Roasted eggplant and smoky paprika pair with hummus to create complex and rich flavors. Use Smoky Roasted Eggplant Hummus as a spread or dip for snacking and sharing. Like Easy Artichoke Hummus and Red Pepper Hummus, this eggplant hummus recipe is quick to whip up, freezer friendly, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Eggplant Hummus Recipe Inspiration
Oh my goodness, the days are getting shorter…
just. like. that.
It’s time for cozy fall flavors, baking, movies and working a little harder so I can get a walk in before dark. Stretchy pants are officially on… more than I’d like to admit.
I’m not quite on the pumpkin train yet, although the farm stands and market are full of them right now. I’m pacing myself.
But this past weekend, Rob and I picked two bags of apples. I’ll be heading back to our neighbor’s orchard across town to get more soon. Rob loves taking loads of them to work to share. Me? I’m working on a few new apple recipes, but I also made a batch these gingerbread apple muffins.
In Season Veggies
The farms are still offering heirloom tomatoes along with sweet peppers. One of my favorite simple recipes on the blog is Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Heirloom Tomato Soup. I make a ton of it and freeze it for winter months ahead. There’s nothing like a piping hot bowl with a toasty Grilled Cheese sandwich for easy, cozy evenings. Having a ready-made, homemade meal in the freezer is total relief when I don’t have energy for cooking.
I picked up eggplant along with the tomatoes and peppers last week at the farm stand and have been roasting all the things. I thought it would be a good time to share my Smoky Roasted Eggplant Hummus recipe with y’all. Roasting eggplant brings out its smoky flavor and it couldn’t be simpler.
How to Roast Eggplant
Depending on how many eggplants I want to roast or whether or not I want to turn the oven on, I use two different ways to roast eggplant.
- Stove Top: An open flame on the stovetop gets the skins charred and the interior soft in about 15 minutes (this can also be accomplished on a grill). There’s no oil needed, and it takes a little less time then roasting in the oven but you’ll need watch them carefully and rotate them as needed.
- In the Oven: For a hands off approach, I roast eggplant in the oven. It takes a bit more time, but it frees me up to do other things. Simply slice the eggplants lengthwise, score and brush a bit of oil on the flesh, turn flesh side down and roast in a 450F (232c) oven. Roast the eggplant for about 30 minutes or until the eggplant skins darken and begin to sink. Remove from oven and cool.
The Smoothest Hummus
There’s debate on how to get hummus perfectly smooth and if it’s worth the extra time/energy required. Smitten Kitchen, Test Kitchen and The Kitchn, among others, have written on the subject.
The argument is, to get hummus silky smooth, one needs to deskin each individual chickpea (cue bug eye emoji). Now, I’ve done this using Test Kitchen’s approach and while it arguably did produce a smoother texture, it’s not enough for me to peel those slippery little peas each and every time I whip up a batch. I mean, I’m all for spending time in the kitchen, but I do have my limits.
I find too how the peas are processed, skin or not, makes a big difference in the final texture of hummus. While a food processor creates a smooth yet slightly chunky texture, VitaMix pulverizes the mixture creating a sublime, creamy texture many are after. I typically use a food processor just because it’s easier to clean when making simpler hummus recipes.
However you decide to whip up this vegan eggplant hummus recipe, be sure to keep it on hand for a quick snack or lunch on the ready. It pairs deliciously with sliced veggies, as a spread on Sourdough Pita Bread, homemade Sourdough Crackers, or on an impromptu mezze platter. It’s a perfect picnic partner too!
More Homemade Snacks to Try
Smoky Roasted Eggplant Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs (680g) Eggplant about 2 medium globe eggplants
- 3-4 Large Cloves of Garlic skin removed
- 2-3 Tbs Olive Oil extra virgin
- 2 C (425g) Cooked Chickpeas drained, brine reserved, about one, 15 oz can
- 1/3 C (90g) Tahini
- 1 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt or more to taste
- 3/4 tsp Cumin ground
- 1 1/4 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 1 Lemon zest + juice
- 1-2 Tbs Chickpea Brine add more or less to adjust consistency
Garnish/Serve With (optional):
- Chopped Parsley
- Drizzle with Olive Oil
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Naan, Pita or Sliced Veggies
- Kalamata Olives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F (232C) and set oven rack to top half. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Wrap the garlic in a small piece of foil and drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil over the top. Wrap loosely and set on the sheet pan. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and score the flesh in shallow cross marks. Generously brush olive oil on the flesh of the eggplant. Arrange flesh side down on the parchment paper. Roast the garlic and eggplant for about 30 minutes or until the eggplant skins darken and begin to sink. Remove from oven and cool. Scrape flesh from the skin, discard the skin and set the flesh aside.
