Hummus is a dip that stars cooked mashed chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, as its main ingredient. Though there's no universal recipe, hummus is a classic Middle Eastern dish that typically consists of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil.
Chickpeas—and foods made with them—have become popular due to the rise of plant-based eating and gluten-free diets. Chickpeas are a member of the pulse family, along with lentils, beans, and peas, like black-eyed peas and split peas.
Hummus has many health-promoting benefits thanks to its main ingredient, chickpeas. The tasty dip also contains tahini—a paste made from sesame seeds high in unsaturated fatty acids. Here's what you need to know about the nutritional content of hummus, its benefits, and how to whip up a quick, delicious recipe.
Is Hummus Keto?
Hummus has a low glycemic index—a value system used to determine how much each food can raise your blood sugar—meaning it doesn't spike your blood sugar very much. This is because your body digests it slower than other foods. Slowly digesting food helps maintain your blood sugar levels.
Eating chickpeas with a meal heavy in carbs helps offset blood sugar spikes. A study showed that when chickpeas were consumed with pizza, a carb-heavy meal, the blood sugar did not rise compared to those who consumed the same meal without chickpeas.
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Boosts Protein
Hummus is an excellent source of plant-based protein for anyone, especially people who are vegetarian or vegan. Protein plays many key roles in your body, such as:
- Promoting essential development during childhood and pregnancy
- Helping cells repair themselves
- Helping create new cells
- Preserving lean muscle mass
- Preventing age-related muscle loss
- Stimulating protein synthesis
The main ingredient of hummus—chickpeas—packs antioxidants and other nutrients that have anti-inflammatory properties. For example, researchers found that olive oil helps fight inflammation, which helps boost your immune system, by controlling the growth of white blood cells.
Helps Manage Weight
Due to its protein and fiber contents, hummus is also helpful for weight loss. It's unclear whether the weight loss benefits are due to hummus itself or the general healthy lifestyle of people who consume it. Chickpeas may also help promote fullness.
Hummus is high in fiber, a nutrient that improves satiety. Likewise, the protein content of hummus helps increase your metabolism, which can assist the weight loss process.
Fiber also promotes digestive health. Dietary fiber—containing insoluble and soluble fiber—makes you feel fuller and helps keep your bowel movements regular.
Soluble fiber slows digestion, reducing your body's ability to absorb dietary fats and sugars. Insoluble fiber passes through your digestive system, adding bulk to your stool and preventing constipation.
Protects Against Chronic Diseases
Chickpea and hummus consumption is tied to protection against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
The high levels of fiber and healthy unsaturated fats in chickpeas and hummus protect you from heart disease. The soluble fiber prevents the uptake of unhealthy fats, lowering your total blood cholesterol and triglycerides—bad fats. The unsaturated fats also reduce cholesterol and triglycerides and raise high-density lipoprotein—HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
Hummus is a key food in the Mediterranean diet, which is a diet that helps lower the risk of developing:
- Atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries obesity
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Degenerative diseases affecting the nervous system
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Respiratory disease
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Check the nutritional label on whatever brand of hummus you pick at the grocery store because the nutritional content may vary slightly from product to product. On average, one 100-gram serving of commercial hummus has:
- Calories: 237
- Protein: 7.78g
- Fat: 17.8g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 5.5g
- Iron: 2.54mg
- Calcium: 47mg
- Folate: 48mcg
- Magnesium: 75mg
- Potassium: 312mg
- Total polyunsaturated fatty acids: 8.81g
- Total monounsaturated fatty acids: 5.34g
Risks of Hummus
Not everyone may be able to enjoy hummus. A person may discover they have a chickpea allergy. While chickpea allergies are not common, any food can cause allergic reactions.
Hummus is a healthy, delicious spread, but its nutritional benefits may be impacted by how it is prepared.
In traditional recipes, cooked chickpeas are pureed and blended with other anti-inflammatory superfoods—including extra virgin olive oil, tahini, garlic, and lemon. Adding sweet ingredients, like cocoa and sugar, to make a dessert hummus is often a healthier option than other sweet treats.
However, if you buy pre-made hummus, check the label. Choose brands made with extra virgin olive oil instead of more inflammatory oils, like soybean oil. Skip hummus containing preservatives, like potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.
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If you're eating hummus as a snack, maximize the health perks by scooping it up with fresh, raw vegetables rather than chips or crackers. Blend the following ingredients in a blender or food processor until you get the desired consistency:
- 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 clove garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
You can also enjoy hummus in other ways, too:
- As a creamy salad dressing or a mayo alternative for bean, chicken, egg, and tuna salads
- To thicken sauces, soups, mashed potatoes, or cauliflower mash
- As a topping for oven-roasted veggies or potatoes
A Quick Review
Hummus is a healthy, versatile snack. It is packed with nutrients and offers protection from various diseases.
It's easy to make your own at home, and you can find all kinds of flavors at the grocery store, from black bean, roasted garlic, and coconut curry to red velvet and chocolate mint. Just check that the store-bought kind doesn't have added sugars, inflammatory oils like soybean, or extra preservatives.
No matter how you prefer to eat it, hummus is a tasty and healthy way to introduce more plant-based protein, fiber, and nutrients to your diet.
