Healthy Chocolate Hummus

I only recently discovered just how much I enjoy chocolate hummus. Hayden brought it home a few months ago…he always tends to veer off from the shopping list and bring home extra snacks when I send him to the grocery store haha. I rolled my eyes at first, but then I tried it and was pleasantly surprised!

I knew it probably tasted good, we are big chickpea and hummus fans in general, but I had never bought it because of the added sugar. It didn’t taste as sweet as I anticipated, though, and made for a great bedtime snack with fruit or rice cakes.

While store-bought hummus can definitely be considered a healthier treat, it can easily add up in added sugar. There is typically around 6 grams of added sugar per 2 tablespoons of chocolate hummus, which equates to about 1.5 teaspoons of sugar (4 grams sugar = 1 teaspoon). Not too bad, right? But 2 tablespoons isn’t all that much. We had chocolate hummus in our house and it was gone within days! I’m fairly certain we (okay, mostly me) were eating way above the serving size.

Now why does this matter? Let’s consider ice cream. Most of us can agree ice cream is not the most nutritious dessert, but we enjoy it on occasion because it’s delicious! A standard 1/2 cup serving of ice cream contains about 20 grams of added sugar, depending on the brand.

If we ate the same amount (1/2 cup) of chocolate hummus, it would add up to 24 grams of added sugar! This equals 6 teaspoons of sugar! So, in small quantities, standard chocolate hummus is a healthier treat, but adds up quickly in sugar as the serving increases.

Nutrition

Something chocolate hummus does have going for it, though, is fiber. This is a unique nutrient most desserts don’t contain much of unless they’re made with whole grains, nuts, whole fruit, or, in this case, beans. The base of hummus is chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), which are very nutritious and great for overall health due to their fiber, vitamin, and mineral content.

One serving (1/2 cup) of chickpeas contains:

• 5g fiber
• 5g protein
• 36% manganese
• 21% copper
• 9% phosphorus
• 9% folate
• 7% vitamin B6
• 6% magnesium
• 6% zinc
• 6% choline
• 1-4% most other vitamins & minerals

While chickpeas don’t necessarily contain large amounts of each nutrient, they do contain a wide variety!

The fiber from the chickpeas is great for supporting the gut microbiome as well as balancing blood sugar, helping offset the sugar consumed along with chickpeas when made into a dessert.

Versatility

Chocolate hummus is also super versatile! Please feel free to be creative, but these are some ways I have enjoyed it, or plan to in the future:

• A dip for fruit
• A dip for pretzels
• Spread on rice cakes along with peanut butter
• Spread on toast
• Mixed in with yogurt (regular or dairy free)
• Eaten with a spoon 🙂

Cost Effective

The following healthy chocolate hummus recipe does contain some sugar in the form of maple syrup, but the amount per serving (3.7 grams) is less than that of store-bought chocolate hummus (6 grams). And let’s be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying store-bought hummus, despite the sugar content. My main motivation for creating this recipe was actually cost and convenience.

I realized I was really into chocolate hummus after getting it from the store a few times and enjoying it nightly with some apples or on a rice cake with peanut butter. But, then I ran out and wasn’t going to the store anytime soon. Plus, the hummus costs over three dollars, whereas a can of chickpeas is sixty nine cents at my local grocery store. So, I figured, hey, I could make my own!

Sure, it is definitely more convenient to purchase chocolate hummus sometimes instead, but if you have the time, why not save the trip and save some money?

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Healthy Chocolate Hummus

A healthy, higher fiber, nutritious treat to make at home and enjoy in a variety of ways!

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 73kcal

Equipment

• Food processor or high-speed blender

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3.5 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 15oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 3-4 tbsp dark cocoa powder I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa

Instructions

• Add the water, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to a high speed blender or food processor.
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add these to the blender.*
• Blend until smooth and well-combined.
• Add cocoa powder and blend until combined.
• Transfer to a small container and keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Notes

*An extra step for extra smooth hummus is to dump the chickpeas onto a kitchen towel, dry and remove as many skins as you can before adding to the blender. Sometimes I take the time to do this, sometimes I don’t. The hummus is delicious either way! 

Nutrition: 73 calories, 3.4 grams of fat, 9.5 total carbohydrates, 3.7 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams protein