Repurpose leftover hummus to make one incredible homemade hummus salad dressing. Simple ingredients and pantry staples combine in this balanced and creamy dressing to jazz up salads and more. No blending or chopping required!
After making a double batch of roasted garlic hummus for a get-together that got canceled, I knew I had to get creative in order to use it up. Pita chips and a fair amount of hummus can only go so far in a two-person household.
Tinkering around with hummus as a base and adding a variety of salad dressing staples, this hummus salad dressing recipe came to be and let me tell you, it made quick (and delicious) work of all that excess hummus.
The best part: Using hummus as salad dressing means that you're starting with a flavorful base, so there's no need to food process, chop anything, wash and dry herbs, etc. to end up with a good homemade dressing. Because who wants to wash extra dishes and spend all that extra time prepping just part of a side dish? (Not me.)
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Dressing
- As long as you have hummus, you'll likely have all you need to throw together this easy hummus dressing. We're leaning on pantry staples here.
- Even thinned out, the hummus flavor shines through and combines with olive oil, the punchiness of fresh lemon juice, and a touch of sweetness from maple syrup for a wonderful, well-rounded flavor.
- There's a lot of room for customization. Choose different flavors of hummus, add your favorite herbs or spices as you like, switch up the dried seasonings, etc.
- As written, this hummus-based salad dressing is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
Recipe Ingredients
- Hummus: Store-bought or homemade works great. You'll need one-half cup.
- Olive Oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil for its flavor, but another oil type would work too, such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly-squeezed is recommended for the best and brightest flavor. An acidic ingredient is a must in salad dressing to punch through the creamy, savory notes.
- Maple Syrup: Two teaspoons of maple syrup provides a complementary sweetness to the acidity of the lemon juice, as well as a tiny bit of delicious flavor. Be sure to use pure maple syrup and not an artificial pancake syrup.
- Spices: Salt, pepper, and paprika keep things simple, but you have a lot of wiggle room here to add what you like. See the variations section below for more ideas.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Measure out ingredients. You can do this in a mixing bowl or a large enough jar or salad dressing shaker bottle.
- Whisk to combine evenly. The dressing should be thick and able to be drizzled. If you'd like it thinner, whisk in one teaspoon of cool water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. (I usually don't add water.)
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Adjust to taste. Once all of the dressing ingredients have been combined you can take a taste and see if you'd like to tweak the spices or anything else. Keep in mind when tasting salad dressing by itself that you want it to be very pungent and overly tart as the greens will dilute the flavor and bite.
- It thickens when chilled. Store this dressing in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The leftover portion will thicken up once chilled, but should remain pourable. If it thickens up too much for your liking, whisk in one teaspoon of cool water at a time until the consistency is just right.
- Even less dishes. I love to shake up homemade salad dressings in this salad dressing shaker (paid affiliate link). Bonus: no dishes to wash as it doubles as a storage container.
Flavor Variations
- Hummus - So many options! Flavors I've used and enjoyed in this recipe are classic, roasted garlic, roasted pine nut, and roasted red pepper. Spicy hummus would be a great option for some heat. If using plain hummus, consider adding a small amount of freshly-pressed or grated garlic, to taste. Go slow because raw garlic can quickly overpower a dressing.
- Lemon Juice - A flavored vinegar, such as white balsamic (love it in pesto salad dressing), white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar can be a fun twist in place of lemon juice. Try lime juice if the other seasonings added and salad ingredients mesh with the flavor.
- Maple Syrup - This can be replaced with honey.
- Seasonings - Switch the paprika to smoked paprika if you like that flavor. Consider adding ground cayenne or crushed red pepper for heat or garlic powder if you'd prefer not to risk overdoing it with raw garlic. Chopped fresh herbs are always welcome but not a must.
Ways to Use Hummus Dressing
Hummus salad dressing is surprisingly versatile. Think beyond traditional green salads and use up this dressing in other applications.
- Non-Green Salads - It can dress hearty warm or cold rice bowls, farro or barley salads, chickpea/bean salads, and more.
- Cooked Vegetables - This dressing provides a great tang to grilled or roasted vegetables in particular, such as carrots, asparagus, or broccoli. Simply drizzle over top when serving.
- Marinades - The fact that hummus dressing isn't heavily acid-based makes it a great marinade for chicken, tofu, or fish.
- Dipping Sauce - Juicy cooked chicken (I'm admittedly partial to this all-purpose chicken thigh marinade for grilling) is tasty with a hummus dressing drizzle to serve.
Related Recipes
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Hummus Salad Dressing
Repurpose leftover hummus to make one incredible homemade hummus salad dressing. Simple ingredients and pantry staples combine in this balanced and creamy dressing to jazz up salads and more. No blending or chopping required!
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Servings: 6 (approximate)
Calories: 114kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup hummus homemade or store-bought
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk well until smooth and combined. If you would like the dressing to be thinner, whisk in cool water one teaspoon at a time until it resembles your preferred consistency.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or other ingredients to your taste. Keep in mind when tasting dressing that you'd like it to be more pungent, tart, and sharp than you'd be satisfied with eating by itself. The flavor and bite will dilute when eaten atop salad greens.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
Hummus: Many flavors of hummus would work here. I'm especially partial to roasted garlic and plain hummus.
Olive Oil: Another variety of neutrally-flavored oil can work here, such as avocado oil or sunflower oil.
Lemon Juice: Freshly-squeezed is recommended for the brightest flavor. About two tablespoons of juice will come from half of a medium-sized lemon.
Maple Syrup: Make sure to use pure maple syrup and not a generic pancake syrup.
General Notes
- Store this dressing in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Leftover dressing with thicken up as it's chilled. It should still be fine and pourable, but if you'd like it thinner, whisk in one teaspoon of cool water at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Besides serving over a salad of greens, try using this dressing in pasta and grain salads, drizzling over vegetables, or as a marinade.
Nutrition
Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.4g | Protein: 0.6g | Fat: 10.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 1.4g | Calcium: 2mg
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Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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