Hummus pasta salad is the perfect weekday lunch or dinner that is ready in just 15 minutes and packed with flavor. Great for cookouts, potlucks, parties or meal prep, this creamy Mediterranean pasta salad is so easy to make and perfect for any occasion.

Hummus pasta salad in large bowl with lemons around the bowl.

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Ingredients

Cooked pasta – I like to use a lentil or chickpea pasta to make this recipe gluten free and more filling. Chickpea and lentil pasta are both great sources of protein and fiber and instantly make this dish more hearty! You can use your favorite gluten free noodle to make this recipe.
Hummus – Use your favorite homemade or store bought hummus for this recipe. It’s important that you love the flavor of the hummus though because it’s the star of this pasta salad.
Lemon juice – Lemon juice helps to brighten up the dish and help all the flavors amplify.
Tahini – Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and is usually an ingredient in hummus. Tahini helps to make this hummus pasta sauce a bit creamier.
Water – water helps to thin out the hummus pasta sauce so that it will coat the pasta without being too thick. Start with just 1 or 2 tbsp. and you can add more as you go if needed (depending on how thick your hummus is).
Salt – Salt helps all the flavors in the dish pop.
Red onion – red onions add color and flavor to the dish. When soaked in red wine vinegar, the acidic bite is removed from the onion, helping to mellow them out.
Red wine vinegar – soak the onions in vinegar before adding to the salad to help mellow out the onions. The red wine vinegar goes into the salad once the onions are done marinating and it helps to brighten the salad.
Cucumber, tomatoes, red bell pepper – these veggies help to add crunch, color and texture to the pasta salad! Use whatever veggies you have on hand.

How to make hummus pasta salad

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

While pasta is cooking, slice the red onion and add the red wine vinegar to the onions. Stir occasionally while pasta is cooking.

Make the hummus pasta sauce by combining the hummus, lemon juice, tahini, water and salt in a bowl or measuring cup. Stir well to combine. If sauce seems really thick and hard to stir, add 1 tbsp. of water at a time until it’s easier to stir.

Before and after making the hummus pasta sauce.

When pasta is done cooking, drain the water and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool off the noodles to make pasta salad.

Chop the rest of the veggies.

In a large bowl combine the cooked and cooled pasta, chopped veggies, red onion + red wine vinegar and hummus pasta sauce. Stir well.

Before and after stirring the hummus pasta salad.

Serve immediately or store in the fridge a few hours before serving.

Top tips

Be sure to use a hummus that you love – the flavor/quality of the hummus makes this dish! I love everything bagel lentil hummus or for this recipe, it’s budget friendly and I always have the ingredients on hand! Butter bean hummus would also be great in this recipe!
To help remove that harsh bite from onions, soak the onions in vinegar for a few minutes before adding the onions to the salad. This helps to make the onions a bit sweeter and easier to tolerate raw.
Thin out the hummus with water, only add a little at a time to ensure it doesn’t get too thin. If you notice your hummus pasta sauce is too thin, add more hummus directly to the pasta.
When served with hot pasta, it’s almost like an alfredo sauce because of the texture of the sauce. If you want to serve this hot, you may want to replace the cucumbers with zucchini.
Salt your cooking water with a few tablespoons of salt – don’t worry you rinse most of the salt away. Salting the water helps to give the noodles more flavor as they will absorb the salt while cooking.

Hummus pasta salad in small white bowl with larger bowl in background.

Other veggies you could use

Artichoke hearts (jarred or packed in water and cut into bite size pieces)
Roasted red peppers
Spinach or baby kale
Zucchini or summer squash (thinly cut or cooked first)
Asparagus (grilled, roasted or sauteed)
Mushrooms (roasted or sauteed)
Sundried tomatoes
Finely chopped broccoli florets (raw or sauteed)
Avocado
Kalamata olives (pitted)
Capers

Other flavors combinations to try

Easily change the flavor of this dish by changing the hummus! Some great options include:

Roasted red pepper hummus – serve with sauteed zucchini, mushrooms and asparagus
Pesto hummus – serve with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, spinach and tomatoes
Creamy roasted cauliflower hummus – serve with tomatoes, red onion, spinach and kalamata olives
Cilantro jalapeno hummus – serve with peppers, onions, avocado and pickled jalapeno.

Ways to make this recipe more filling

This hummus pasta salad is a great side dish for cookouts, parties or weeknight meals. It would also be a great light lunch or dinner, especially if served with a lentil or chickpea pasta. Other ways to make it more filling include:

Protein: Add your favorite protein (chicken, salmon, shrimp, tofu, chickpeas or cooked lentils)
Healthy fats: Add avocado, olives, sunflower seeds or hemp hearts
Fiber: Use a high fiber pasta like chickpea or lentil pasta or add chickpeas, lentils, white beans to the salad.

Hummus pasta salad in a large bowl with white napkin.

Storing leftovers

Store leftover hummus pasta salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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