For all your fall parties and holiday celebrations, this spicy pumpkin-chipotle hummus is your ultimate appetizer. Featuring an ultra creamy, velvety texture with a kick of warming spice for those chilly months, this fall-inspired hummus is full of irresistible seasonal flavors to make everyone's new favorite party snack. Best of all, making this homemade pumpkin hummus couldn't be easier, and it's great for preparing in advance.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Every fall, I find an excuse to make this pumpkin-chipotle hummus. After one scoopful, I have no doubt this will also become a favorite fall tradition of yours.
- Full of festive fun flavors to take you from Halloween to Thanksgiving and even Christmas.
- Shows off an almost mousse-like texture for the creamiest hummus.
- Makes for a great vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving recipe.
- Calls for make-ahead preparation to simplify your holiday entertaining.
Related: For more hummus recipes, you'll also love my green chile hummus and everything bagel hummus.
Ingredients
Pumpkin purée: You can use canned pumpkin purée or make your own purée from a roasted pumpkin.
Chipotle peppers: Look for the type of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You can typically find them in the global aisle of the grocery store.
Chickpeas: These are the same as garbanzo beans, so either one works.
Tahini: This is a sesame seed spread that adds to the silky texture. You can find it near the peanut butter.
Baking soda: This might seem like an odd ingredient, but when we boil the chickpeas with baking soda, it helps break them down to make the creamiest hummus.
Spices: We use a blend of cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: To make this savory pumpkin dip, we boil a can of drained chickpeas in water with baking soda. Sure, we could use chickpeas straight from the can, but boiling plumps up the chickpeas for an extra fluffy and creamy hummus.
Step 2: Once our chickpeas are ready, we start blending the hummus. Rather than dumping all the ingredients into a food processor and blending, we first purée the tahini, olive oil and lemon juice. This gives us a smooth paste and makes for better texture.
Step 3: Now we add the pumpkin purée, chipotle, adobo sauce and spices and blend.
Step 4: From here, we toss in the chickpeas and process until it takes on a whipped texture. I like to keep blending even after it all comes together because I find that extra blending time helps fluff it up. Once it reaches that nice consistency, we add salt to taste with a little reserved chickpea liquid and blend once more.
While we could serve it immediately, I always recommend storing homemade hummus in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill and allow the flavors to meld. After chilling, we spoon our hummus into a bowl and serve with some pita chips. How's that for one delicious fall appetizer?
Recipe FAQs
To store the hummus, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
I don’t recommend freezing this hummus. The pumpkin can release too much liquid and separate.
While this hummus has a kick, most people can handle the heat just fine. You’ll taste the heat, but it won’t set your tongue on fire.
Pita chips are my go-to dipper, but we have so many options. Some homemade garlic naan is always tasty, and it’s a good idea to have so fresh-cut vegetables on hand, such as baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices, cauliflower and broccoli florets, and cherry tomatoes. It's also perfect for adding to a fall charcuterie board.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute butternut squash for the pumpkin purée for a different fall twist.
- Use creamy white beans, such as cannellini beans, instead of chickpeas, and you don’t have to bother with boiling since they’re softer.
- Make it a regular pumpkin hummus by skipping the chipotle peppers.
- Add a fun garnish, such as pumpkin seeds or pomegranate seeds for a pop of color.
Expert Tips
Make sure you use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling: Pumpkin pie filling is filled with extra sugar and spices. It will throw off the recipe.
Save the leftover chickpea juice: Hummus can thicken as it sits, so this allows you to thin it out if necessary.
Stir the tahini well: Tahini tends to separate, so we want to make sure it’s a cohesive mixture before adding to the other ingredients.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice: Bottled lemon juice has nothing on the brightness and flavor of fresh lemon juice.
Rinse the chickpeas well after boiling: Baking soda is great for making a super creamy hummus, but it will leave a metallic flavor if we don't rinse off any residue.
Perfect Pairing
I love an amber ale with this pumpkin-chipotle hummus. The caramel-like malt works well with the spice, and I always appreciate cleansing bubbles when any type of chile is involved.
If you’re in the mood for wine, grab a pinot gris with this hummus. Pinot gris has enough body to hold up to the creamy texture of the hummus along with a spice profile that mimics the flavors in this dip.