- UPDATE 7/20 (optional): to make this hummus extra creamy, place the cooked chickpeas in a small sauce pot and cover with an inch of water. Add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The chickpeas should become so soft, they're mushy. Drain, rinse and carry on. In the work bowl of a food processor, add the drained chickpeas, roasted garlic and eggplant (if your eggplant is watery, use only the flesh straining away the liquid as best you can), tahini, salt, cumin, paprika, lemon zest and juice and chickpea brine. Whirl the ingredients for about two minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Add more brine, 1 Tbs at a time, if a looser hummus is desired. Taste for seasoning adjustment adding more salt if needed. Alternatively, for an ultra smooth hummus (even after cooking with baking soda), toss all the ingredients in a high speed blender (I use VitaMix).
- Serve chilled or at room temperature with naan, fresh veggies, pita or crackers. Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze for up to a month.
When you are roasting the garlic in foil do you put the olive oil on the garlic or on the foil? I was confused about that with the way it’s explained. I have a feeling it goes on the garlic but just want to make sure.
Hi Kristie! You’re right! Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic. I hope you love the hummus!
Truly great recipe. I didn’t need to add any additional liquid from the chickpeas because the eggplants had enough to create a smooth consistency. I didn’t have tahini so I substituted creamy cashew butter. I often use almond or peanut butter in place of tahini. Thanks for this great hummus recipe.
I’ve never made home made hummus but stopping at the store right away. Im am sooooo excited to try this and many more. I live alone so wished it would last longer than 3 to 4 days in frig.
Hi Mary! I’ve frozen this before with good results… the texture is a bit different, but it still tastes good! I hope you enjoy making hummus for the first time and you enjoy the recipe. 🙌🏻
Oh that recipe for hummus is so delicious. Thank You 😊
Hooray! SO happy to receive your note and five star rating, Terry! Even better, that YOU enjoyed it. Thank youuu!!
So far the best hummus I’ve made!
Hi Kate! Thank you for your note, rating and giving the recipe a go. SO happy to hear you enjoyed the hummus!
Hi Traci
The best tip I’ve seen for silky hummus is to make it when your chickpeas are still hot / warm after cooking them.
Rinse off the cooking liquid (full of oligosaccharides, phytic acid and saponins = hard on the digestion)
Use a little warm water but not too much.
Use lots of tahini 😉
Lastly using a powerful blender and tamper makes for super silky hummus.
No doubt peeling the chickpeas makes for smoother hummus since there’s less roughage but when you’re cooking 1kg of chickpeas at a time … that sounds like hard work 🙃
I’ve also read Turkish writers decrying tinned chickpeas for hummus. No, no, no. Far be it 😛
Hi Kay! SO many great tips! Thank you for sharing. You’ll never catch me peeling chickpeas… I love being in the kitchen, but that is just a little to much for me :D The baking soda trick works beautifully too. I just recently discovered that!
Whipped this up tonight. The flavors are incredible! Mine came out a little thin though. Not sure if maybe I didn’t add enough chickpeas, or just need to let it chill.
But it certainly tastes incredible!
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious, and i’m not even a huge eggplant fan!
HI Hilary! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a note! Hooray! Can I call you an eggplant fan now?
Can you use regular paprika instead of smokey paprika and if so do you recommend spanish or hungarian paprika ?
Hi Francesca! I think just about any paprika would be fabulous in this recipe. Use whatever you like most!
I have an eggplant that’s dying to be roasted. ;-)
And I peel the chickpeas en masse by pouring them into a large bowl with water and rubbing them between my hands. It takes a little extra time, but the skins come off easily and you can pour them out with the water, then fill the bowl again until you have gotten most of them off.
OMG – it’s perfect timing Robin! Thanks for sharing your peeling tip. I’ve got several I’m going to try next time I whip up a batch of hummus! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Making this tonight. I just bought eggplant yesterday!
Hooray! I hope you enjoy it my dear! <3
A quick and easy way to deskin chickpeas–place them in a bowl with water. Rub them gently against one another to loosen the skins. The skins will rise to the top of the water where they can be easily screened out–the chickpeas will sink to the bottom.
Hi Sheree! What a great idea. I’m going to give this a go and also, use Geraldine’s tip below! Thank you for sharing!
I’ ve handled the passing of summer a bit easier this year for some reason probably because it has been such a warm fall here so far but the shortened daylight hours always get to me. I try to counterbalance that with absorbing the brilliance of the foliage during the day. I love roasting eggplant and the addition of smoky paprika not only adds flavor but gives your humus a hit of fall color! And I’m with you, there is still plenty of time for pumpkins.
No doubt we’ve had an extended Summer…. and such a good idea to take in the beautiful fall colors to balance out these shorter days, Jean. I do the same, but also, relish in our friends who’ve returned from Northern forests to overwinter in our neighborhood and surrounding area. The Canada Geese and Cackling Geese are commuting daily … and they’re such a joy to see and hear flying overhead. The Golden Crown Sparrows are back too and their songs and antics completely bring sunshine to my days! The color of paprika.. I think I just want to put it on everything :0 !!