Yep, you read it right, Chocolate Hummus. This was a great discovery because I love a little chocolate, but it usually comes with too much sugar and fat.
Now we can enjoy all of the heart-healthy goodness of chocolate without the extra calories. Although this recipe does have some maple syrup, you could also use Medjool dates which will add sweetness as well as fiber.
This is a beautiful dessert served with organic strawberries (leave the little green tops on), pineapple or even melon. You could also serve it with pretzels.
One thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t get quite as smooth as you might hope, but I actually like a little bit of texture. Let me know what you think.
Craving something sweet? Try another plant-based dessert:
- Vegan Avocado Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
- Avocado Tofu Chocolate Mousse
- Carrot Chia Pudding
- Spicy Molasses Bars
When preparing to make this plant-based chocolate hummus recipe, be sure to rinse the chickpeas first. You’ll want them to stay at room temperature, so use warm water when rinsing.
After draining, add them to the food processor along with the cacao powder, maple syrup, sea salt (optional), vanilla, and non-dairy milk. Process the ingredients for a few seconds, scraping down the sides and adding the milk a few tablespoons until you reach a thick, but dippable consistency.
For the non-dairy milk, I prefer to use some from my homemade almond milk recipe or even nut or grain milk, which you can learn in my article on How to Make Delicious Homemade Nut, Seed, and Grain-Based Milk.
Is Hummus Heart Healthy?
Is hummus good for blood pressure? For starters, dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, and according to studies, people who eat more chocolate have lower rates of heart attacks, heart failure, and even death from heart disease.
In addition, people who ate chocolate one to three times per month were about 10 percent less likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation than those who ate the sweet treat less than once a month, researchers found.
And, let’s not forget about how good chickpeas are! They help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and inflammation as well as provide several heart-healthy nutrients. Also, because they’re protein-rich, you will feel full and energized.
Even the little tahini in this dark chocolate hummus recipe benefits your heart by lowering harmful cholesterol levels. The calcium and magnesium in tahini may also work to decrease blood pressure naturally.
Don’t be shy about trying this unusual combination of flavors when considering heart-healthy desserts. If it helps, add even a little more sweetener or even Stevia if you like your desserts sweeter. I tested it recently, and all of my guests seemed to like it.
This Chocolate Hummus is a quick treat that is guilt-free (in moderation), and can be enjoyed as a dip, a spread, a dessert or even used to top your pancakes!
How to Make Chocolate Hummus
It’s so easy!
After rinsing, add them to a food processor along with the cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, half the non-dairy milk, tahini, and sea salt.
Process this for a few seconds, scraping the sides with a spatula to evenly blend your hummus ingredients. Add another tablespoon of non-dairy milk, and more if needed, until the mixture is smooth yet thick for dipping.
What to eat with chocolate hummus?
This vegan chocolate hummus recipe is perfect for dipping fruits and pretzels in. Try this heart-healthy recipe with melon, strawberries, pineapples, or apples. You could even spread it over some whole-grain toast. It’s sure to be a hit at your next gathering!
I hope you’ll try it and let me know what you think. Sometimes getting used to a new flavor can take a little time, so give it a chance, and I think you find, as I did, that it’s a delicious addition to a plant-based diet.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Heart Healthy Chocolate Hummus recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Instagram page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!
Heart Healthy Chocolate Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz.) can no salt added chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup cacao powder or cocoa (cocoa is roasted and cacao is raw)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or date syrup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract alcohol-free preferred. Or you could use almond extract.
- 3-4 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp tahini (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Instructions
- Place drained chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the cacao powder, maple syrup, salt, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the non-dairy milk.
- Process for a few seconds and then scrape down the side with a spatula. Add a few more tablespoons of non-dairy milk until it reaches a consistency that's good for dipping fruit.
- Serve in a shallow bowl that's good for dipping.
Notes
- The nutrition label is with unsweetened soy milk and does not include salt.
I really didn’t think this could be good, but , wow! I love this! We’ve been eating a whole food, plant based diet for a month now and keep our added sweeteners below a teaspoon per day, so this was actually a little too sweet for me. I’ll probably drop the sweetener in half for me, but keep the full amount for my son whose not quite on board yet. He’ll definitely eat beans, now! I’m so thankful to have that dark, rich, chocolate flavor back in my life. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome. I know, it’s surprising how good it is. That’s great you can keep added sweeteners so low, and nice to hear your tastes for it has changed! That’s one of the secrets, isn’t it? If you feel like it, let us know your tips for doing this.
I make this recipe but I alter it a bit:
6 cups cooked chickpeas with their water/juice
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp coffee extract
2 tablespoons tahini
No plant milk
Notice that I reduced the cacao powder, maple syrup, and tahini. This way, there’s less fat and sweetener.
Sounds great. Might try that myself.
Is there any other sweetener you could use like monkfruit or stevia?
Sure you could used your favorite. Although I haven’t tested it, it seems like it’d work in this recipe. While some artificial sweeteners are unhealthy, I feel like monk fruit could be a good choice. Let us know if it works for you.
I love chocolate so this hummus is a hit. I also reduce the amount of sweetener. And as an option add in cinnamon or cayenne pepper. Another great addition is to reduce the milk and use espresso coffee (I did see the comment about coffee extract – but I don’t have that and can make a cup of espresso fast)
This is also great on waffles.
I love the idea of trying this on waffles and adding cinnamon and a little kick of cayenne pepper. I’ll have to try that soon. 🙂 I’ll bet espresso is a great addition, as well! Thanks for the tips.
Well I must be the only person to find this awful, it tastes like beans and three people who tried also knew beans were in it. I used chickpeas, how do you get the chickpea smell and taste to go away? I didn’t use tahini as too high in fat
Ha, I understand, the idea of using beans for something sweet just doesn’t seem right. I’m so excited to be able to eat something healthy while enjoying it as a sweet treat that I think it overcomes any concerns I have about the bean taste. I actually love the recipe. Maybe the tahini helps some with the flavor… I’m not sure. Did you use unsalted beans? Perhaps having salt might make the chickpeas more obvious. I’ll keep noodling on what might help and let you know.