This easy recipe for chestnut hummus combines cooked chestnuts with olive oil, garlic, tahini, lemon and spices to make a lovely, velvety, bean-free hummus.
I first became aware that chestnut hummus was “a thing” when I attended a permaculture-focused paw paw festival that espoused the power of growing and cooking with native fruit and nut trees.
Chestnuts are a great source of energy-giving complex carbohydrates, and are similar to beans in both texture and performance in a recipe like this. And in many places on the East Coast, it’s still possible to buy fresh chestnuts at farmers markets, specifically in the Fall and Winter, when they are in season. This is something I want to support, because chestnut trees are an endangered native tree that provides a ton of ecosystem services that are helpful in the movement to restore native forest and more sustainable models of food production in the U.S.. The people who are still growing chestnuts, moreover, are doing the heroes work and we want to support them! So, I recommend to any foodie who is curious about chestnuts to try cooking with them, and chestnut hummus is such an easy, accessible way to do that.
Because of the naturally-occurring sugars in the nut, chestnut hummus has a slightly sweeter taste than a traditional bean hummus, but the texture is nearly identical. Note, also, that this recipe calls for cooked chestnuts, which is the most common commercially-available preparation. Steamed chestnuts in a bag are easy to use in a pinch, though it’s hard to get those domestically produced. Whether you’re roasting the chestnuts yourself or using the bagged preparation, the recipe is the same (though fresh-roasted chestnuts might require a little more water to blend). Use what you have! It’s a fun recipe either way.
You can really use chestnuts in any hummus recipe, by the way– just replace the chickpeas with the same volume of cooked chestnuts and voilà! Chestnut hummus.
This is the recipe I like to use when I make chestnut hummus, below:
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Easy Chestnut Hummus Recipe
This velvety-smooth chestnut hummus recipe yeilds a slightly-sweeter version of classic hummus.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked chestnuts
- 3 Tbsp tahini
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 medium garlic gloves
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp water (as needed to thin hummus to your liking)
- 1 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
Instructions
- Combine everything in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. The texture should be, you know, hummus-y. Add water if necessary to thin to your liking. Salt to taste.
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a fresh chiffonade of parsley, sprinkle of paprika, toasted pine nuts, and/or sesame seeds and serve with pita or veggies!
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Related: This Maple-Date Chestnut Milk recipe is a lovely, locavore alternative to hot chocolate. Try it next!
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