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    Home » Recipes » Dips, Sauces, Spreads, and Spices

    Kale Pesto Hummus

    Published: Jan 26, 2017 · Modified: May 9, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    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.

    A serving bow of kale pesto hummus topped with olive oil and pine nuts.

    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). 🙂

    An overhead picture of hummus in a bowl next to pita chips

    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.

    A pita chip dunked into a bowl of hummus ready to scoop

    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...

    A bowl of hummus with text overlay, stating the name of the recipe, on the image

    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.
    A serving bow of kale pesto hummus topped with olive oil and pine nuts.

    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.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dip
    Cuisine: Fusion
    Prep Time: 18 minutes
    Total Time: 18 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 209kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    For the Kale Pesto:

    • 2 cups kale leaves, packed (I use curly kale)
    • 1 ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
    • 2 tablespoon pine nuts (or walnuts)
    • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

    For the Hummus:

    • 1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, drained with the liquid reserved
    • ½ cup tahini, well-stirred
    • ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup reserved chickpea liquid
    • 2 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, (half of one large lemon)
    • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add kale leaves, basil leaves, pine nuts, and minced garlic to the bowl of a food processor and process until the kale and basil are finely chopped.
    • Pour in ¼ cup olive oil and process again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Remove pesto from the food processor to a bowl and set aside.
    • To the now empty food processor, add all of the hummus ingredients and process until smooth.
    • Add hummus to the bowl with the pesto and stir together until combined evenly. Or if the bowl of your food processor is large enough, you can remove the blade and add the pesto back in there and stir. Store in the refrigerator for several days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

     

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    Comments

    1. Linda says

      January 31, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      Mine tastes a little bitter. Is there a fix for that?

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 09, 2022 at 10:12 am

        Hi Linda, I apologize for the delay in my reply. I would increase some of the other ingredients to offset any bitterness in the fully-prepared hummus. In the future if you find raw kale to be a bit too bitter, I would make sure that there aren't any of the stems included (they can be more bitter), or try milder baby kale instead. While I haven't experienced unpleasant bitterness with this recipe myself, something you might try is cutting the kale leaves small, massaging them, and then rinsing them to remove some of the bitter-tasting enzymes that arise from breaking down the leaves. You could also try blanching the kale before making the hummus, though I haven't tried that here to see how it works.

        Reply
    2. Kirsten says

      December 03, 2019 at 9:29 am

      Looks Fabulous - I didn't get to make it for Thanksgiving but will make it sometime during the Christmas holiday.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        December 03, 2019 at 10:53 am

        I hope you enjoy, Kirsten!

        Reply
    3. Debs says

      March 05, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      5 stars
      Love your spin on this hummus. Love all that fresh basil.

      Reply
    4. Nellie says

      March 05, 2018 at 3:56 pm

      5 stars
      Such a healthy and delicious snack to have on hand! Thank you!!

      Reply
    5. Mary Ann says

      July 10, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      This was great especially when I have tons of kale and basil in my garden yummy

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        July 12, 2017 at 12:13 am

        So glad you like it, Mary Ann! 🙂

        Reply
    6. George says

      February 02, 2017 at 10:24 pm

      Yum!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 02, 2017 at 10:24 pm

        Agreed! 🙂

        Reply

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