High-protein roasted Beet Hummus is creamy and delicious. Red lentils replace chickpeas for an ultra-smooth texture while roasted beet and garlic add depth and subtle sweetness. Perfect for dipping, spreading, or adding to bowls.
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🔍 Quick Look: Beet Hummus
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🎛️ Cook Time: 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 5
- 📊 Calories: ~160 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 👩🏽🍳 Flavor Profile: Creamy, earthy, slightly sweet with smoky paprika, warm cumin, and bright lemon.
- 💪🏼 Nutrition: 9 grams of protein, 10 grams fiber
- ⭐ Difficulty: Mostly hands-off. Roast the beet and garlic, simmer the lentils, then blend everything until smooth.
👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
Why You'll Love This Beet Hummus Recipe:
- Naturally high in fiber and plant protein
- Ultra creamy texture thanks to red lentils
- Easier to digest than traditional chickpea hummus
- Great pre-workout snack-beets contain natural nitrates that support circulation and endurance
- Naturally rich in nitrates that help support healthy blood pressure
- Vibrant color makes it perfect for entertaining
- Great for meal prep and keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Beet Hummus
- 👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
- 👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- 🧄 Substitutions
- 📝 How to Make Beet Hummus
- ✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- 🫙 More Healthy Dip Recipes
- 🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 🍽 Pair Beet Hummus with...
- 👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
- ⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
- Beet Hummus Recipe
- 🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
- 💬 Comments
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective. recipe.

- Beet: Roasting the beet intensifies its natural sweetness and gives the hummus its stunning deep pink color.
- Garlic: Roasting garlic mellows its sharpness and adds a rich, almost buttery flavor.
- Red Lentils: Cook quickly and blend into a very smooth texture. They add protein and help create a creamy hummus without needing much oil.
- Tahini: Adds richness and the classic hummus flavor while contributing healthy fats and calcium.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: The zest adds bright citrus aroma while the juice balances the sweetness of the beet.
- Smoked Paprika: Adds subtle smokiness that complements the roasted vegetables.
- Cumin: Provides warmth and depth that makes the flavor more complex.
- Turmeric (Optional): Adds a subtle earthy note and boosts antioxidant content.
- Water or Olive Oil: Use water for a lighter hummus or olive oil for extra richness.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🧄 Substitutions
This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.
- Beet: Use pre-cooked beets if short on time. About 1 to 1½ cups cooked beet works well.
- Garlic: If you do not have fresh garlic, use about ½ teaspoon garlic powder. You can also use raw garlic instead of roasted for a stronger flavor.
- Red lentils: Replace the lentils with 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or white beans for a more traditional hummus.
- Tahini: Swap with sunflower seed butter or cashew butter for a similar creamy texture.
- Lemon juice: Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar can work in place of lemon juice.
- Smoked paprika: Regular paprika or chili powder can be used instead.
- Cumin: Ground coriander or curry powder works well as an alternative.
📝 How to Make Beet Hummus
The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.

- Roast the beet and garlic. Slice both ends of the beet and cut into roughly 2-inch wedges. Slice the top off the garlic head to expose the cloves. Toss with a little olive oil and salt. Wrap the garlic in parchment or foil for more even roasting.

- Simmer the red lentils until al dente but not mushy.

- Strain the lentils to remove excess water.

- Transfer the roasted beets, one-half of the garlic, cooked lentils, and remaining ingredients to the canister of a food processor. Add water or olive oil to thin.

- Process until smooth and creamy. Add more water or olive oil gradually so you can control the final texture.

- Enjoy Beetroot Hummus with garlic pita as a healthy snack or side.
Optional Pita Chips:

- Add the remaining roasted garlic to olive oil. Mash the garlic and season. Spread onto pita wedges.

