Hummus for babies -Easy, Healthy and Homemade

Hummus for babies is a wonderful first food. If you’re interested in making your own baby food, this is the easiest and quickest hummus recipe to make.

Chickpeas provide such a yummy base for easy snacks! If you love this hummus for babies recipe, head over to my Chickpeas for Baby and Beyond Recipe for even more chickpea recipes!

It’s a great base for endless flavor combinations. Not only will babies love it, but it’s a tasty healthy snack for the entire family.

Making homemade hummus for your baby is easy, and gives you the added bonus of knowing exactly what ingredients are in it.

Feeding my kiddos from whole foods is important to me, but it can feel overwhelming. I hope this recipe helps give you some simple ideas of what you can make at home, is tasty, and versatile.

You can add this homemade hummus to other purees like sweet potatoes or other veggies.

It helps boost your baby and toddlers diet with fiber, protein and healthy fats! So easy and made with minimal ingredients, you’ll never need to buy store-bought hummus again

Pin it for later -Hummus for babies

Homemade hummus recipe

Main Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whole chickpeas (canned or cooked from dried)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• Cold Water (as needed)

Equipment

• Food processor (the Ninja and Vitamix are my top favorites)

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas, if using canned. Place all ingredients in the food processor. Blend until smooth.

2. Add small amounts (about a tablespoon at a time) of water until hummus reaches a smooth consistency. 

Notes

For more mild flavors you can leave out the garlic, cumin, lemon juice and added salt. 

You can also roast the garlic first in the oven or sauté in a pan for a few minutes for a more mild garlic taste for your baby. 

Steps on how to cook dried chickpeas are provided at the bottom of the main post.

Serving suggestions

My school age kids love to dip carrot sticks, celery, cucumber sticks, or red peppers in hummus. I use hummus as a way to encourage my picky eater toddler daughter to try new raw vegetables.

She usually will try one bite of anything dipped in hummus. It’s a great addition to our after school snack rotation. 

Storage

Store leftover hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

Hummus for babies -Freezing leftovers

Batch cooking is a huge time saver. Especially when you’re wanting to make a lot of homemade whole food meals and snacks for your family.

You can freeze this hummus in an ice cube tray and transfer to a freezer zip lock bag. This is a great way to give you single serving portions for your baby.

You can then defrost one ice cube at a time or more for the whole family.

Freeze larger amounts portioned out into muffin tins and transfer into a freezer bag. Be sure to mark with the date and contents so you don’t forget!

Alternatives

• Top with sesame seeds for older kiddos
• Can substitute black beans for chickpeas, however, the taste and texture will be a bit different (still yummy!) 
• ​You can substitute 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder for the fresh garlic cloves

​Did you try this baby hummus recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! I’m all about quick recipes made from whole ingredients that are easy to make and store in bulk for later.

Canned vs Dried Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Picking the right chickpeas for hummus for babies. You can either use canned chickpeas or dried chickpeas made from scratch.

Canned chickpeas might be the way to go to get started to see if your kiddo is going to like them first. When I first started experimenting with chickpea recipes for my baby and kids, I did use canned chickpeas.

Now that I know they like them and eat them up every time I make them, I more regularly make them from dried chickpeas. My go-to is making them in the instant pot or pressure cooker (see instructions below).

Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber. They are very neutral tasting with a mild nutty flavor. This means you can add chickpea puree to many other purees or foods, both savory and sweet.

Please see this wonderful resource on safety when feeding babies chickpeas.

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried chickpeas 
• Water
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Stovetop

1. Rinse with a mesh strainer and pick out non chickpea debris. 
2. Place dried chickpeas in a large bowl.
3. Fill the bowl with water and cover chickpeas with 2-3 inches of water.
4. Soak for at least 8 hours.
5. Drain and rinse.
6. Place chickpeas in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas with several inches of water and add salt.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a swimmer for 1 ½-2 hours

Slow Cooker

1. Rinse and pick out non chickpea debris.
2. Add 7-8 cups of water to the slow cooker.
3. Add rinsed chickpeas and salt to the slow cooker (no need to presoak).
4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 8 hours.
5. The method is perfect for softer chickpeas for your little ones.
6. For firmer chickpeas reduce cooking time slightly.

Pressure Cooker

1. Rinse and pick out non chickpea debris.
2. Add rinsed chickpeas, 6 cups of water and salt to the pressure cooker (no need to pre-soak).
3. Seal pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes. 
4. Vent.

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Have you tried this Hummus for Babies Recipe? I’d love to hear how it went! If you have any questions, I’m here to help! Please reach out!