Hummus substitute

Best substitute

Baba ganoush

Use the same amount as the hummus you are replacing

Best for dips and mezze

Taste and texture differ

For a dip or a mezze plate, baba ganoush or a white bean dip are the closest swaps at 1:1: baba ganoush has the same tahini-and-lemon backbone with a smoky aubergine flavour instead of chickpeas, and a can of white beans blended with olive oil, lemon and garlic tastes milder and creamier. For a sandwich or wrap, where hummus is really just a thick savoury spread that keeps the bread from going dry, mashed avocado, tzatziki or even a good garlicky mayonnaise all work. If you have chickpeas but no tahini, blend the chickpeas with a couple of tablespoons of smooth peanut butter or sunflower seed butter instead, or with plain yoghurt for a lighter dip. What hummus contributes is a thick creamy body, a nutty sesame richness, sharp lemon acid and raw garlic bite, plus fat and protein. A swap that has the thickness but none of the acid tastes claggy, so whatever you use, taste it and add lemon.

Other hummus substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2White bean dip (cannellini, navy or butter beans)
Different taste
Use the same amount
Blend a drained can of white beans with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, a small clove of garlic and salt, and you have a dip that is smoother and creamier than hummus in about three minutes.
What changes
It tastes milder, softer and less nutty, since there is no sesame, and it is paler and glossier. Add a spoonful of tahini if you have it and it becomes almost indistinguishable; without tahini, add a pinch of cumin and extra lemon so it does not taste bland.
Best for
dips, sandwich and wrap spreads, crudites, spooning under roasted vegetables
White beans blend far smoother than chickpeas, so you do not need to peel anything. A tablespoon of the bean liquid loosens it if it is too stiff.
3Home-made hummus with a tahini alternative
Different taste
Use 2 to 3 tablespoons nut or seed butter for every 15-ounce can of chickpeas
The fix when the problem is not the hummus but the tahini.
What changes
Smooth peanut butter is the most common swap and gives a rounder, sweeter, unmistakably peanut flavour, so it suits a spread better than a formal mezze. Sunflower seed butter is closer to tahini and slightly sweeter with a mild grassy note. Cashew butter is the most neutral. In all three cases push the lemon and salt higher than the recipe says, because tahini has a bitter edge that these lack and that bitterness is part of what makes hummus taste balanced.
Best for
dips, sandwich spreads, sesame-free households
Peanut and other nut butters are common allergens in their own right, so this is a swap for a tahini shortage rather than for a nut allergy. Sunflower seed butter is the usual choice when both nuts and sesame are off the table.
4Tzatziki or thick garlicky yoghurt
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
The best answer when hummus was doing the job of a cool creamy sauce in a wrap, a kebab or alongside spiced food.
What changes
It brings tang, garlic and coolness, and it is far lighter. What it does not bring is body or richness, so it will not hold a sandwich together the way hummus does and it soaks into bread quickly. Use thick Greek-style yoghurt, not runny natural yoghurt, and drain grated cucumber hard if you are making tzatziki.
Best for
wraps and kebabs, dipping vegetables, spooning over roasted vegetables, falafel
Not vegan and not shelf-stable in a packed lunch. Add the lemon and garlic at least ten minutes before serving so the raw garlic mellows into it.
5Mashed avocado, guacamole or a green herb dip
Different taste
Use the same amount
Chickpea-free and sesame-free, and it does the two useful things hummus does in a sandwich: it is thick, and it is fatty enough to stop bread drying out.
What changes
Flavour goes somewhere completely different, fresher and greener with none of the earthy nuttiness, and it browns within a couple of hours so it is poor for meal-prep. A squeeze of lime and a good pinch of salt are essential; unsalted avocado tastes like nothing.
Best for
sandwiches and wraps, toast, dips, bowls
Press cling film directly onto the surface if you are keeping it. Air is what turns it grey, not time in the fridge.
6Refried beans or mashed lentils, seasoned with lemon and cumin
Different taste
Use the same amount
The pantry answer, and better than you would guess, because a savoury bean paste is structurally exactly what hummus is.
What changes
Mashed pinto beans or well-cooked mashed brown lentils, loosened with olive oil and sharpened with lemon and cumin, spread just like hummus and hold a wrap together the same way. They taste earthier and more savoury and, without tahini, distinctly less nutty and rich, so be generous with the oil.
Best for
wraps and sandwiches, quick dips, layered dips, spreading on toast
Bean and lentil pastes thicken in the fridge. Stir in a spoonful of warm water and a little more oil before serving cold.