- Spread onto pita wedges and bake until lightly crispy. They will crisp up more upon cooling.
✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
These simple steps help preserve freshness and texture:
- Meal prep: If you are roasting your beets, it is better to roast a few and make a big batch of this hummus to store. You can freeze it for up to three months. Great for a pre-workout snack.
- Storage: Refrigerate Beetroot Hummus in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the pita chips on the kitchen counter for up to 2 days.
🫙 More Healthy Dip Recipes
5-minute Edamame Guacamole with plant-based protein and spinach is a healthy, protein-packed dip, that tastes incredible!
My Paprika Dip is dairy-free, easy to make, packed with vibrant flavors from roasted red pepper, garlic, and paprika.
This 5-ingredient High-Protein Red Lentil Dip. is quick, easy, and cheap to make.
Try my 5-ingredient Chipotle Black Bean Dip for another meal prep snack idea.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
You can use pre-cooked beets and raw garlic instead. The hummus will still be delicious, but roasting gives the beet a sweeter flavor and makes the garlic milder and more caramelized.
Even though this dip is bright pink, you can hardly taste the beet! This hummus tastes lemony, garlicky, and deliciously creamy.
Use it as a spread in sandwiches or wraps. You can also add it to veggie bowls for additional protein. Plus, it's delicious with quinoa and farro. Or serve it with crudités (raw veggies), pita, chips, or crackers for a healthy snack or weekday lunch.
Beets add a ton of nutrients to hummus for very few additional calories. They are rich in fiber, folate, vitamin C, and antioxidants that may help lower blood pressure and fight inflammation. Beets are also a source of betaine, a type of antioxidant that's evident in its rich, red-colored roots. They are also a source of potassium, which supports bones and muscles.
⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
Use these AI tools to do this:

Beet Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large beet scrubbed and rinsed
- 1 small-medium head garlic
- ¾ cups dry red lentils
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (about one-half lemon)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 large lemon) plus more as needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
Optional for homemade pita chips:
- 2 whole wheat pita
- Extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
- Dash of smoked paprika
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Instructions
- Roast the beet and garlic: Slice both ends of the beetroot and cut it into about 2-inch wedges. Slice the top of the garlic to expose the cloves. Optional: Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Wrap the garlic in parchment or aluminum foil for better roasting.Roast the beet and garlic at 375ºF for about 35 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender.
- Simmer the red lentils in water to cover by about 2 inches for about 10 minutes, or until al dente but not mushy.
- Strain the lentils using a fine mesh strainer to remove excess water.
- Blend: Transfer the beets, lentils, lemon zest and juice, tahini, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, and black pepper to the canister of a food processor. Add about one-half of the garlic cloves. Add 2 tablespoons water or olive oil.Process until smooth and creamy, adding more water or oil as needed until the desired texture.
- Optional Homemade Pita Chips: Add the remaining roasted garlic to about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a generous dash of smoked paprika, and salt to taste. Mash the garlic. Spread onto pita wedges. Spread onto pita wedges and bake at 380ºF for about 10 minutes or until lightly crispy. They will crisp up more upon cooling.
Notes
- If you are roasting your beets, it is better to roast a few and make a big batch of this hummus to store. You can freeze it for up to one month.
- Storage: Refrigerate Beetroot Hummus in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the pita chips on the kitchen counter for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
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Diana Dyer says
Another 5star rating! I decreased the cumin to 3/4 teaspoon and didn’t add the lemon zest only because I didn’t have any lemons on hand. Still, my husband raved about the perfect seasoning! Adding the red lentils for added protein only makes it more perfect.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed this beet hummus. Thank you so much for commenting.
ANGELA MANNING says
Can the hummus be frozen
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes! I would use Freezer Cubes and portion it.
Nicole says
Really great! I love beet hummus & I appreciate the added protein content in this one. The red lentil to beet ratio had me doubting, but it turn out well once jazzed up with spices. I used lemon pepper and it was the perfect addition!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed this untraditional combo! Thank you for letting me know!
Xiomi says
Hi! Made this for the second time.. love it! I used brown lentils and it tastes fine to me. I have a question about the pita though…. I haven’t found a brand that doesn’t have palm or canola oil or other ingredients I’m not crazy about. Can you please share what brand pita you like?
TIA!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Glad it worked out with brown lentils. Ezekiel pita is my fave!
Steph says
I just made this recipe for the 1st time. It had a denser, slightly drier texture than I was expecting, I added double the water & another half of lemon juice from the recipe as written. I did have to use regular brown lentils, though so maybe that made the difference! My tahini was also rather thick. Also wasn't sure how much beet to add. Roasted 4 small (about 3 inch diameter) beets and tossed in half.
The flavor is interesting, the beets & lemon juice give it a sweet note. I am a lover of garlic so I think I would have preferred more (but my garlic head was kinda small?) and probably extra tahini. Not sure if I would make it again cause it was a lot of work. But it sure looks cute! 🩷
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. The type of lentils you used and the thick tahini will drastically alter the recipe and make it drier and more dense. The recipe made as written is deliciously smooth and creamy. If ou make changes, you cannot expect the same results. Hope this helps.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
You can use prepackaged cooked beets for a very easy recipe:)