Paleo Hummus (in Your Pressure Cooker!)
NOTE: The delicious recipe below features our absolute favorite time (and nutrient) saving kitchen tool – The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
Hummus (or “houmous”) has evolved in Middle Eastern cuisines over centuries as an accompaniment to breakfasts and an appetizer with dinner. It’s smooth, savory consistency fits with almost any dish. And it has become a staple in many diets.
Hummus is praised in the “healthy snack” category as a protein-dense spread that gets along with most everyone. You can customize it with flavors of your choosing or use an array of foods to scoop up its deliciousness. Made of chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, garlic and tahini, this dip is full of healthy fats all-around good ingredients…
However, if you’ve transitioned to a primal lifestyle, you may have given up dipping this Middle Eastern snack may be over. Chickpeas are a legume, which are disallowed on a “strict” Paleo diet.
But that’s okay, because in the recipe below we’ll show you how to…
Make Perfect Hummus (Without the Chickpeas)
Legumes contain compounds that can cause problems for your digestive system, including phytic acid and lectins.
Phytic acid prevents your body from absorbing the nutrients you consume. When we digest hummus, it takes those nutrients with it. But these compounds are not just nutrient stealers. They can also be real bullies to your digestive tract. In the case of lectins, these compounds can cause physical damage to the intestinal wall. This can lead to a leaky gut and a subsequent range of problems, including autoimmune illness.
For some people, legumes also act as FODMAPS, where they overfeed harmful bacterial in your gut.
So, instead of this carb-heavy and digestive-damaging snack, we came up with a Paleo-approved spin on zesty hummus. We kept it classic with the flavors that make hummus so unique. Smooth, nutty tahini, balanced with garlic and lemon and rounded out with extra virgin olive oil and the essential spices: cumin, coriander and high quality sea salt.
But instead of chickpeas, we turned to a creamy vegetable that takes on the challenge: cauliflower! It is low calorie and low carb, yet full of flavor and texture (not to mention vitamin C!).
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Pressure Cooker Paleo Hummus
Cauliflower is a big star in the Paleo world, making appearances in pizza crusts, mashed potatoes, and now a creamy dip that will fool your guests and please your tummy. To ensure it has the same consistency as soaked chickpeas, we turned to our absolute favorite kitchen tool, the time-saving Instant Pot pressure cooker!
The Instant Pot turned our block of frozen cauliflower florets into perfectly hummus-ready “meat” in just eight minutes! No prep and little cleanup means more time for dipping and chatting!
This dip is so quick and easy, you’ll have time to master our Paleo Pita Bread for a quick snack or a start to a delicious, low-carb dinner. Try it out with fresh organic crudités (try celery, carrots, radishes and jicama) or serve it with some Greek chicken with a side of Kalamata olives and sautéed broccolini for a fresh and delicious Paleo Mediterranean meal.
Recommended: 3 things to look for when purchasing olive oil.
Original
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings
8
Ingredients
- 18 oz. frozen cauliflower
- 1 cup water or organic chicken broth
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. ground coriander
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup organic tahini
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
Instructions
- Add the frozen cauliflower florets and ½ cup broth or water to your InstantPot. Cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Drain any excess liquid from the cauliflower. Add the florets to a medium sized bowl. Add in the tahini, salt, olive oil, fresh garlic, cumin, coriander and lemon juice.
- Using an immersion blender, blend all ingredients to smooth, creamy consistency.
- Dip or spread, and enjoy. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Nutrition & Macronutrient Ratio
141 calories, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 4 g polyunsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrate, 5 g NET carbs, 0 g sugar alcohols, 2 g sugar, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein, 217 mg potassium, 147 mg phosphorous, 167mg sodium, 26 mg magnesium
74 % FAT | 12 % PROTEIN | 14% CARBOHYDRATE
Could you make the Paleo Hummus with something other than tahini — like pumpkin seed (or another nut butter)?
Hi Suzanne!
Absolutely – any nut or seed butter would work. The tahini gives it that authentic flavor – my second choice to achieve that would be sunflower seed butter.
I hope you enjoy!
Kelley
Hi Suzanne!
Absolutely – any nut or seed butter would work. The tahini gives it that authentic flavor – my second choice to achieve that would be sunflower seed butter.
I hope you enjoy!
Kelley
Sounds great! Would the timing be the same if you use fresh cauliflower rather than frozen?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Pam!
I might add an additional minute or two – it shouldn’t matter that much according to the Instant Pot fresh/frozen cooking times guide.
Be Well,
Kelley
This looks great! I love hummus but I’m on the Plant Paradox diet which excludes beans because of their high lectin content. What I’m wondering is whether the instructions should say to add the 1 whole cup water or broth listed in the ingredients to the Instant Pot instead of the 1/2 cup? Also, I’ve made cauliflower in the Instant Pot before but using a steamer basket. Does the cauliflower go straight into the pot into the water or broth or do I use the steamer basket? Thanks so much for your great healing recipes! I’m giving it 5 stars trusting this will be as good as all of your other recipes. I’ll comment again if it turns out to be less than stellar!
Madeline,
I think you will love this recipe! And please be sure to comment again if it is more than stellar 🙂
I didn’t realize how much the experience of hummus was attributed to the tahini and spices until I made the cauliflower swap for chickpeas (my favorite legume, by far!). I was amazed how well the substitution worked, fooling all of my guests and served with Paleo Pita. Steaming is a wonderful method in the Instant Pot and the one recommended for veggies. In this recipe, I cooked the cauliflower right in bone broth to add flavor and nutrients (my bone broth cubes come in handy for this!). But you could simply use your steamer basket with water, as well.
Kudos for your awareness of the impact of lectins on health. More and more people are becoming aware of these and other compounds in “healthy” plant foods that can cause or contribute to major issues (autoimmunity, chronic pain, etc.). I recently wrote a pretty extensive article on this and will be sharing soon.
Be Well,
Kelley
Hello Healing Gourmet,
Before I ask my question, I want to tell YOU (Ms. Herring) are personally responsible for saving my health.
You were the very first person I read to educate myself about proper health — Low Glycemic Lifestyle and Better Breads books — and you also introduced me to Mike Gearey and it went from there.
THANK YOU!
Now, my question…
Your Paleo Hummus recipe features cauliflower, which I cannot eat no matter how its cooked (or not) — it makes me “explode”! (Yet I can eat all the broccoli I want without the slightest hitch.) I have noticed that cauliflower is also used as a rice substitute by many Paleo experts.
Is there anything else can be used as a substitute for chick peas?
Bill Young Jr.
San Diego, CA, USA
Hi Bill!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to write. I am OVERJOYED that my work has helped you improve your health. But I must say it is the responsibility you have taken for your own health that made it possible. So thank you for being one of the horses who gets led to water… and actually drinks :-).
You gave me a clue as to why you might be reacting to cauliflower… but not broccoli. Tiny little compounds called FODMAPs. Have you heard of them? Cauliflower is quite high in polyols, and can cause digestive disturbances to those of us who are sensitive. I’ve written quite a bit on this, if you are interested. You could start with this article.
Now let’s solve your culinary quandary :-). You can absolutely substitute the cauliflower in this recipe. I would try celeriac (celery root) which is a low FODMAP, low carb veggie. I would also try zucchini (also low carb and low FODMAP). Both of these would need to be peeled and them steamed until tender, then blended/processed with the other ingredients in the recipe. Because the tahini, spice and lemon is really what we’re after here, I think either of these neutral veggie options should work well for you (while keeping your belly peaceful too!).
Thanks again for your kindness, and let me know how it goes!
Kelley