Hummus feels like one of those things that, one day you’ve never even heard of, and then the next, you feel like you must eat it. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. FOREVER.
I looooooooove hummus. So, when we went mostly keto, I missed it tragically. I mean, like, I had to avoid my favorite Mediterranean restaurant altogether because I couldn’t stand watching all the other diners taunting me enjoying hummus with their kabobs and tzatziki.
Then we went to England to run the Thames. (I know I haven’t posted much about the trip here, but I did on Twitter and Instagram because I didn’t lug my computer across the pond.) After one of our veeeeeeeerrrrrrrry long days running, Tim and I hobbled across the river to eat at a highly recommended gastropub in Goring on Thames, The Miller of Mansfield.
Part of what made our Thames run an experience of a lifetime was the incredible food we had at the end of every day. None of our food choices were planned, but food is a universal language. Just ask someone where is their favorite place to eat, and you will be almost guaranteed to get some incredible recommendations (and a couple of secrets on how to get a table, which waiter to ask for, and what to order that is NOT on the menu).
In Goring on Thames, someone at our hotel told us about The Miller, which was close enough to walk (lurch, hobble, limp) to AND had great food. IN. Lucky for us, the Brits seem to like to eat a bit later than Tim and I, with our blue hair dining hours, so we were able to get a great table that no one kicked us out of when we proceeded to eat 5 courses (did I mention it had been a looooooooong day?).
We had so many outstanding dishes, but one I had to make THE MINUTE I got home was the Almond Hummus. When I ate it, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t regular hummus. Since going keto/paleo, I’ve made the standard cauliflower hummus, and while better than nothing, it didn’t leave me thinking WOWZA!
But this almond hummus did.
Problem was, I was so blown away by almost everything we had (and sooooooooo exhausted), that I didn’t even think to ask how it was made. When I got home, then, I had to reverse engineer it on my own. After a couple of misfires, I finally came up with a recipe that we think tastes exactly like traditional chickpea hummus. My first few attempts ended up either grainy or like tahini/garlic flavored almond butter. Uh, bleh. But eventually, success! My hummus dreams were realized (a sentence I never dreamt I would type).
Turns out, the secret is adding unsweetened almond milk. Makes sense, right? Because almonds don’t have the water content of chickpeas, I needed something to add more liquid so the hummus would end up smooth without turning into butter. Plain water just didn’t cut it. Almond milk has just enough ooomph without adding more fat (which you don’t need here because you already have olive oil, almonds, sesame oil, and tahini). The result is soft, creamy texture you get with your favorite schwarma.
Hopefully this will solve the hummus withdrawal problem you may be experiencing on keto/paleo. Unfortunately, I can’t do but anything about the unfortunate hummus garlic breath dilemma, but that is the price we pay for deliciousness. Garlic on!
*This is a very loose recipe because so much of hummus enjoyment depends on personal preference. I really never even knew I had a hummus preference until my friend, Rose, made hummus for me. Rose’s family used to own a Middle Eastern restaurant and is an expert in hummus. Her recipe resulted in an incredibly smooth and creamy texture. From then on, that is how I made my traditional hummus. When I was working on my Almond Hummus recipe, that was what I was going for. But you do you. Experiment.
Almond Hummus
1 cup blanched almonds (you don’t want the almond skins)
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of tahini (add more if you like a stronger sesame flavor)
1 teaspoon of salt
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Almond milk
chili paste or oil (optional) (I use 1 tablespoon of chili paste. If you are using an oil, the more of it you use, adjust your olive oil so that your hummus will not be oily.)
In a food processor, pulse the almonds and garlic until you have a crumb-like texture. Do NOT overprocess or you will end up with garlic almond butter.
Add in the tahini, salt, and lemon juice. Process until just combined.
With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. You hummus should still be thick and somewhat grainy. If you are adding the chili oil, add it here.
With the processor running, slowly add almond milk a tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.
Eat with veggies or keto crackers.
Mom, ultrarunner, four-time US 24 Hour National Team member, adventure athlete, food writer. Graduate of the Pro Cooking Program at the New School of Cooking, Los Angeles. Will run for food.
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