This spicy carrot hummus that is perfect for parties or afternoon snacks!
Made with just a few ingredients, this healthy carrot dip is made without chickpeas and so simple to make! Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo and Whole30 friendly!
Why you will love this carrot hummus
- This healthy carrot dip is perfect for dipping veggies, chips, or to add to sandwiches or pitas.
- This chipotle carrot hummus is made without chickpeas or tahini, but is thick and creamy and has the perfect amount of spice.
- Perfect for parties, this carrot hummus would be great for outdoor barbeques or summer get togethers as it doesn’t have any dairy or ingredients that would spoil easily out in the sun.
- Budget friendly! Carrots are inexpensive and this hummus is a great way to use up pantry ingredients!
Ingredients
- Carrots – you can use large carrots or baby carrots. For large carrots, you will want to cut off the tops of the carrots before steaming. If you are using organic carrots, you do not have to peel the carrots, but be sure to wash the outside of any dirt.
- Pumpkin Seeds – pumpkin seeds help to make this hummus thick and smooth. The pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc, fiber and healthy fats. You can also use roasted sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews or hemp hearts as well.
- Nutritional Yeast – nutritional yeast helps to give this spicy carrot hummus a little boost in flavor. Nutritional yeast is typically used to add a cheesy flavor to dairy free foods. In this recipe, it adds a little cheesy umami flavor.
- Spices: Cumin, salt, garlic powder, chipotle powder – these spices really help to take the carrot hummus to the next level. the cumin adds a smoky flavor, the garlic powder adds umami without overpowering the dish and the chipotle powder adds the spice. You could also use 1-2 chipotle in adobo in place of the chipotle powder.
How to make spicy carrot dip
Check out a step by step story on how to make spicy carrot hummus!
- Chop the carrots into about 1 inch pieces for easy steaming.
Note: you do not need to peel the carrots first, but you can if you prefer. - Add water to a pot and add a steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the carrots to the steamer basket, cover and steam 7 minutes until soft.
- Remove the lid, turn off the heat and allow the carrots to cool 10 minutes before blending.
- Add all the ingredients to the food processor and process on high until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Hummus topping ideas
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cilantro
- Sliced jalapeno (fresh or pickled)
- Chopped red onion
- Pomegranate seeds
How to serve carrot hummus
- As a dip for raw veggies, chips, plantain chips
- As a sauce for roasted veggies
- Sandwiches
- Wraps
- Grain bowls
- Veggies bowls
Recommended kitchen tools
Common questions
Stove top: Bring water to a boil, add the steamer basket and veggies to the pot and cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam until tender.
Instant pot: Add the steamer basket to the instant pot, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Release pressure and allow to cool.
Nutritional yeast is often used in vegan and Whole30 recipes to add a cheesy flavor to dishes. It’s a deactivated yeast made from sugarcane and/or beet molasses. The fortified nutritional yeast is a great source of B-vitamins and can typically be found in most grocery stores (may need to look in the specialty area). If you have issues processing B-vitamins, you can find non-fortified versions online!
Other recipes that use nutritional yeast:
– Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
– Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
– Whole30 Broccoli Cheese Egg Cups
– Vegan Broccoli Casserole
– Vegan Hash Brown Casserole
This spicy carrot dip can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week in the fridge.
This hummus can be frozen, however when defrosted it may change texture. Store in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You may need to run the defrosted carrot hummus through the food processor again after defrosting if the texture seems off.
Tip: I like to freeze extra dips and sauces in ice cube portions, and once frozen then store them in the freezer safe bag. This way the dip will defrost quickly and you can also manage the portions.
Substitutions
Carrots: This recipe is great with carrots but could also be made with steamed, peeled sweet potatoes or butternut squash.
Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are great for adding healthy fats, fiber and zinc. You can also use:
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pistachios
- Hemp seeds
- Cashews
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast helps thicken the dip and also adds some great flavor! If you don’t have or don’t want to use nutritional yeast, you can still make this recipe but you will need to reduce the salt and the chipotle powder since it’s very spicy and the nutritional yeast helps to absorb some of the water.
Chipotle Powder: Chipotle powder is made from ground up dried chipotle peppers and can be quite spicy. This powder can be found in most grocery stores but is not the same as chili powder.
If you cannot find chipotle powder, you can replace the chipotle pepper with chili powder plus 1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. Alternatively, you could also add 1-2 chipotle in adobo sauce (from a can).
If you love this recipe, you should try
Spicy Carrot Hummus
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic carrots - peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt - see details if omitting nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp. Chipotle Powder - see details if omitting nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut the carrots down into 1 inch pieces
- Bring additional water to a boil in a pot and add a steamer basket.
- Once the water is boiling, add the carrots to the steamer basket and cover.
- Cook the carrots in the steamer, covered, for 7 minutes. After cooking, turn off heat, remove the lid and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Add the steamed carrots and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor.
- Process on high 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Top with your favorite toppings (optional) and serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Fridge: Store in a well sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: This dip can be frozen, however when defrosted it may change texture. Store in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
- Stove top: Bring water to a boil, add the steamer basket and veggies to the pot and cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam until tender.
- Instant pot: Add the steamer basket to the instant pot, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Release pressure and allow to cool.
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pistachios
- Hemp seeds
- Cashews
Fabricia
Monday 10th of September 2018
Love this dip! A great change up from the same ol' and amazing way to get in more yummy veggies.