Kale Pesto Hummus

Kale pesto hummus is a creamy, healthy snack that's easy to make at home! Kale and basil leaves, along with other traditional pesto ingredients, take hummus to the next level.

I am the opposite of an impulse shopper anywhere else but the grocery store. There I usually go off-list on a considerable number of items depending upon what looks good (and if I've eaten lunch yet).

One recent purchase was a tub of kale pesto hummus. It was amazing. So green, so healthy, so good...it vanished in two days.

Thankfully homemade pesto sauce and homemade hummus aren't hard to make so kale, basil, and chickpeas immediately went on my next shopping list.

With a little tasting as I went, this recipe for kale pesto hummus is an EXACT dupe of the store-bought kind.

(Except cheaper). 🙂

Simple ingredients and prep

First you'll make a fairly standard pesto recipe, except two cups of kale leaves are packed in here along with pesto OG basil. You'll definitely taste the basil in the finished product!

This kale pesto includes:

• fresh kale leaves (I go for the curly kale variety)
• fresh basil leaves
• pine nuts
• garlic cloves
• extra-virgin olive oil

To make pesto hummus I add about half of the olive oil I typically use in pesto sauce (like this pesto gnocchi), because there will be olive oil in the hummus.

If you don't have pine nuts you can just as well use walnuts. I switch it up. I know pine nuts are expensive!! I've found Costco to be the most cost-effective place to buy pine nuts, which is a must when making something like pignoli cookies that a) uses a lot of them, and b) won't work with a walnut substitution.

With something like pesto, though, walnuts work just fine.

If you have a smaller food processor, I recommend making the pesto first and then transferring it to a bowl so you can make the hummus portion. Then you can load it up with the hummus ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, chickpea liquid, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Pretty standard hummus procedure there.

Tahini might not be something you have on hand, but it's a paste made from ground sesame seeds, not unlike the consistency of natural peanut butter. It rounds out homemade hummus recipes and gives it a richer flavor than just using chickpeas alone.

Like natural nut butters, you'll want to make sure you the tahini is well-stirred before you measure it out for this recipe. Honestly this might be the toughest part of the whole thing because it might take some work! You can see the tahini before and after pictured in my roasted garlic hummus post.

I find my tahini in the 'international foods' aisle of the grocery store and store it in the fridge. I've also found that it lasts forever, so there's no need to use it up right away. Unless, of course, a kale pesto hummus obsession takes root...

How to use this pesto hummus

You know the drill when it comes to dips - dip away with whatever you like! Pita chips are a classic, but sliced vegetables and pretzels have also been a favorite of mine.

This hummus makes a delicious spread for a sandwich in place of mayonnaise or mustard. I really like these pesto flavors on a simple grilled chicken sandwich with melted mozzarella and fresh tomato slices. Yum.

Since this recipe makes a fair amount of hummus, leftover portions can be refrigerated in a covered container to be enjoyed for several days to come.

Recipe notes

• There's no need to clean out the food processor between making the pesto and the hummus base if using a smaller one. It all gets combined in the end, and who wants to do dishes more than you have to?
• If you don't have pine nuts, you can substitute in walnuts or even almonds.