If you're wanting to change up your usual afternoon snacks, give this Black Lentil Peppercorn Hummus a try! Smokey, creamy, and it pairs perfectly with fresh veggies for dipping.
Hi friends and happy Thursday! I am so excited to be sharing this new recipe with you guys today. I love pumpkin as much as the next person, but I have a couple of last minute summery recipes to share before we move onto fall flavors. This Black Lentil Peppercorn Hummus is smooth, savory, and smokey! It's surprisingly simple to make and makes for the perfect health snack. I found black sesame tahini at the store a few weeks ago and I just knew I had to turn it into hummus. I'm obsessed with the contrast between the black hummus and bright rainbow of veggies!
What do I need to make black lentil peppercorn hummus?
You do need a couple of special ingredients for this hummus, but overall it's a very basic list!
- Black lentils: these threw me for a loop, but I finally found them at Whole Foods! Black lentils are shiny, pure black, and smaller than regular lentils. The flavor, however, is exactly the same! The one difference I noted is that black lentils tend to hold up well and don't turn mushy and creamy when they are well-cooked.
- Black sesame tahini: I happened to find this at my local discount grocery store and I was SO EXCITED. This tahini really inspired the whole recipe! The only difference between this and regular tahini is the black, inky color. The flavor is the same. If you can't find it, feel free to use standard sesame tahini instead!
- Mixed peppercorns: the pepper adds so much flavor to this hummus! It's smokey and imparts a bit of a spicy kick. However - I learned the hard way that whole peppercorns do NOT get ground up in the food processor, so be sure to grind them or crush them before adding them to the hummus mixture!
- Fresh garlic: you can't have hummus without garlic! This black lentil hummus doesn't have garlic as a huge main flavor, but it adds an extra layer of savoriness.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: same as the garlic, you can't necessarily taste it on it's own in the hummus, but it adds another layer of flavor and helps brighten up the whole thing!
- Olive oil: good quality olive oil is key! It helps the hummus be smooth and silky. Since this oil isn't getting cooked and it's not masked by other flavors, be sure to use the more expensive stuff here.
How do I make black lentil peppercorn hummus?
Making hummus at home is way easier than you would think! For this black lentil peppercorn hummus, there are really just two steps:
- Cook your black lentils with veggie broth and salt until tender.
- Drain the lentils, and put them in the food processor with the black sesame tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and a bit of water. Pulse until smooth and creamy, and you're ready to eat!
I hope you guys will give this black lentil peppercorn hummus a try! It is delicious, savory, and I just love the fun unexpected color. Add this to your snack rotation!
Looking for more homemade hummus?
- *for the lentils*
- ½ cup dried black lentils (about 1½ cups when cooked)
- 4 cups water
- 1 veggie bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon salt
- *for the hummus*
- 4 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup black sesame tahini
- 1 teaspoon ground peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoon water, as needed
- First, cook your lentils. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and add in a veggie bouillon cube. You can also use store-bought veggie broth instead. Add in the lentils and salt, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- To make the hummus, drain your lentils from any excess liquid, and add them to a food processor. Add in the remaining ingredients - garlic, tahini, peppercorns, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Pour in about 2 tablespoon of the water, then pulse everything together. Mix in additional water if the hummus is too thick, then process until smooth and creamy.
- Serve with additional tahini and peppercorns on top for garnish. Enjoy!
*Disclosure: I am part of the Amazon Associates Program, and there may be affiliate links on this page. If you buy anything through my website, I will receive a small percentage of the profit at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!*
Mayra says
Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe! I finally made it and really like it. I enjoy it much more than my regular chickpea hummus.