Of course, you might also enjoy a pumpkin cocktail for sipping. You can use my pumpkin spice syrup to make this pumpkin margarita for some serious fall vibes.
I hope you try this pumpkin-chipotle hummus the next time you crave a fun seasonal dip. I’m sure you’ll love this recipe as much as we do.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Pumpkin-Chipotle Hummus
Equipment
- Food processor
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas drained, liquid reserved
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup tahini stirred well before measuring
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 cup pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons reserved chickpea liquid
- Salt to taste
- Pita chips for serving
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the chickpeas and baking soda and cover with about an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Skim off any skins that float to the top. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve. Discard any obvious chickpea skins you see but don't feel like you need to get them all. Rinse the chickpeas well to remove any residual baking soda.
- In a food processor, combine tahini, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend into a paste.
- Add the pumpkin purée, chipotle, adobo sauce and spices and blend until smooth.
- Add chickpeas and blend until smooth and fluffy. Taste the hummus and add salt as needed. Blend to distribute the salt and taste again. Add more salt if necessary. Pour in the reserved chickpea liquid and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Refrigerate in an airtight container for a few hours. Serve with pita chips. Enjoy!
Notes
- Reserve all of the chickpea liquid even after blending. Hummus can thicken as it refrigerates, so it's helpful to have extra on hand in case you need to thin it out.
- Store the hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ann says
This hummus was so dang delicious. I made it for a Halloween dinner party and everyone loved it. It was just the right amount of spice too (I was worried about the spice level but it was not bad at all). Will be making this again for Thanksgiving as part of my charcuterie.
Jules says
I love pumpkin anything and I am so so inspired and intrigued by your recipe! Thanks lady!!
Renu says
Wow, this sounds a very flavorful and a yummy hummus. Completely new to me, but this looks like well worth a try. Awesome.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks, Renu! Hope it's a favorite for you.
Chef Mireille says
wow that is the most unique version of hummus I have ever seen. what a great fusion version!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks so much! I love playing around with hummus flavors. It's such a great base.
April says
I have just stumbled upon a new carrot hummus recipe and thought to myself that it was the only new hummus recipe I would try. Well, I was wrong. This pumpkin chipotle hummus will be another one. So yummy and delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Yay for more recipes! That's always a win in my book. Hope you love it!
Jacqueline Debono says
I often serve dips with the aperitif when I have guests for lunch or dinner. So, am always on the look out for new dip recipes! Love the idea of making hummus with pumpkin and chipotle too! One to try!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm the same way with dips. They're always such a crowd-pleaser. Hope you love it!
Stine Mari says
Great tip about boiling the chickpeas a little to make it easier to peel of the skin. And I am amazed at how creative this recipe is. I LOVE it! Chipotle is one of my favorite flavorings and I can never pass up a pumpkin recipe during the Fall months!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thank you! I'm on a constant pumpkin frenzy during the fall months. It's my favorite. ❤️
Michelle Minnaar says
Who would have ever thought to put pumpkin and chipotle together?? This looks AMAZING, what a great idea for any party!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks! It's definitely a tasty combo.
Kelly Anthony says
This will make the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving and sure to please any crowd. As always love your wine and beer pairings.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks so much, Kelly! I always think pairings are fun. ???
Nelle Weaver says
I love all things pumpkin! With the added spice, this sounds next to perfect. So many good things in here. Thank you for the tips too.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're welcome! I'm always a fan of added spice. ?
Gloria says
Yes...I am a pumpkin lover. Adding the heat from the chipotle is great. What a fantastic party dip, or just snack for movie night. Beats potato chips and dip any day of the week.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
? percent agree!
Jeannette says
Thank you so much for telling us how to plump up the chick peas by boiling them! I literally made pumpkin hummus last week. It is pumpkin season where I live, so we have to do as much with the pumpkin before they go bad. However, chipotle sounds amazing. I agree it would be great for holiday dips! I keep looking to better my recipe so thank you for the tips!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.
Karyl Henry says
Thanks for the tip about boiling the chickpeas for a fluffier hummus! That's really good to know. I almost always use dry chickpeas rather than canned anyways, because I'm not a fan of that liquid that comes with it.