Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

spicy sweet potato hummus

Meet my new favorite snack, spicy sweet potato hummus! It’s brilliant orange and bursting with flavor, both savory and sweet. I’ve been eating it with everything: pita wedges, bite-sized vegetables, toasted bagels and quesadillas.

hummus with sweet potatoes, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin

I’m pleased to share photos of this vegan recipe with you all, which is the first of my monthly contributions to One Green Planet. One Green Planet is “the online destination for the ecologically ethical generation” and a great resource for vegan recipes from chefs and food bloggers alike. While I certainly don’t believe that a vegan diet is right for everyone (and I do love my cheese), I fully support anyone’s commitment to consuming less meat and animal products. I hope my recipes can help in that regard.

cayenne sweet potato hummus

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or self-professed carnivore, I’ve posted several savory sweet potato recipes you’ll love. This sweet potato chili is my end-all, be-all vegetarian chili recipe. It’s so good that I don’t even want to try any others. Then there’s my recipe for sweet potato fries, which includes my tips for attaining crispy fries. I’m so excited that sweet potatoes are in season that I’ve been snacking on sweet potato fries the past two nights in a row!

sweet potato hummus dip

Just in case those aren’t enough to satisfy your sweet potato tooth, I also have an easy recipe for baked rosemary and parmesan sweet potatoes and killer sweet potato enchiladas over here. For even more, check out Naturally Ella—Erin is a fellow sweet potato fanatic and is always coming up with interesting ways to serve them.

I want to know: what is your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?

5.0 from 4 reviews

Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus
Author: 
Recipe type: Dip
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Vegan hummus that’s bursting with flavor, both sweet and spicy. Enjoy it as a snack with pita wedges and veggies or as a spread!
Ingredients
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • ground sea salt, to taste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (start with less, season to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the sweet potatoes on the middle oven rack or in a baking dish for 45 minutes to an hour. They should yield to a gentle squeeze when they’re done baking.
  2. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, toss all of the other ingredients into a food processor (if you’re sensitive to spice, you may want to save the spices for last and add them to taste). Once the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, use a knife or your fingers to peel the skin off of them. Add the sweet potatoes to the food processor.
  3. Blend well, and serve! I garnished mine with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper and sesame seeds.

Notes
  • Based on recipes by My New Roots and Whole Family Fare.
  • This recipe yields 3 to 4 cups of hummus (a lot!).
  • Strangely, the hummus tasted a lot spicier on the first day, but mellowed out overnight. Please add the spices slowly and taste as you go to suit your preferences. If your hummus tastes too spicy at first, just refrigerate it for a day and try it again—it should be just right!

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59 Comments

  1. Posted October 25, 2011 at 6:22 PM | Permalink

    The hummus looks great and I’m definitely putting those fantastic black bean+sweet potato enchiladas on my list to do- perfect for a meatless Monday!

  2. Posted October 25, 2011 at 6:27 PM | Permalink

    oh YUM. This sounds amazing!!!

  3. Posted October 25, 2011 at 7:36 PM | Permalink

    Sweet potatoes are one of my very favorite foods, and this hummus looks fantastic!

  4. Posted October 25, 2011 at 8:13 PM | Permalink

    Sweet Potatoes definitely rock my world. I’d say my favorite way to eat them…fries or in a stew!

  5. Posted October 25, 2011 at 8:45 PM | Permalink

    girl you are the sweet potato queen! you have the best sweet potato recipes

  6. Posted October 26, 2011 at 6:12 AM | Permalink

    This is a fantastic idea! Can’t wait to try.

  7. Posted October 26, 2011 at 8:34 AM | Permalink

    Love this hummus! Can’t wait to make it!

  8. Posted October 26, 2011 at 10:18 AM | Permalink

    I love hummus and I loooove sweet potatoes! Now why didn’t I ever think of combining them…? Thanks for the inspiration!

