Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes is the perfect healthy snack or appetizer for all of your Spring gatherings and warm patio evenings. Inspired by everyone’s favorite spinach and artichoke dip, this vibrant green hummus is lemony fresh, packed with tons of baby spinach and topped with crispy, pan-fried artichoke hearts.
This vegan recipe is super simple, totally delicious and way healthier than store-bought hummus. Paired with our Perfectly Puffy Pita Pockets, you can’t go wrong!
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How to Make Spinach Hummus
This spinach and artichoke hummus recipe is so easy to make! Most of the ingredients get whipped until smooth in the food processor! Then, artichoke hearts get a quick sear and sprinkle of lemon juice. For the grande finale, top it all off with some fresh lemon zest, flaky salt and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil! See for yourself! Check out our step-by-step How To Make Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes video!
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What Ingredients are in this Recipe?
Glad you asked! This recipe is based off of a classic hummus preparation (chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic) with the addition of fresh spinach. Over the top, artichoke hearts are seared in olive oil for a slightly-crispy, lemony garnish. Here’s what this recipe calls for:
- Chickpeas (AKA Garbanzo Beans) - Hummus is essentially a chickpea pureé. See below for how to make this recipe with canned or dried chickpeas.
- Baby Spinach - Spinach gives this hummus a vibrant green color, Spring vibes and loads of vitamins and minerals. Popeye-approved snacking.
- Artichoke Hearts - We used canned, quartered artichoke hearts for this recipe. Be sure to drain the hearts and towel dry them well to achieve that golden sear!
- Tahini - Tahini is a pureéd paste made from roasted sesame seeds. It smells and tastes a bit like a bitter peanut butter. Use a high-quality tahini and stir well before using.
- Garlic Cloves - A couple cloves of garlic go a long way in flavoring this spinach hummus.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - We love a lot of bright lemony flavor in this dip. We use a good amount of juice in the hummus itself, drizzle a little more over the artichokes and garnish with ribbons of lemon zest.
- Olive Oil - A little olive oil lends to a rich, creamy mouth-feel. A generous drizzle over the top makes for an even more inviting presentation.
- Salt - Gotta season those chickpeas! We add a sprinkle of flaky salt, to finish, as well.
Choosing A Chickpea...Canned, Soaked or Pressure Cooked
For this recipe, you can use canned or dried chickpeas. Our preferred garbanzo bean (chickpea) for creamy hummus is dried and then pressure cooked. With this win-win method you get all the flavor of fresh chickpeas without having to worry about overnight soaking and long cooking times. Below are instructions for each chickpea option.
Making Hummus with Canned Chickpeas
This easiest method is a great time-saver! Canned chickpeas are not always as flavorful as dried, but they’re nearly ready to go!
- Pop that can and drain your chickpeas into a colander. (If you wish, reserve your aquafaba for another recipe.) With cold water, rinse your chickpeas. Next, give those garbanzo beans a little peak and ensure no little pebbles have made their way into your can. (It happens!)
- For extra smooth, silky hummus, we recommend simmering the canned chickpeas until they are extra soft and tender. If you’d like to, put the rinsed chickpeas in a medium sauce pot. Then, cover the chickpeas in a couple inches of cold water. Bring the water to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer the chickpeas for 20 - 30 minutes until they are overcooked and easily smashed by the back of a spoon.
- Drain chickpeas and peel, if desired. (See the How To Peel Chickpeas text and video, below).
- That’s it! Easy, huh?
Making Hummus with Dried Chickpeas
Dried chickpeas are our preferred go-to for homemade Spinach Hummus! Go the traditional way with the tried-and-true stovetop method, or save yourself a day and try this quick, no-soak pressure-cooker hack! Either way, we recommend slightly overcooking your chickpeas for an extra smooth, creamy mouth-feel.
Soak & Stove
- Examine your dried chickpeas for any discolored beans, small rocks or foreign objects. Place dried chickpeas in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer chickpeas into medium mixing bowl and cover with cold water. To prevent dust particles, cover the bowl with a lid, clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
- Let chickpeas soak overnight.
- The next day, strain and rinse the soaked chickpeas. Transfer chickpeas to a medium sauce pot and cover them in a couple inches of cold water. Bring the water to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer the chickpeas for 2 - 3 hours or until they are overcooked and easily smashed by the back of a spoon. (Soft, overcooked chickpeas make for creamier hummus!)
- Drain chickpeas and peel, if desired. (See the How To Peel Chickpeas text and video, below). Otherwise, watch our How To Make Spinach Hummus video, or scroll straight to the recipe!
Pressure Cooker
- Examine your dried chickpeas for any discolored beans, small rocks or foreign objects. Place dried chickpeas in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- Add dried chickpeas to your pressure cooker’s vessel. Cover chickpeas in 2 liters (or 2 quarts, close enough) water.
