My husband and I love hummus, especially my Easy Hummus recipe. We love black beans at least as much as we love chick peas. This got the gears turning… “I wonder if we can make hummus using black beans?” Well, we love Mexican food too (which of course regularly features black beans) and decided that would be a great place to start for the seasonings. By the time we were done, we had created a Mexican inspired black bean based “hummus.” I must give joint credit to my husband for helping me create this awesome recipe. Love you, babe. 🙂
Black Bean Spread Recipe
(Makes enough for a small gathering)
Ingredients:
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- sprinkle of paprika on top
Directions:
- Drain and rinse the black beans.
- Add the black beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
- Process it until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Try to avoid eating all of it yourself before your guests arrive.
Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
I love making a dip or spread as an appetizer when I host a dinner party because they are typically very easy and quick to make. (And a lot of them are quite cheap too.) Plus, I can make it ahead of time, which helps make me less crazy on the day of the dinner party. (Note that I said less crazy. I’ll still be running around like a crazy lady.)
All you need to do is throw the ingredients into the food processor and let it do the work for you. Almost like magic.
Let’s be real here though, no matter how I photograph this, I can’t get it to look nearly as good as it tastes. It appears as purple gray mushy stuff but please take my word for it that this is really awesome tasting.
The black beans are a great source of protein and fiber. My husband I love to incorporate them into many meals, like the Black Bean & Chicken Chilaquiles, or this easy spread. I love how this spread does not contain a lot of fat. In fact it has less oil than my Easy Hummus. The texture of black beans is more soft than chick peas, so you don’t need as much oil to get a smooth texture. By the way, I call this a black bean spread in an attempt to be “correct” about it because by definition a hummus is made with chick peas. That doesn’t stop my husband and I from calling it “Black Bean Hummus” though.
Many hummus and bean spreads contain Tahini (ground sesame seeds). I don’t think it’s necessary for a great taste or texture so I even leave it out of my regular hummus. Since this spread is more Mexican inspired, it was skipped here too. (Let’s face it, cabinet space is limited, so stocking more ingredients can become quite tricky.) Since you aren’t using Tahini, you need some amount of oil otherwise you’ll end up with a pasty texture, which is just plain unappealing. We use olive oil exclusively in our house, but I’d bet almost any kind of oil would do the trick.
This black bean spread has an awesome Mexican flair. The cumin and cayenne pepper add great flavor and a little heat.
Chips and dip is the obvious way to serve this, but my hubby and I eat this spread in so many other ways. For a snack, it goes great with veggies. For dinner, we spread it on top of chicken or (for a vegetarian meal) on top of some rice. My husband was so impressed with how great this recipe turned out, he said “yeah, I could eat that with a garden hose.” I’m pretty sure he means in vast quantities and at high speed, not literally with a fork and knife and a piece of hose.
Source: www.tinaschic.com
Here’s that Easy Hummus I mentioned earlier.
Looking for other dips and spreads? Try this fabulous Restaurant Style Salsa.
Or this amazing low fat Yogurt Ranch Dip.
This looks delicious!
Thank you! I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
I love black beans more than I love hummus so I am so excited to see this! Wonderful, will be making! Pinned!
Thanks so much for pinning! I’m so happy how this came out. Let me know what you think if you end up making it. 🙂
I love hummus AND black beans and this looks so smooth and fabulous 🙂
Then you’ll absolutely love this! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I love hummus, too! I’ve never made a black bean spread before, though. Looks good!
It’s fabulous! Makes me wonder what other creations I can make with other kinds of beans. 🙂
Like the addition of paprika and cayenne! I’ve made something like this, but I want to add those spices next time. Looks like the dip lover in me would be very very happy!
Black beans with simple lemon juice and garlic (like the typical hummus recipe) is great too! The extra spices here really give it that Mexican flair, totally different. Funny how a couple of spices can really alter a recipe…in a good way here. I always serve dips so I’m a dip lover too. 🙂
I love finely mashed black beans. They are so versatile, you can eat them as a dip, just like in your recipe, or I also like them as a side dish to lots of Mexican dishes.
I totally agree! My husband and I eat this as a side dish sometimes instead of refried beans. 🙂
I love finding various bean alternatives to hummus! This looks super tasty.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you stopped by. 🙂
I seriously love black dean dips, I could eat them like candy. Your looks so smooth, perfect for spreading on sandwiches!
Thanks Katy! My husband was literally eating this by the spoonful right out of food processor. Needless to say he’s a fan. 😉 I love using it on sandwiches too because it’s a healthier alternative to some other typical condiments. 🙂
I love black bean hummus and spreads! I love how creamy this is, absolutely delicious! I could eat it with a garden hose too!
LOL! I read your comment to my husband and he got a kick out of it. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