Hummus is the best little dip ever and especially when you toss in fresh cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. The cilantro turns the hummus a beautiful spring green color, which is fun to pair with watermelon radishes for a festive platter. It’s delicious as a dip with fresh veggies or pita bread, but also makes a great spread for wraps or burgers. And, because hummus is made with chickpeas and tahini, it’s packed full of plant-based protein! It’s the perfect food for vegetarian diets because it’s so rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. But, you certainly don’t have to be vegetarian to fall in love with this recipe!
This is a fun twist on hummus, made with fresh diced jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice to give it a “south of the border” flair. We added 1 1/2 jalapeños, but you can add as much or as little as you like to suit your personal tastes! The fresh cilantro gives this hummus a pretty green color, which is fun and different than most hummus and looks pretty for spring and summer dips, especially if you can find watermelon radishes to serve with it! They are tasty with this hummus and add so much color to your plate!
Besides the new additions, we make our usual hummus with garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, olive oil and sea salt. We love to serve this as a dip with pita and veggies, (especially those beautiful watermelon radishes!), or as a condiment to accompany grilled fish or meats, too.
Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 jalapeños, seeds and veins removed and diced
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, they come packed 14, 15, 15.5 or 16 oz., but any will do!
- 1 tbsp. garbanzo bean brine, or cold water
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- juice of one lime
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Drain garbanzo beans, but reserve the packing brine to use in the hummus. Separate out about 15 garbanzo beans to use as the garnish on top. Set all aside.
- Remove stem, ribs and seeds from the jalapeños, and coarsely dice. Place diced jalapeños in the bowl of your food processor. Process until finely chopped.
- Add cilantro leaves and process until smooth. Mince garlic into this mixture and continue to process.
- Add garbanzo beans along with 1 tablespoon of the brine (or cold water) and purée until smooth.
- Add 2 tablespoons tahini, lime juice and salt and puree until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a little more of the brine, (or cold water), 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. We found that 1 tablespoon was perfect, but each can of garbanzo beans can vary in both size and moisture content!
- To serve, garnish with fried garbanzo beans, (recipe just below), thinly sliced jalapeño, lime wedges, a sprig of cilantro and drizzle extra olive oil over the top!
- Fried Garbanzo Beans for Garnish: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add garbanzo beans and sauté over medium heat until crispy. Season with a dash of sea salt.