- Secure the lid and pressure valve of your pressure cooker. Process chickpeas under high pressure for 55 minutes. (55 minutes will yield soft, overcooked chickpeas that are perfect for silky spinach hummus! If you are using this method to prepare chickpeas for another recipe, decrease the cooking time for a more al dente garbanzo bean.)
- Carefully, release the pressure and allow chickpeas to cool slightly before handling.
- Drain chickpeas and peel, if desired. (How to Video below!). Otherwise, check out How To Make Spinach Hummus above!
How To Peel Chickpeas
The smoothest of hummus dips are the result of a little extra love! Peeling your chickpeas can help to create the creamy, desired texture for homemade hummus. Not gonna lie, this is a tedious task! But it’s SO easy and borderline therapeutic. Put on some great music or your favorite podcast and get in The Zone!
Simply soak your cooked (or canned) chickpeas in a little water and baking soda. After a quick bath, those chickpeas skins will be ready to slide off. Give those beans a little pinch and viola! Naked chickpeas. Check out this video to see for yourself!
Do I Really NEED to Peel Chickpeas For Hummus!?
Honestly? No. Not even a little bit. You can make great hummus by skipping this step entirely. Does peeling chickpeas make for better hummus? Especially Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes? Yup. You betcha. We’re foodies with an appreciation for great textures and, in our humble opinions, peeled chickpeas make superior hummus dips. All in all, it took me about 15 minutes to peel the chickpeas for this recipe. Do I do it everytime? Nope. Sure don’t. It’s totally up to you. That being said, if you have the time... do yourself a favor and give it a shot. The results? Simply sababa.
What to Serve with Spinach Artichoke Hummus
This Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichoke dip is so good! We love to serve it at dinner parties, pot-lucks or with a glass of rosé on the patio! This Spinach Hummus recipe is delicious with our Perfectly Puffed Pita Pocket recipe. I mean, come on. Pita bread and hummus? Meant to be.
This spinach and artichoke hummus is also delicious with other flatbreads, crackers (we love crispy rice crackers), pretzels or a good, olive-oily focaccia bread. Some raw veggies would make for an even healthier (and gluten-free!) dippable.
Saving, Storing & Eating the Leftovers
Have some leftover? Leftover Spinach Hummus can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 - 3 days.
We love to use the leftover spinach hummus as a sandwich spread! try it schmeared in a grilled chicken hummus wrap with roasted red peppers and crumbled feta. It's delicious!
Recipe
Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes
Special Equipment
- Food Processor
- Pressure Cooker (Optional for cooking chickpeas, See Choosing A Chickpea...Canned, Soaked or Pressure Cooked Text Above)
Ingredients
Spinach Hummus
- ⅓ Cup tahini stirred well
- ½ Cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice about 3 lemons
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 bunch (About 3 Cups) baby spinach chopped washed, chopped & stems-removed
- 3 Cups slightly over-cooked chickpeas OR 2, 15 ounce cans; peeled if desired (For Dried Chickpeas, See Note: a)
- 1 Tablespoon fine kosher salt*
Lemon Artichokes
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 15 ounce can artichoke hearts drained, dried and quartered (See Note: b.)
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice as desired
- fine kosher salt* to taste
Optional Toppings
- Extra virgin olive oil as desired
- Lemon zest as desired
- Flaky finishing salt as desired
Instructions
Spinach Hummus
- Gather, measure and prepare the Spinach Hummus ingredients as listed. To view metric measurements, toggle the US Customary/Metric switch at the top of this recipe card.
- In a food processor, fitted with the blade attachment, combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Process on high-speed for 30 seconds.
- Add spinach to the food processor. It may be at tight fit, that’s okay. The spinach will lose most of it’s volume while processing. Process on high-speed, stoping and scraping the sides as necessary, for 2 - 3 minutes or until smooth.
- Add chickpeas and salt to the food processor. Process on high-speed 4 - 7 minutes until silky smooth. (See Note: c.)
- Chill spinach hummus in the refrigerator to thicken, if desired.
Lemon Artichokes
- Gather, measure and prepare the Lemon Artichokes ingredients as listed. Make sure your artichoke hearts are thoroughly dried before searing (See Note: b).
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Sear the artichoke hearts, cut side down, in the hot pan until golden brown. Flip to sear the opposite side. You may need to sear the artichoke hearts in two batches, to prevent overcrowding the pan.
- Transfer seared artichoke hearts to a plate lined with a paper-towel. Season generously with lemon juice and salt.
Finishing Spinach Hummus with Lemon Artichokes with Optional Toppings
- Transfer spinach hummus to it’s serving dish. With the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of the hummus. Swirl a spoon through the hummus to create little trenches to hold olive oil, if desired.
- Pile lemon artichokes in the center of the hummus.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil. Finish with lemon zest and flaky finishing salt, if desired. Serve immediately and Enjoy! Leftover hummus can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 - 3 days.
Notes
*Unless otherwise noted, foodworthfeed recipes are developed using Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. If using iodized or table salt, reduce quantities by about half.
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