Dessert Hummus
Dessert hummus is a sweet, creamy spread made by blending chickpeas with peanut butter, coconut sugar and a splash of coconut milk until it tastes like cookie dough instead of a savory dip. It comes together in one food processor, needs no baking, and turns a can of chickpeas into a dessert you can scoop with fruit, cookies or a spoon. If you have never combined chickpeas and peanut butter before, this is the recipe that will change your mind.
I want to turn your world upside-down today: here’s to make dessert hummus! You may be a little surprised by the idea of pairing chickpeas and peanut butter, but the result is simply amazing, and I am actually surprised I didn’t think about it earlier. I spent a couple of days trying to get everything right, and I think I finally found the golden proportions, so now I am ready to share the recipe with all of you.
The ingredients that make it taste like dessert
The base is one cup of canned chickpeas, drained. Chickpeas have a mild, neutral flavor and a starchy body, so once they are blended smooth they read as texture rather than “beans” — that is the whole trick behind sweet hummus. Half a cup of unsalted peanut butter brings the richness and that cookie-dough backbone, and using unsalted lets you control the salt yourself with a small pinch of sea salt at the end.
Coconut sugar does the sweetening with a soft caramel note, while three tablespoons of coconut milk loosen everything into a scoopable, dip-like consistency. The vanilla and almond extracts are what push it firmly into dessert territory: a teaspoon of vanilla for warmth and just a quarter teaspoon of almond extract, which is potent, so resist the urge to add more. Jordan almonds go on top at the end for a sweet, crunchy finish. This recipe is plant-based, so it works for a vegan sweet-tooth craving.
How to blend it smooth and creamy
Add everything except the Jordan almonds to a food processor, season with a pinch of sea salt, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. The key here is patience: let the machine run longer than you think you need to, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice, because the difference between “grainy bean paste” and “silky dessert” is almost entirely blending time. If it feels too thick to move freely, add coconut milk one teaspoon at a time until it loosens.
Taste before you chill it. Peanut butter brands vary in salt and sweetness, so this is the moment to adjust — a touch more coconut sugar if you want it sweeter, another pinch of salt to make the peanut flavor pop. Then refrigerate the hummus for 6 to 8 hours. That rest is not optional: chilling firms up the texture and lets the vanilla and almond mellow and marry into the peanut butter, so it tastes far more like cookie dough than it does straight out of the processor.
The best ways to serve dessert hummus
I especially like this recipe because it’s super versatile. Scoop it with sliced apples, strawberries or banana; spread it on graham crackers, pretzels or toast; or swirl it into oatmeal for a treat that feels like breakfast and dessert at once. So here are some of the best ways to combine this dessert hummus: chocolate (do I need to say anything more?), strawberries, and bananas — you may want to try dried bananas for extra chew. Chocolate and strawberries are always a hard YES.
If you love the sweet-plus-savory idea, this dip sits nicely alongside the rest of my hummus recipes, and it makes a fun addition to a dessert board with fruit and cookies. Peanut butter fans will also want to browse my other peanut butter recipes for more ways to use up that jar.
Make-ahead and storage
This one is made for making ahead, since it needs those 6 to 8 hours in the fridge anyway. Blend it the night before you want to serve it and it will be perfectly set by the next day. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it holds well for about 4 to 5 days; give it a quick stir before serving if any oil from the peanut butter has separated on top. And you can probably make it right now — I bet you already have all the ingredients inside your cupboard. If you are looking for more no-fuss sweets to keep on hand, my collection of vegan desserts is full of easy ideas.
If you make this dessert hummus, I would love to know how you served it — did you go the chocolate-and-strawberry route or dunk it in something unexpected? Rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me how it turned out and any tweaks you tried!
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Dessert Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas canned, drained
- ½ cup unsalted peanut butter
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 3 Tbsp coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- Jordan almonds
- sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients besides the Jordan almonds in a food processor.
- Season with a pinch of sea salt.
- Blend together until smooth and creamy.
- Refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
- Serve with Jordan almonds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dessert hummus is a sweet spin on classic hummus, where chickpeas are blended with peanut butter, coconut sugar, coconut milk and a little vanilla and almond extract instead of the usual tahini, garlic and lemon. Once blended smooth it tastes like cookie dough rather than a savory dip, and you scoop it with fruit, crackers or cookies. It is a no-bake treat that turns a can of chickpeas into dessert.
No, not really. Chickpeas have a mild, neutral flavor, so once they are fully blended with peanut butter and coconut sugar they read as creamy texture rather than beans. The key is blending long enough to get the mixture completely smooth, and letting it chill for several hours so the flavors marry.
Yes, the recipe as written is plant-based: chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and almond extract, and sea salt. The one thing to check is the Jordan almonds you use as a topping, since some candy coatings use confectioner’s glaze that is not vegan. Swap in plain roasted almonds or a vegan-certified candied almond if you want to be sure.
Chilling does two things. It firms up the texture from a loose blend into a scoopable, cookie-dough consistency, and it gives the vanilla and almond extract time to mellow and marry into the peanut butter. Straight out of the food processor it tastes flatter, so the rest in the fridge is what makes it taste like dessert.
It is very versatile. Serve it with sliced apples, strawberries, banana or dried banana, spread it on graham crackers, pretzels or toast, or swirl it into oatmeal. Chocolate is a natural partner, and chocolate with strawberries alongside it is always a winner.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it keeps well for about 4 to 5 days. If a little oil from the peanut butter separates on top, just give it a stir before serving. Because it needs 6 to 8 hours to chill anyway, it is an ideal make-ahead treat to blend the night before.
Hello! I’m so excited to try your recipe but I was wondering if this recipe can be made with no refined sugar or processed sugar? Can I make this with honey without altering its texture too much?
Hi! You can use coconut sugar. That’s what I actually used, but works with almost any kind of sugar. You can try with honey too.
Interesting way to eat hummus. Got to try it!
I’m so glad you liked it!