What's not to love about hummus? It's nutritious, delicious, and satisfying; it's quick, easy, and economical to make; and kids like it just as much as the grown-ups do. But what happens when you feel like whipping up a batch of hummus but you don't have any tahini? Not to worry -- there are plenty of alternatives.
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Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.
Published on October 16, 2015
Tahini is the sesame paste that adds richness and complexity to traditional hummus. But if you don't have any tahini on hand, just want to try something new, (or, gasp! if your family doesn't care for the taste of tahini), you can still make a tasty batch of chickpea (aka garbanzo bean) dip without tahini. You don't even need to make any substitutions -- you can just follow your favorite hummus recipe and skip the tahini. Let Sarah Carey show you how easy it is:
MIX IT UP SOME MORE
If you feel adventurous, try replacing the tahini with an equal amount of peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, Greek yogurt, chopped roasted peppers, pitted olives, roasted beets, steamed sweet potato, avocado, or thawed frozen peas, to name just a few possibilities.
GO BEAN, BEYOND HUMMUS
Have fun experimenting, and remember, you can substitute chickpeas in any bean dip recipe. Try the old switcheroo with one of these recipes:
Coriander-Chile Pinto Bean Dip
Cauliflower–White Bean Dip
Any-Bean Dip
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