Red Kidney Bean Hummus

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While hummus is a super popular spread, there are still a lot of people who aren’t crazy about its main ingredient: chickpeas. Chickpeas are pretty polarizing, actually – you either love ’em or you hate ’em. What I love about this recipe is that you can still capture the essence of classic hummus even while utilizing a different base ingredient. 

Continue reading to learn how to transform a can of red beans into your new favorite hummus: Red Kidney Bean Hummus!

Why You’ll Love It

Beans are just an all-around power food. They are inexpensive, sustainable, shelf-stable, and boast many health benefits! Kidney beans have prebiotic fiber which makes them digestion-friendly and generally good for your gut. That, paired with their carb content and roughly 7g of protein per serving, makes them a satiating and well-rounded food. In addition, they are high in several key vitamins like iron and potassium, are linked to successful weight loss, and reduce the risk of colon cancer (read more about the health benefits of Kidney Beans here). Beans are indeed a magical fruit 😉

Another benefit of hummus is that it’s pretty versatile, as it’s associated with both Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. You can pair hummus with a wide variety of charcuterie elements, use it to supplement meals, or even make it the main feature of your dish. Below I detail different ways you can use this Red Bean Hummus (with Kidney Beans)!

Toppings 

• Herbs & Spices: Fresh herbs like dill, oregano, parsley, or mint 
• Vegetables: Garlic confit, roasted peppers, crunchy garlic chips, kalamata olives, capers
• Fruits: Lemon zest or sliced lemon pair nicely with hummus
• Spices: Top your hummus with some additional paprika or a sprinkle of cumin. For some heat, add a pinch of cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, or Aleppo pepper flakes. 
• Nuts and seeds: Pine nuts or finely chopped and salted cashews would work well with this dip. In addition, any roasted or fried bean on top would add a nice crunch. See my Whipped Feta Beans recipe to get the perfect crispy bean topping!
• Dairy: Feta cheese or goat cheese crumbles add both a tanginess and creaminess to this dip. 

Charcuterie and Snack Board Pairings

• Bread: Grilled pita wedges or toasted, garlicky naan make excellent dippers for hummus.
• Crackers: Pita crackers or pita chips make obvious choices, along with seedy sesame crackers and hearty, textured crackers like Triscuits.
• Meat: For cured meats, I’d include bresaola (similar to the Middle Eastern Basturma). If you’re feeling ambitious and want to serve cooked meat, lamb skewers or kafta kabobs would work well, too.
• Vegetables: Cucumber chips, carrot sticks, whole mini sweet peppers, and celery sticks are my favorite dippers for this hummus. I’d also serve several pickled veggies alongside it, including pepperoncini, pickled red onion, kalamata olives, capers, artichokes, and stuffed grape leaves.
• Dips: if you want to serve additional dips alongside your hummus, baba ganoush, creamy garlic dip, or even tzatziki would pair well.

Drink Pairings

You can pair Red Kidney Bean Hummus a couple of different ways depending on which ingredient you want to pair with. If you focus on the fresh, acidic profile of the lemon, a dry, citrusy white wine like Sauvignon Blanc will pair well. If you prefer to pair with the nutty and bitter flavor of the Tahini, choose a fruitier white wine like Riesling or a buttery Chardonnay. Finally, if you want to pair it with the Kidney beans, medium-bodied red wines like Pinot Noir will pair nicely.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Food Processor: For the dip
• Strainer: To rinse and strain the beans
• Scraping Spatula: To scrape down the food processor and transfer to the serving dish
• Measuring spoons (1 tbs, 1/2 tsp, 1/8 tsp): For the olive oil, paprika, salt, cumin and vinegar
• Measuring Cups (1/4 cup, 1/3 cup): For the tahini and lemon juice
• Cutting Board (optional): For any herbs on top
• Serving Dish:  To plate and serve

Preparation & Storage

Red Kidney Bean Hummus can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to store in an air-tight container so it doesn’t dry out. If you’re adding any toppings, keep those separate until serving. Fresh herbs in particular may cause the dip to spoil sooner if they’re stored together.

Other ways to use Red Kidney Bean Hummus

• Breakfast: Layer Red Bean Hummus on toast and top with Avocado, poached egg, feta cheese, and pickled onions.
• Lunch: Layer a wrap with Red Bean Hummus, chicken, feta, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, and tabbouleh (or rice, or couscous)
• Dinner: Make a rice bowl with Red Bean Hummus, kofta, and roasted eggplant, topped with parsley and mint.

Ingredients

• Kidney Beans: Light or dark kidney beans will work for this recipe. I use dark red kidney beans because they are ever-so-slightly more nutritious and colorful than their light red counterpart.
• Tahini: Tahini is a creamy, buttery condiment made from hulled and ground sesame seeds. It is used in Middle Eastern cuisine to make salad dressings, marinades, and dipping sauces. It’s also simply used as a drizzle on sandwiches and other dishes. Tahini is known for its nutty and bitter flavor profile and is often paired with garlic and lemon.
• Olive Oil: As per my usual recommendation, the highest quality EVOO will yield an earthy and creamy result. The better the quality of the olive oil, the more flavorful it is.
• Lemon: The lemon juice helps to lighten and brighten this dish by balancing out the starchy beans and buttery tahini.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Just a tiny bit of red wine vinegar adds a little tang and sweetness!
• Garlic: Fresh garlic works best, as it adds some additional freshness and acidity. However, garlic powder is also OK if that’s what you have on hand.
• Paprika: Paprika, while rather flavorless, does add some smokiness to this Hummus. It also adds a vibrant, red color that makes the dish look extra appetizing.
• Cumin: A little cumin always goes a long way! It’s got such a distinct flavor, adding warmth and sweet smokiness to any dish it’s in.

Substitutions

• Kidney Beans: A white bean version of this dip would be great, too – think starchy varieties like Cannellini, Great Northern, and Navy beans. Any canned beans will work here, really.
• Tahini: There are several reasons you may want to swap out Tahini; you may just not like it, you may be catering to a sesame allergy, OR you don’t want to buy a whole container of it (it’s expensive!) just for this recipe. There isn’t a substitution that will make the dip taste exactly the same, but my best recommendation is Sunflower Seed Butter. You can add a drop or two of sesame oil to this if you want for taste.
• Olive Oil: Avocado oil would work with this, too, but the distinct taste of olive oil is more true to the dish.
• Red Wine Vinegar: You can substitute with white vinegar, or eliminate this ingredient altogether.

Red Bean Hummus (with Kidney Beans)

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Keyword: Easy, Kidney Beans, Quick

Servings: 12

Calories: 64kcal

Equipment

• 1 Small Strainer (for the beans)
• 1 Food Processor (for the dip)
• 3 Measuring Spoons (1 tbs, 1/2 tsp & 1/8 tsp for the olive oil, paprika, salt, red wine vinegar and water)
• 2 Measuring Cups (1/4 cup, 1/3 cup for the lemon juice and tahini)
• 1 Scraping Spatula (to scrape down the food processor and transfer to serving dish)
• 1 Serving Dish (for serving!)
• 1 Cutting Board (optional, for cutting any toppings)

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can Dark red kidney beans
• 1/3 cup Tahini
• 1/4 cup Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tbsp Cold water
• 1 Large clove Fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Red wine vinegar Optional

Video

Red Bean Hummus_Tutorial by Kristen Vaugh

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 293IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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