This oil-free roasted acorn squash hummus is creamy, sweet, and smoky! It’s a delicious Fall-inspired snack to enjoy for breakfast on toast, with crackers for lunch, or as a filling in quesadillas for dinner!
This smoky hummus is made with roasted acorn squash, chickpeas, smoky seasonings, lemon juice, and tahini. It’s a delicious combination that makes the perfect Fall-inspired snack or appetizer! This recipe is easy to make and it’s ready to eat in less than 1 hour. It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe is made with a combination of fresh ingredients and pantry staples. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients and substitutions if you need them.
- Acorn Squash: Acorn squash adds the most delicious mildly sweet and nutty flavor to the hummus. You only need 1/2 cup to make this smoky hummus, so pick out a small gourd if possible. If you need a substitute, you can use butternut or pumpkin (both fresh or pureed can be used).
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are traditionally used to make hummus, but you can substitute great northern beans or cannellini beans for a similar texture and flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice gives the hummus a bright, citrusy flavor! If you don’t have a lemon, you could substitute fresh lime juice.
- Tahini: Tahini is added to hummus to make it taste rich and smooth. If you don’t have it, you can omit it. If you have trouble blending the chickpeas, you can add 1-2 tbsp of the aquafaba from the can or water to help it along.
How to Make Acorn Squash Hummus
Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the acorn squash in half. Try to cut around the stem because it’s difficult to cut through, and then use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place both halves face down on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until tender. When it’s done cooking, let it cool for a few minutes and then carefully flip it over and use a spoon to scoop out 1/2 cup and put it into the food processor cup.
Next, add the rinsed and drained canned chickpeas, garlic clove, tahini, lemon juice, and dried seasonings to the food processor cup. Blend on high until the texture is smooth and creamy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the edges with a spatula. If you’re having a hard time processing, add 1 tbsp of water at a time to help it along. Garnish with a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes, dried parsley, and smoked paprika before serving.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve this smoky hummus with crispy crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread, or veggies for dipping. Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, bell pepper slices, celery sticks, broccoli florets, or zucchini slices are all delicious options. You can also use the hummus to make hummus pasta sauce, as a filling for hummus quesadillas, as a topping on toast, or water it down a bit and use it as a salad dressing.
Can I Freeze It?
Hummus freezes perfectly! Put it in an airtight freezer-safe container and you can freeze it for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, take the container out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Give it a good stir and it’s ready to eat!
Notes & FAQ
- Can I eat the seeds? You can discard the seeds or you can roast them. If you want to save them, rinse them well, and pat them dry. Then you can season them with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and roast them for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees or until they’re lightly browned.
- Should I peel the skin? There’s no need to peel the skin off because once it’s roasted you’re just going to scoop the squash out and throw away the skin. Plus, the skin protects the inside while it’s roasting.
- What can I do with the extra acorn squash? You only need 1/2 cup for this hummus recipe, so you will probably have extra squash leftover. You could use the rest to make a second batch of hummus to freeze for a future snack, or you could use it instead of pumpkin to make this vegan pumpkin pasta or this vegan pumpkin sweet potato soup.
Success Tips
- Pick out a small gourd because you only need 1/2 cup to make this smoky hummus recipe.
- Don’t try to cut through the stem because it is very tough. It’s easiest to start the cut right next to the stem and press down hard until the knife slides through.
- Place the squash cut side down on the baking tray to protect the insides from burning while it’s roasting. The skin will be discarded so it’s ok if it gets a little dark.
- When the squash is done roasting, let it sit for a few minutes to cool until you can handle it safely.
- Store the leftover smoky hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future snack.
Want More Vegan Hummus Recipes?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Hummus
Smoky Acorn Squash Hummus
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup roasted acorn squash
- 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper to taste
- ⅛ tsp chili pepper flakes (garnish)
- ⅛ tsp dried parsley (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the acorn squash in half (try to cut around the stem because it’s tough to cut through) and scoop out the seeds. Place both halves face down on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife.
- When the squash is done roasting, let it cool for a few minutes until you can safely handle it. Flip the squash over and use a spoon to scoop out the squash and you can discard the skin.
- In a medium-sized food processor cup, add the roasted acorn squash, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until the hummus is smooth and creamy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the edges with a spatula. If you have trouble processing the mixture, add 1 tbsp of water (or aquafaba) at a time to help it along until you're happy with the consistency.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes, dried parsley, and smoked paprika before serving.
Notes
- Pick out a small acorn squash because you only need 1/2 cup to make this smoky hummus recipe.
- Don't try to cut through the stem because it is very tough. It's easiest to start the cut right next to the stem and press down hard until the knife slides through.
- Place the squash cut side down on the baking tray to protect the insides from burning while it's roasting. The skin will be discarded so it's ok if it gets a little dark.
- When the squash is done roasting, let it sit for a few minutes to cool until you can handle it safely.
- Store the leftover smoky hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future snack.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally shared on 8/4/15, but I updated it on 10/6/20.