  9. Gena Kennedy
    Posted October 26, 2011 at 4:42 PM | Permalink

    I love the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Hash from the Moosewood cookbooks! It’s perfect for chilly nights.

    • Posted October 26, 2011 at 7:46 PM | Permalink

      I love sweet potatoes with black beans! I have a Moosewood cookbook on my wish list, hope that recipe is in there.

      • Christine
        Posted October 19, 2012 at 8:59 AM | Permalink

        There is a black bean and sweet potato burrito recipe in the ‘low fat’ Moosewood Cookbook. I’ve been making this recipe for years – it’s really a great combo.

  10. Posted October 26, 2011 at 7:03 PM | Permalink

    Hi Kate- I just stumbled on your blog and you’ve pulled me in already! I could practically live off of hummus and pita, and I LOVE your spin with the spicy sweet potatoes. As for my favorite thing to do with sweet potatoes… nothing fancy, but I do love some sweet potato fries with spicy cajun seasoning. :)

    • Posted October 26, 2011 at 7:47 PM | Permalink

      Glad you found my blog! Always nice to hear from a fellow Kathryn(e) and sweet potato lover!

  11. Posted October 26, 2011 at 7:17 PM | Permalink

    Spicy hummus! My fave!

  12. Posted October 26, 2011 at 8:51 PM | Permalink

    I love sweet potatoes in my egg scramble for breakfast! And last weekend I made caramelized sweet potatoes.. so tasty! Now I’ve gotta give this hummus a go..

  13. Posted October 26, 2011 at 9:18 PM | Permalink

    What a nice way to eat sweet potatoes, I usually like mine baked and topped like a baked potato.

  14. Posted October 26, 2011 at 10:37 PM | Permalink

    Sweet potato pallooza!!! Your hummus looks crazy good. That colour is fantastic! I adore sweet potatoes in soup, with coconut milk and chili. Sweet and spicy!

  15. Posted October 27, 2011 at 12:07 AM | Permalink

    I just made some sweet potato hummus last night! Such a great way to make a great vegetable even better!

  16. emily
    Posted October 27, 2011 at 10:30 AM | Permalink

    I have made the sweet potato black bean enchiladas and they were a HIT even with my boyfriend and his roommate who are not vegan to say the least. Excited to try the hummus and the chili!

    • Posted November 1, 2011 at 11:31 PM | Permalink

      Glad to hear that you all enjoyed the enchiladas! I think you’ll like the chili and hummus just as much. I’m sure I’ll post even more sweet potato recipes this fall!

  17. Posted October 27, 2011 at 11:50 AM | Permalink

    Perfect timing! Lots of sweet potatoes keep arriving from my CSA. Can’t wait to use some for this!

  18. Posted October 27, 2011 at 5:37 PM | Permalink

    ooo hummus! My fav snack bite :) Never tried with sweet potato though … looks interesting.

  19. Posted October 27, 2011 at 7:06 PM | Permalink

    Love the colors in this hummus. Looks delicious!

  20. Posted October 28, 2011 at 10:51 AM | Permalink

    Mmmmm this sweet potato hummus looks just wonderful! Such a great idea. I love sweet potatoes! Just had chile-roasted sweet potato wedges with dinner last night, yummmm. I’ll have to go check out your post on One Green Planet, very cool!

  21. Posted October 28, 2011 at 12:11 PM | Permalink

    ooooo! Amazing! I love sweet potatoes! I love adding them to chili. Homemade sweet potato fries are my go-to meal when I don’t feel like cooking a big dinner too.

  22. Posted October 28, 2011 at 1:24 PM | Permalink

    Love the colour!! I can imagine how good that can taste :)

  23. Posted October 28, 2011 at 8:17 PM | Permalink

    Lovely, I very much like the idea of a sweet potato hummus, delicious.

