Edamame Is The Vibrant Chickpea Alternative Your Hummus Needs

Hummus is delicious — it's creamy, slightly acidic, salty, and satisfying. But sometimes, basic hummus can become boring when it's your daily go-to snack or spread of choice. If you make your hummus at home and want to spruce it up, try using edamame instead of chickpeas.

Edamame is a fantastic alternative to chickpeas in so many ways. These amazing little beans are actually immature soybeans and contain many health benefits. Edamame is packed with vitamins and minerals that are crucial to your health, such as vitamin K and folate, which help with blood flow, red blood cell formation, and bone growth. It has also been found to potentially lower cholesterol due to its high protein and fiber content. Making hummus out of edamame is an easy and delicious way to get all of these benefits into your diet.

Plus, homemade hummus is so simple to make, and swapping in edamame closely replicates that satisfying texture we all know and love. It only takes a few easy-to-find ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen and a food processor to make this creamy, zesty, and satisfying dip. You'll love the earthy flavor and slight sweetness of the edamame, and your body will love the health benefits even more.

Replacing chickpeas with edamame for homemade hummus is incredibly simple. Follow our quick and easy basic hummus recipe, and simply use edamame beans instead of chickpeas.

You can find edamame at your local grocery store in the freezer aisle. It comes in two forms: in the pod or shelled. To make hummus, it's much easier to buy shelled edamame so you don't have to spend time taking the beans out of the pods.

Our hummus recipe calls for 1 (15.5) ounce can of chickpeas, which equals about two cups of edamame beans. From there, follow the recipe as written and you'll have incredibly fresh and flavorful hummus in under twenty minutes.

For a take on red pepper hummus, try adding ¾ cup of jarred roasted red peppers before pureeing the ingredients together. If you'd like to spice up this edamame hummus a bit, try adding about a tablespoon of sriracha to the mixture. Serve this hummus with fun toppings like pomegranate seeds and pine nuts for a sweet and savory touch. Scoop it with vegetable sticks and pita chips, or spread it on a sandwich for a burst of fresh flavor and extra protein. And if you're craving more info on this popular snack, check out 7 things you didn't know about hummus.