Can You Have Hummus on Keto?
Although modern-day dishes look very different from those eaten in ancient times, some traditional dishes are still eaten today. Hummus, a great dip often used as a starter or side dish, is one of these traditional dishes.
What is hummus? Hummus is an Egyptian dip made from boiled and mashed chickpeas, although other legumes can be used.
Hummus is one of the most widespread Middle Eastern foods embraced in America and Europe. It is now regarded as a go-to food for people on vegan and vegetarian diets.
Hummus can be eaten with virtually anything, from bread and whole crackers to vegetables.
You can also use hummus as an additive inside sandwiches or a designated plan topping for grain bowls and salads.
However, before dipping crackers and celery sticks into this famous dip, you must learn about the number of carbs in hummus, especially if you’re on a keto diet.
Can You Eat Hummus on Keto?
Is Hummus Keto Friendly? – Can You Eat Hummus on Keto?
No, at least not hummus made from chickpeas. Legumes such as chickpeas and most beans are not recommended for people on a keto diet because they are high in carbs and low in fat.
The carbs in chickpea hummus can accumulate, especially when considering the portion you’d typically eat when having hummus as a starter or side dish.
Keto is based on carb restriction, and depending on your mass, your carbohydrate intake could be limited to between 20g and 50g per day. These aren’t a lot of calories, and if you consume a large portion of hummus, you’ll exceed your limit.
What’s The Net Carb Count of Hummus?
What’s The Net Carb Count of Hummus?
This mainly depends on the type of hummus and how it’s cooked. Hummus typically comprises additives such as herbs, oils, spices, and more which can increase the net carb count.
But overall, the number of carbohydrates in hummus made with chickpeas is about 5 grams per two-tablespoon serving.
The portion size of hummus you can have and stay under your carb limit will depend on how many carbs your body can take without exiting ketosis.
So you can have some hummus while on keto, but don’t go crazy with your portion sizes.
Also, adding hummus to your keto diet can bring some well-being benefits. Why? Because hummus contains B vitamins, fiber, healthy fats, and protein.
What are the Alternatives for Hummus for People on A Keto Diet?
All isn’t lost if you love hummus and you’re on keto. There is a way to satisfy your craving without bumping your body off ketosis.
How can you do this? You can substitute chickpeas and use almonds, avocado, cauliflower, and tahini.
Making keto-friendly hummus is very easy. All you need is a blender and at least five ingredients. Then, you throw all of them inside and season the mix to your satisfaction.
Hummus has a shelf life of up to 7 days, so if you make it on a Monday, you have a snack option for the entire week.
Remember to eat it with veggies such as celery sticks instead of bread and crackers. Here are some keto-friendly hummus options you might love.
Almond Hummus
Almond Hummus
The idea here is to use leftover almond pulp from homemade almond milk.
You must collect this pulp and throw it inside a food processor alongside the usual hummus ingredients such as garlic, lime juice, olive oil, tahini, etc.
Artichoke Hummus
Artichoke hummus is a fun option, although it tastes more like a dip than hummus. To reduce the fat content, you can swap the extra virgin olive oil for unsweetened Greek yogurt.
You need artichoke hearts, black pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, Greek yogurt, lime juice, paprika, and salt.
Avocado Hummus
Avocado hummus is more fat-heavy than chickpea hummus, but that’s not necessarily bad. You might be thinking, isn’t this guacamole? It’s not.
To make this hummus, you need to include avocado, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, salt, tahini, and unsalted macadamia nuts.
Baba Ghanoush
Is Hummus Keto Friendly? – Baba Ghanoush
Baba ghanoush is a Mediterranean-style dip or spread made with eggplant instead of chickpeas, although the other ingredients are similar.
Baba ghanoush contains about 3g of net carbohydrates per 3-tablespoon serving.
Black Soybean Hummus
You can also make hummus from Black soybeans, which are rich in fiber but only have trace amounts of net carbohydrates.
Typically, black soybean hummus contains about 2 grams of net carbohydrates per 3-tablespoon serving.
Cauliflower Hummus
Is Hummus Keto Friendly? – Cauliflower Hummus
Cauliflower is a supreme food in the keto diet because it’s sumptuous and doesn’t have a lot of carbs. Roasted cauliflower is perhaps the best approach for making keto-friendly hummus.
It has a similar texture to chickpea hummus and tastes great. You need cumin, garlic, olive oil, paprika, roasted cauliflower, salt, tahini, and water.
Chimichurri
Chimichurri is a parsley dressing or sauce containing garlic cloves, olive oil, cayenne or chipotle pepper, and white vinegar.
It makes a great dip thanks to its flavor and healthy fats from the olive oil. It contains 0.8g of net carbohydrates and 5g of fat per two tablespoon serving.
Pâté
Is Hummus Keto Friendly? – Pâté
Pâté is a smooth spread made from cooked beef, chicken, or duck liver. It has a lot of fat but only a few net carbohydrates.
A two-tablespoon serving of this pasta made with chicken or duck liver has no carbs.
Zucchini Hummus
This is the lowest fat hummus option. Since zucchini is filled with water, you don’t need oil to act as a binder.
This makes this hummus feel much lighter, making it a guilt-free and great option for people on a ketogenic diet.
Some ingredients for this hummus option include cumin, diced zucchini, garlic cloves, lime juice, raw tahini, and salt.
Final Thought
Hummus isn’t ideal for keto because of its high net carb count. But if you can’t resist the urge, consider using this dip in moderation.
Otherwise, you can use any of the abovementioned options to have keto-friendly dips for your snacks.
See Also