  24. Posted October 29, 2011 at 6:08 AM | Permalink

    I’m a hummus addict :-) So I make it quite often, never thought of a sweet potato version, it’s definitely something I want to try! Thanks for sharing.

    http://mandykoster.blogspot.com

  25. Posted October 29, 2011 at 7:49 AM | Permalink

    That hummus is stunning! I’m totally nowhere close to living a vegan or even vegetarian lifestyle, but I do love my ” clean ” eating days, and this hummus is sure to be made very soon.

    xx

  26. Posted October 29, 2011 at 6:25 PM | Permalink

    this looks awesome & i keep seeing your recipes all over pinterest.

    gorgeous photos!!!

  27. jen
    Posted November 1, 2011 at 10:45 AM | Permalink

    made it this weekend – yum! but it was too dry and not easily mixed in my food processor. what do i need to do to make it smooth and creamy, and not grainy and dense? add more oil? water? please help!

    • Posted November 1, 2011 at 10:52 AM | Permalink

      Hey Jen! I’m at a loss—you used baked sweet potatoes and cooked chickpeas, right? I would try putting the hummus back in your food processor and slowly drizzling in a tablespoon or more olive oil. I’m not sure water is a good idea. Please let me know if that does the trick!

  28. Jill
    Posted November 1, 2011 at 8:54 PM | Permalink

    These are great inspirations for sweet potatoes! I am always impressed with the combinations you come up with in your recipes. Lately, I have been enjoying sweet potatoes in tacos–roasted with some cajun spices and put in corn tortillas with melted pepper jack and avocado. Simple, but really good!

    • Posted November 1, 2011 at 11:18 PM | Permalink

      Yum, sweet potato tacos sound amazing! I will definitely have to try those soon. I love all of those ingredients.

  29. Posted November 1, 2011 at 10:03 PM | Permalink

    Hi Kate- I just stumbled on your blog and you’ve pulled me in already! I could practically live off of hummus and pita, and I LOVE your spin with the spicy sweet potatoes. As for my favorite thing to do with sweet potatoes… nothing fancy, but I do love some sweet potato fries with spicy cajun seasoning. :)
    +1

  30. Posted November 1, 2011 at 11:04 PM | Permalink

    That looks absolutely delicious! I LOVE hummus, and the addition of sweet potato sounds amazing. The color is lovely too!

  31. Posted November 2, 2011 at 12:05 PM | Permalink

    I love that this is spicy in addition to the sweet potato part! Yum! I must try this.

  32. Posted November 3, 2011 at 12:21 PM | Permalink

    Hi Kate!

    I found your post on one green planet and I absolutely love your blog! Gotta say I’m a cat lover, but anything associated with the words “cookie” and “hummus” is good with me!

    Great pictures by the way

    • Posted November 6, 2011 at 7:07 PM | Permalink

      Thanks, Mekkie! So glad you found my blog. Cat lovers are welcome. :)

  33. Posted November 4, 2011 at 4:43 AM | Permalink

    Love sweet potato for so many reasons and you have just given me one more…

  34. Posted November 6, 2011 at 6:57 PM | Permalink

    This is very creative and beautiful to look at. I bet it tastes fantastic. I’m definitely trying this soon.

  35. Posted November 15, 2011 at 1:58 PM | Permalink

    Hey Foodies, Kate’s Special Spicy Hummus recipe has been selected by Knapkins to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Invite fans to play: http://knapkins.com/guess_games/658?source=blog

  36. Posted March 15, 2012 at 7:43 PM | Permalink

    I love the idea of sweet potato hummus, but am wondering how you keep your tahini from spoiling. I’ve found that each container of tahini I’ve bought has gone rancid very quickly, and I don’t know why. That stuff is too expensive to waste! Thanks!

    • Posted March 15, 2012 at 10:23 PM | Permalink

      Great question, Mia. I’ve hesitated to buy tahini because it is expensive! Are you storing yours in the refrigerator? I’ve had some last well over a month in my fridge. If you have access to a Whole Foods or similar store, you may be able to find tahini in the bulk section, which would let you just buy as much as you need. And if you are looking for other recipes to use up extra tahini, check out my roasted garlic hummus recipe, or you could substitute tahini for the peanut butter in my peanut soba noodle bowls! I also really love this creamy lemon tahini dressing (it’s good on everything) by Good Things Grow! Hope that helps!

