloves.
Roasted garlic is worth the effort
Hummus nearly always has some garlic, but roasted garlic offers a depth of flavor you may not have had before. It’s worth the extra effort, trust me. Roasted garlic is deeper in flavor and has a nuttiness that fresh garlic doesn’t have. It is a great way to increase the flavor of store-bought garlic.
Lemon is another common ingredient in hummus – juice it fresh for the best flavor. This little wooden reamer makes that easy.
How to make Roasted Garlic Hummus
Roasted Garlic Hummus
Equipment
- ramekins for roasting the garlic
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic
- 1 - 2 heads of garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil per head
- sprinkle kosher salt
- a couple grinds fresh black pepper
Hummus
- 15 ounce can of chickpeas
- 3 large roasted garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 grinds black pepper
- 3 tablespoon tahini paste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
Baked Pita Chips
- 1 package pita bread - 4 or 5 breads
- olive oil
- kosher salt
Instructions
Roast the garlic
- heat the oven to 400º
- Cut the pointed end of the heads of garlic until the tops of all the cloves are exposed.
- Place the heads in a baking dish small enough to hold them upright, or crumple aluminum foil around them to hold them up.
- Drizzle each head with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with a good sized pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Bake until the cloves are very soft - about 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool, and remove the skin, or squeeze out the cloves.
- You can put the cloves in a small dish and cover with olive oil - it will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.
Make the hummus
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the chickpeas, roasted garlic cloves, salt, pepper, tahini paste, olive oil and lemon juice.
- Process for a minute or so, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- If the mixture is too thick, add the reserved liquid from the chickpeas, a few teaspoons at a time.
- Continue to process the mixture until it is very smooth - adding more of the chickpea liquid if needed. It is going to thicken up a bit as it chills, but not a lot, so you want it to be a nice, scoop-able texture.
- Taste, and add more salt if needed.
- Scrape the hummus into a bowl, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
- Serve with chips, or fresh veggies.
Baked Pita Chips
- Preheat the oven to 400º
- Cut each pita bread into eight wedges.
- Put all of the wedges into a gallon ziplock bag or largish bowl. [the bag is easier]
- Drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the wedges, seal up the bag and shake around until the wedges are evenly coated with oil.
- Spread the pita wedges on a large baking sheet, in a single layer.
- Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt - I use a finer grain for this, but any kind will do.
- Bake until browned and very crispy - about 10 minutes, turning each wedge over after 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
- Cool before serving.
Notes
Make fresh pita chips
Fresh pita chips are really easy to make, and so crunchy and delicious. I detailed how to do it in the recipe card. Nothing goes better with this Roasted Garlic Hummus.
Roasted Garlic Hummus is a great appetizer,but there are plenty of other ways to use it too. I love it on a veggie sandwich, on baked potatoes, or roasted vegetables. Cut up a few fresh veggies to dip in it, and it makes a great after-school snack. It is a very versatile condiment to have around, so don’t limit yourself to just cocktail hour!
If you’re looking for another way to use your roasted garlic, I suggest Caramelized Broccoli with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.
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Love this take on hummus, will try it next time.
Thanks Carolyn – hope you enjoy it!
I love garlic and I think it might lower my blood pressure. And this hummus looks so good! I love this stuff! Great post!
“They” do say it’s good for you Abbe 😉
Just made a batch of roasted garlic and garlic oil this weekend. perfect timing!!! I love the idea of roasted garlic hummus. Looks so good! I would definitely go for 3 LARGE garlic cloves and possibly more. 🙂
Me too MJ – 3 is the starting point!
I envy you your own garlic! How nice is that! I use a lot of garlic, but usually not more than a head a week. Roast garlic is such terrific stuff, I can never get enough of it. Need to use some in hummus, though — I haven’t done that. Good post — thanks.
It is so easy to grow, John – our older daughter plants it right in among the flowers in her flower garden – just make sure you don’t plant it in the same place anytime within a 4 year span of time. And, I hope you enjoy the hummus!
We are always ready for a snack of hummus and pita chips. The roasted garlic is such a wonderful touch. Cheers! J+C
Thanks Judit and Corina – and welcome to The Creekside Cook. I will have to come and check out your blog now!
Reading in bed…this will get me dressed and to the store soon to get the ingredients!
I made this for my family last weekend and they loved it! Fresh delicious flavours 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by Janine – I am so glad that you all enjoyed the Hummus!
Hi Donalyn. By any chance, do you know how many calories a serving of this Roasted Garlic Hummus recipe has?
Hi Lisa – I am sorry, but I don’t formulate nutritional information, because there are so many variables in the ingredients that people choose when making the recipe. If you Google, it’s not hard to find sites that will give you a calorie count if you plug in all of the ingredients. Thanks for stoppong by and I hope that you love the hummus.
The roasted garlic added a rich and savory flavor that took this hummus to the next level. It was the perfect snack and I can’t wait to have it again!
Thank you Gianne – glad to hear that!
Love all kinds of hummus. This is no exception. Will certainly make it again. Nicely done!
Thanks so much Jackie – glad to hear that!
I just made this and cannot wait to make it again. I served it with pretzels and fresh veggies and everyone loved it.
Thanks MacKenzie – we like it with just about everything 🙂
So delicious! The perfect snack!!!
Thanks – so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious roasted garlic hummus recipe. Thanks alot for sharing.
Thank you Kushigalu ♥
This recipe is so delicious and so much healthier than what you can buy at the store. Love the sweetness from the roasted garlic, too. Made a double batch because it always disappears so quickly!
I have to agree Shelby – and a whole lot cheaper too!
I love the garlic! Wow! thank you for sharing
Thank you, Charah!
I need to make this but I definitely won’t tell my husband about the amount of garlic. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt hi, haha.
That sounds like a perfect strategy Jacqueline! 😀
The roasted garlic added a rich and savory flavor to the creamy hummus. It was a hit at my dinner party and I can’t wait to make it again!
This is the best hummus I’ve ever made! Super easy to make and so full of garlic flavor!
Aw, thanks Tayler – so glad that you enjoyed it!
We loved this hummus!
Thanks for letting me know William