
The secret ingredient in this hummus makes it healthier, thriftier, and greener. That’s a win-win-win in my book! My Taster likes it better than my original hummus too. Win-Win-Win Hummus costs just 78 cents a serving using organic ingredients.
You’ll find three something-for-nothing ingredients in one recipe:
- My homemade hummus uses no oil. Use olive brine instead of olive oil for flavor and fluidity.
- Get twice as much value from your lemon by using the juice and zest of one organic lemon instead of the juice of two lemons.
- Like my original hummus, this recipe uses chickpea broth (aquafaba) instead of water for added flavor and nutrition.
Cooking with olive brine instead of throwing it away was my big ah-ha this week. I recently splurged on a jar of organic olives. I thought about using olives in hummus in place of olive oil for flavor without fat but was worried they might turn the color gray. As I pondered, I dipped a spoonful of the olive brine from the jar. The black broth tastes like olives, with no bitterness or weird aftertaste. Ah-ha! I used Divina organic pitted kalamata olives, which are packed with water, organic red wine vinegar, and sea salt. You can use any olive brine with wholesome ingredients that tastes good to you.

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1/3 cup aquafaba chickpea broth
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 medium lemon zest and juice
- 3 tablespoons olive brine liquid from a jar of organic olives
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ground chipotle powder or cayenne powder
Ingredients
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- Get out your high-speed blender or food processor set up with the stainless-steel blade. Turn the machine on high and drop in the peeled garlic cloves and process until the garlic quits flying around, about 10 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve chilled, at room temperature, or hot as a dip, spread, or gravy. Stuff celery sticks with hummus, spread it in wraps or pita bread, or ladle it over roasted root vegetables or baked potatoes. Keeps at room temperature for four hours, refrigerated for five days, or frozen for a year.
Sounds interesting, Linda. Have you ever used sauerkraut brine in hummus? We’ve been trying to think of what to do with the leftover brine from a jar of delicious sauerkraut.
I haven’t tried that but it sounds good! It should work as a replacement for the lemon juice or the olive brine. I hate to throw sauerkraut brine away too. Sometimes I add sliced cabbage or cucumbers, refrigerate, wait a few days, and enjoy them as semi-fermented. I’ve also tried this with radishes, which didn’t work very well. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!