    • claudia
      Posted June 5, 2012 at 12:07 AM | Permalink

      A friend uses sesame seeds. Just grind them first in the blender. Your hummus won’t be as smooth as with tahini, but most folks would not even notice.

      • Posted June 9, 2012 at 11:01 AM | Permalink

        That’s a great tip, Claudia! I’ve always wondered if that would work. Tahini can be expensive and hard to find, so that’s a terrific alternative.

    • Sue R
      Posted June 22, 2012 at 8:14 PM | Permalink

      You can freeze tahini for up to a year. I freeze it in small recipe size portions as I usually use it to make hummus. You’d be surprised at how many things you can freeze.

  37. claudia
    Posted June 5, 2012 at 12:03 AM | Permalink

    Looks yummy! I just made Thai Curry hummus. Recipe called for pumpkin, but next time I will use sweet potatoes. My fave way to eat them (out of many) is Thai curry. I smash up the sweets to use in the sauce and add chunks of red peppers, broccoli and other veggies–chicken, too. Don’t forget to use coconut milk in the sauce!

  38. Samantha
    Posted June 7, 2012 at 2:45 PM | Permalink

    Just make this and it is amazing! I never imagined in my wildest dreams that hummus and sweet potatoes would make such a perfect match. Thank you so much for the fabulous recipe!

    • Posted June 9, 2012 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

      I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy the hummus, Samantha! Thank you for commenting to let me know!

  39. Sue R
    Posted June 22, 2012 at 1:07 PM | Permalink

    I just made this and it is fabulous! We are in the middle of baseball season and dinner is often late. I have been looking for some easy take-along snacks that pack a punch. This fits the bill perfectly. Thanks so much!

  40. elyssa
    Posted July 30, 2012 at 10:16 PM | Permalink

    this recipe looks amazing. I just recently found out i was allergic to white potatoes, among other things, so i have rekindled my love of the sweet potato. thanks for some great ideas! i cant wait to make this

  41. Amanda Neubart
    Posted November 29, 2012 at 11:44 AM | Permalink

    I’ve made this hummus twice. The first time i made it spicy. The second i made it more sweet with some spice. Both times everyone loved it ! Healthy and delicious.

    Amanda

    • Posted November 30, 2012 at 3:47 PM | Permalink

      Happy to hear it, Amanda! Thank you for commenting to let me know.

  42. Amanda
    Posted November 29, 2012 at 11:46 AM | Permalink

    & i give this 5 stars =)

  43. Posted December 19, 2012 at 8:28 PM | Permalink

    I make a mixture of sweet potato and milk to bake over mac n’ cheese. Another is whipped sweet potato and applesauce. My son who loves butternut squash calls it applesquash (I disguised it as such) Shhhhh.

  44. Leah
    Posted February 4, 2013 at 8:30 AM | Permalink

    I made this for a laid-back superbowl night (just my husband and I) and we devoured half of it, it was so good! We loved the spiciness. I didn’t have tahini on hand but we didn’t miss it. Great recipe, really appreciated the variety from traditional hummus. Will be making this again for other get togethers with friends!

  45. jodi
    Posted February 6, 2013 at 10:28 PM | Permalink

    I just made this with a mixture of sweet potato and pumpkin and it tastes AMAZING!!!!!! Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe that is so EASY to make and delicious with fresh ingredients. There is no need to buy ‘fancy’ ones at the supermarket, you could even add cashews or pinenuts to alter the flavour!!

    • Posted February 14, 2013 at 1:49 PM | Permalink

      Thanks, Jodi! Sweet potato and pumpkin sounds like a great idea. I think I’ll make sun-dried tomato hummus next!

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