This keto hummus is surprisingly satisfying and authentic tasting! A wonderful low carb substitute for a classic hummus made with chickpeas, this keto hummus made with cauliflower can be flavored in an infinite amount of variations! This is the original cauliflower hummus recipe, and still the best in my opinion!
I have been missing hummus in a major way lately, and finally got around to trying this keto hummus experiment with cauliflower to stand in for the chickpeas. I noticed recently that my low carb cauliflower puree has the consistency of hummus when cold, and thought if I added just the right ingredients I could mask the cauliflower flavor enough to convince people that it was the real thing.
Um. You guys? IT TOTALLY WORKED. And I mean for real! If you put my keto hummus up against a store bought classic hummus, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Even I was surprised at how well this experiment turned out!
It did take a little fussing to get the flavor where it needed to be for this keto hummus. I had to keep tweaking it to hide the subtle sweetness of the cauliflower, but with just the right amounts of lemon, garlic (raw and cooked), and tahini paste, it turned out incredibly delicious. Almost dangerously addictive if I do say so!
When I finally got around to making this keto cauliflower hummus, I didn’t have a lot of low carb dipping options hanging around, so I improvised with some rolled up radicchio leaves and thinly sliced Granny Smith apple. The radicchio leaves are pretty for the photos, but the bitterness wasn’t my favorite. The apple slices however tasted AMAZING with it!
I ate the remainder of this low carb cauliflower hummus the next day with celery sticks, lower in carbs than the apple slices, and just as delicious in their own way. Another great keto dipping option would be radish slices, or my HOP crackers.
And of course, this keto cauliflower hummus would be amazing with my Low Carb Cauliflower Falafel and a side of my Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad!
As an added bonus, this keto hummus is super healthy for you! It is full on Paleo friendly – even Whole 30 compliant! It’s also egg free, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free (tahini is made from sesame seeds), so it fits into pretty much any eating plan.
This low carb cauliflower hummus recipe makes a great base for all kinds of other hummus flavors if you want to get creative.
I love Trader Joe’s jalapeno cilantro hummus and you could totally do that with this. A roasted red pepper version would also be delicious. Or sun-dried tomato and Kalamata olives, if you’re into that.
Pretty much any strong flavors will go well in this keto hummus recipe. I’ll probably experiment with some of these ideas and post the results sometime in the future. Update – my first book Keto for Life has several new keto hummus recipes with different flavors and they are all delicious!
Meanwhile, get your dip on and make this low carb hummus IMMEDIATELY! Then report back because I’m dying to hear what you think of it!
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Keto Cauliflower Hummus
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Six servings
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This keto hummus is so delicious that you’d never know it was grain free and made with super healthy cauliflower! Keto, Atkins, and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5 tablespoons Tahini paste
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 raw garlic cloves, crushed (in addition to above)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- smoked paprika and extra olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cauliflower, water, 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 whole garlic clove to a microwave safe dish.
- Microwave, uncovered, for about 10 minutes – or until softened and darkened in color.
- Put the cauliflower mixture into a magic bullet, blender, or food processor and blend.
- Add the tahini paste, lemon juice, 2 raw garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Blend until mostly smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- To serve, place the hummus in a bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.
- Use thinly sliced tart apples, celery sticks, raw radish chips, or other vegges to dip with.
Notes
Approx. nutrition info per 1/4 cup: 141 calories, 14g fat, 3.5g net carbs, 2g protein
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: keto appetizers
- Method: microwave
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 141
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Hanna says
This was amazing! The only change I made was roasting the cauliflower and garlic for about 12 minutes instead of using the microwave, and I doubled the tahini. I’ve been making hummus for over 30 years, and the recipe I use calls for 4 tablespoons of tahini, so I knew I’d want more in this one. Thanks for sharing.
Mellissa Sevigny says
So happy you loved it and more tahini is always a good idea!
Laura D says
Fabulous!! The search stops here for the perfect keto cauliflower hummus recipe. The result was exactly what I was hoping for. After trying a few other keto cauliflower hummus recipes and feeling (veeeery) underwhelmed, I was delighted to find this one (the photo and your intro hooked me) and I was even more delighted by the flavour and texture. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Laura, I’m so happy you liked this recipe!
Julie says
Sorry to sound a pedant, but the ingredients state 3 cloves of garlic peeled, plus 2 raw crushed.
However, the instructions say to put cauliflower and 1 clove etc. Into the microwave. Should that be 3, or what happens to the other 2 peeled cloves?
I’m rearing to go to make this but don’t wNt to “under-garlic” it.
Thank you
Mellissa Sevigny says
One clove gets cooked with the cauliflower and the other two get added raw in step four.
Rebekah Benson says
Great recipe. We added roasted red pepper and used it to dip crackers and veggies.
Melva says
To those who rated this less than 5, all I can say is…you missed a step, this is amazing. I’ve been missing hummus, since my daughter is on a weight watchers diet and her daily snack is just that. She hates cauliflower but is always willing to try knee things, except cauliflower…Fooled her. This is truly delicious. Like some I roasted some garlic with the cauliflower and followed the rest as written. Of course the final touches are your preference. For me there’s never too much garlic. Great recipe, thank you. I’ve made a few others and all have been great. Thank you, keep up the great cooking!
Gail says
I overcooked the cauliflower (on stoptop–my bad for not following directions) and then I over-pureed it! The flavor was great, but I really messed up the texture. So I decided to use it for soup. about one browned Italian sausage, 1/2 c chicken broth, 1/2 c half and half, handful of fresh spinach. OMG–the best soup ever. I don’t need hummus! Great recipe just for flavor mix.
Mary Fitzgerald says
This changed my life. LOL! Seriously good. Thank you for creating this recipe!!