Kalamata Olive Tapenade Hummus

I love hummus, I love olives… so this combo was always going to be a no-brainer for me. But I didn’t expect it to be THIS good.

The salty, rich flavour of the olives completely transforms what would usually be a basic hummus recipe into something way more indulgent and packed with depth.

Hummus is already one of those staples I make on repeat, but adding olives just takes it to a whole new level.

It’s bold, a little fancy-feeling, but still made with really simple ingredients. And if you’re someone who thinks hummus can sometimes be a bit… samey, this is exactly the kind of switch-up you need. It’s easily up there with the best hummus recipe variations I’ve made, and it doesn’t require anything complicated to get there.

I love serving this hummus with olives as the centrepiece of a spread. Just spread it out onto a plate, load it up with some fresh toppings- I did finely diced onion, cucumber and some more olives. Then finish with a generous drizzle of good olive oil and it instantly looks like something you’d get at a really nice café.

Perfect for BBQs, sharing platters, or those dinners where it’s just lots of little bits on the table and everyone digs in.

That being said… it’s equally perfect eaten straight out the bowl with some warm bread when you don’t want to share. No judgement here, I’ve absolutely done that more than once.

Ingredients for Olive Tapenade Hummus-

• Chickpeas – The best chickpeas for this recipe are home soaked and cooked from dried.  If you’re short on time I tend to find that the jarred chickpeas are usually better quality and softer than tinned. You can use the chickpeas in a tin however the quality of the hummus wont be as good.
• Tahini-A good quality tahini is essential for hummus. Tahini should be runny and silky. Middle eastern brands are always best. Check your local international food shop or you can also buy online. It can be pricy but totally worth it!
• Kalamata olives – This recipe calls for good quality Greek Kalamata olives. The olives give the hummus a rich saltiness that you will love even if you’re not the biggest fan of eating olives whole. This recipe will also work with good quality green olives.

Love hummus? Try these hummus recipes!

• Vegan Lebanese Style Hummus
• Homemade Hummus with Za'atar Pitta

Peeling chickpeas for hummus

Peeling the skins off of the chickpeas does make a smoother hummus. A tip for making this easier is to add the chickpeas into a tea towel or between paper towels and agitate to get the skins off. Don't worry if some skins still remain- just do your best to get off what you can.

Kalamata olive hummus

Creamy Kalamata olive hummus topped with chopped salad and herby olive oil. Perfect with some fresh flatbread for a snack or appetizer.

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Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dips, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine greek

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

For the hummus-

• 200 g Cooked chickpeas
• 60 g tahini
• 30-60 ml Water
• 15 kalamata olives
• 1 whole lemon juice
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 tsp Salt

For the topping-

• ¼ cucumber
• ½ small red onion
• 5 Black olives
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 10 g fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• Add the hummus ingredients to the blender or food processor.
• Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides often.
• For the topping dice the cucumber, onion and black olives into a small dice.
• Add the olive oil to a blender with the parsley and blend until smooth.
• Serve the hummus topped with the chopped salad and parsley oil with some pitta chips or flatbreads.

Notes

Salt- Before adding salt be sure to taste your hummus as the olives are already salty it may not need any more salt. This depends on preference.

Hummus consistency- If you have time and patience a top tip for smooth hummus is to remove the skins from the cooked chickpeas before blending.

How to store homemade hummus

If you make a large batch of hummus and have leftovers you can store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

If you love dips check out some of The Plant Bowls dip recipes below

• Air fryer Baingan Bharta- Indian style eggplant dip
• Greek Style Spicy Red Pepper and Feta Dip
• Vegan Lebanese Style Hummus

• 
  Greek Gyros Tofu Bowl
• 
  Vegan Burrito Bowl
• 
  Vegan French Onion Dip
• 
  Vegan Mince and Cheese Pie
• 
  Vegan Italian Sausage Kale Pasta
• 
  Red Curry Thai Udon