What is Hummus?

Hummus is Hummus, also spelled houmous or hommus, is a thick Levantine dip of cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, eaten as a dip and used as a sandwich spread.

Cooking tips

If you are making hummus rather than replacing it, the single biggest improvement is overcooking the chickpeas. Simmer canned chickpeas for a further fifteen minutes with a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, then drain; the skins slip off and the dip goes genuinely silky instead of grainy.
Blend the tahini, lemon juice and garlic together first, before the chickpeas go in. The mixture seizes and turns pale and thick, which is what you want, and then the chickpeas fold into an already-emulsified base.
Hummus tastes noticeably better at room temperature. Straight from the fridge the fat is firm and the flavours are muted, so take it out twenty minutes before serving and stir it, and this holds equally true for any of the bean-dip substitutes.
Ice-cold water, a tablespoon at a time, loosens hummus and lightens its colour better than more oil does. Oil past a certain point makes it heavy and greasy rather than fluffy.
Raw garlic gets sharper and more aggressive in the fridge over a day or two. Use less than you think if the hummus is being made ahead, and if it has already turned harsh, stir in more lemon and a spoonful of yoghurt or tahini to blunt it.

Frequently asked questions

What can I use instead of hummus in a wrap or sandwich?

Anything thick, savoury and fatty, since in a sandwich hummus is a spread that adds moisture and holds the filling together. Mashed avocado, tzatziki, a white bean dip, baba ganoush, refried beans or a garlicky mayonnaise all do that job. Avoid anything watery, such as thin yoghurt or salsa, which will soak straight into the bread within an hour.

Can I make hummus without tahini?

Yes. Blend the chickpeas with two to three tablespoons of smooth peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter, plus olive oil, lemon and garlic. It will be sweeter and rounder and lack tahini's slight bitterness, so add more lemon and salt than the recipe says. Hummus made with only olive oil and no sesame or nut butter at all is thinner and tastes flat, though a good pinch of cumin helps.

What is a good hummus substitute if I am allergic to sesame or chickpeas?

For sesame, a white bean dip or a chickpea dip made with sunflower seed butter avoids it entirely. For chickpeas, baba ganoush, white bean dip, mashed avocado or a lentil spread all work; check the label on shop-bought baba ganoush, since it usually contains tahini. If the allergy is serious, make the substitute yourself rather than trusting a deli tub, and check for shared-equipment warnings.

Can I just leave the hummus out?

On a mezze plate, yes, and another dip will cover it. In a wrap or sandwich, leaving it out gives you dry bread and a filling that falls apart, because hummus is doing the work of butter and mayonnaise there. Even a thin layer of yoghurt, mashed avocado or olive-oil-loosened mashed beans is much better than nothing.

Is hummus the same as chickpea dip?

Broadly, yes. Hummus, houmous and hommus are the same word transliterated differently, and hummus bi tahina is the full name of the version everyone knows: chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and oil. A chickpea dip without tahini is still a chickpea dip, but it tastes lighter and less nutty, and Levantine cooks would not call it hummus.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Hummus substitute

Other hummus substitutes

2White bean dip (cannellini, navy or butter beans)

3Home-made hummus with a tahini alternative

4Tzatziki or thick garlicky yoghurt

5Mashed avocado, guacamole or a green herb dip

6Refried beans or mashed lentils, seasoned with lemon and cumin