Name: Hatch Green Chile Hummus
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 15-ounce can chickpeas or garbanzo beans (liquid reserved); 1 teaspoon baking soda; Water; 4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped); 1/2 lime (juiced); 1/2 cup tahini (stirred until smooth before measuring); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 cup roasted chopped green chiles ((see note)); 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped); 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon salt; Reserved chickpea liquid (optional)

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Meet the spicy hummus of your dreams! Featuring an ultra creamy, almost mousse-like texture, this Hatch green chile hummus is whipped to perfection with just the right kick of spice that keeps everyone coming back for more.

A bowl of creamy Hatch green chile hummus with pita chips on the side, lime slices in the background and pieces of fresh cilantro.

No matter the occasion, you can never go wrong serving hummus. Preparing hummus takes hardly any work, and the end result is always a crowd-pleasing dip that disappears in no time.

And when you add Hatch green chiles to the equation? Your hummus gets a major flavor explosion that makes this everyone's favorite party dip. After one taste, I have no doubt you'll add this hummus to your go-to recipe repertoire for entertaining -- and your friends and family will thank you for it.

Bonus: If you love this hummus, make sure to also try my everything bagel hummus and green chile dip with artichokes!

An aerial view of the Hatch green chile hummus in a wooden bowl with cilantro on the side.

What Are Hatch Green Chiles?

This type of chile grows in the Hatch Valley region of New Mexico and comes with a distinct taste. Ranging from mild to extra hot, the Hatch green chile shows off a sweet and smoky balance with a notable earthiness. This makes for one complex, delicious chile that gives our hummus an irresistible flavor that will have everyone wanting more.

Fresh Hatch green chiles are generally available from August through October. Here in Colorado, we have these roadside stands that roast bushels of fresh Hatch green chiles for you on the spot. I get my fill of green chiles there, but that's a short-lived option and not available in all markets.

Fortunately, Hatch green chiles come canned, frozen and jarred. If you can't pick up fresh Hatch green chiles, those three options all make a tasty hummus. You can typically find canned and jarred Hatch green chiles in the Mexican section of the grocery store while the frozen green chiles are usually stored in the frozen Mexican food section.

A side view of a bowl of Hatch green chile hummus with a plate of lime slices in the background.

How to Make the Creamiest Hummus

I firmly believe hummus should be a creamy delight. If you just dump a can of chickpeas into the food processor and blend, your hummus will be fine but not as creamy as it could be. Let's fix that.

Common advice is to peel your chickpeas before blending, but over the years, I discovered an even better secret to making the creamiest hummus. Instead, we boil canned chickpeas with a touch of baking soda for 20 minutes. Boiling chickpeas plumps them up, and that added moisture helps whip them up to creamy perfection. Plus, the boil doesn't require any hands-on time unlike peeling chickpeas.

The chickpeas after they've been boiled with baking soda.

You may be wondering if you can get the creamiest of creamy hummuses by peeling and boiling chickpeas. Being the perfectionist I am, I thought I'd try this and conducted a side-by-side test. You know what? We could not tell the difference between the unpeeled boiled chickpeas and peeled boiled chickpeas.

Honestly, you have no reason to ever peel chickpeas again. A quick, hands-off boil is all you need to make the creamiest hummus.

Once we boil our chickpeas, we can then blend the rest of our ingredients, but even with this, I recommend processing the ingredients in stages for the best texture. To start, we blend together our tahini, garlic, lime juice and olive oil. This helps create an initial smooth paste.

Now we add our Hatch green chiles, fresh cilantro, cumin, coriander and salt and blend until this mixture is also nice and smooth. Just like the first step, if we have a smooth base to start before adding the chickpeas, we'll get a creamier texture.

A collage of the ingredients in a food processor showing the progression of the hummus coming together in different blending stages.

From here, we add our chickpeas and repeat the blending process. At this point, you might be worried that it's almost too smooth and thin but don't worry. We place the hummus in the refrigerator for a few hours, which helps the hummus thicken as well as chill and allow the flavors to meld.

A collage of the boiled chickpeas and the after shot of the hummus after it's been blended to creamy perfection.

And that's all it takes, friends! With just a little boiling and blending, you have the creamiest, dreamiest hummus for your dipping pleasure. Lucky you.

How to Serve

When you're ready to serve, I love drizzling this spicy hummus with a touch of olive oil and spoon an extra scoop of green chiles on top. A little fresh cilantro never hurt anyone either. While these garnishes are optional, I find it makes for a nicer presentation than a naked hummus.

Of course, we need to consider our dippers. Pita chips are my usual go-to hummus dipper, but cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, cauliflower and broccoli florets are all popular options. My homemade garlic naan also takes care of the job nicely.

And don't feel like you only have to use this hatch green chile hummus as a dip either. This hummus also makes a tasty sandwich spread, deviled egg filling, toast topping or salad add-in. Feel free to get creative.

How Long Will Homemade Hummus Last?

Besides its status as a crowd favorite, hummus is great for entertaining because you can make it in advance. As long as you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will last a good four to five days. Before serving after sitting in the refrigerator, I recommend giving it a good stir first and then garnishing as desired.

A close-up shot of the Hatch green chile hummus in a wooden bowl with pita chips surrounding it.

Perfect Pairing

This spicy hummus is perfect with a crisp yet not-too-heavy beer with some malt backbone. With that in mind, I recommend an English-style pale ale. This version isn't quite as hoppy as the American style and brings some fruity undertones that complement the chiles.

For a wine, I like a pinot noir with this Hatch green chile hummus. Pinot noir brings an earthiness that works with the chiles, and it has some nice fruit notes to balance the spice. This is also a low-tannin wine, so it won't clash with the heat from the chiles.

When you need an easy yet crowd-pleasing dip, I hope you try this Hatch green chile hummus.

Cheers!

A person dipping a pita chip into the bowl of Hatch green chile hummus.

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