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Looking for a creative way to use dried chiles? Make our super spicy chile de árbol hummus. This simple but tasty recipe is perfect for heat seekers and snackers alike.
Who else misses great Mexican food?
After another month of spending most of my time at home, I had enough. I had to start making my own refried beans, salsa, tacos, burritos, posole, you name it. My favorite Mexican spot is still closed, so I had to improvise and start making my own.
Either way, you won’t find recipes on Hell Yes It’s Vegan touting to be authentic or capitalizing on a culture. If you’re looking for authentic vegan Mexican food recipes, definitely check out Dora’s Table. She’s amazing!
Because I had so many dried chiles de árbol lying around, I kept asking myself what else should I do with them? Naturally hummus came to mind.
Use dried beans, I dare you.
Look I get it. Life is so busy. Who has time to soak beans overnight and cook them all day to make Boston baked beans? I mean, besides myself. But I’m telling you right now that there’s a quicker way!
If you happen to own an Instant Pot, this method is perfect for you. To make fresh garbanzo beans from dried in just under an hour, all you need to do is pressure cook the beans submerged in water for 30 minutes and let the Instant Pot release the pressure on its own.
This method is a game changer and I 10/10 recommend giving it a shot if you make spicy chile de árbol hummus.
If you don’t have time that’s ok too
Spicy chile de árbol hummus will still taste great with canned garbanzo beans too, so don’t let my challenge of using dried beans deter you from making this super spicy snack.
I always have a few cans of chickpeas lying around either way in case of emergencies. I find they work better for making crunchy chickpeas as featured in my vegan caesar salad or in chickpea salad sandwiches.
If you’re making hummus or falafel, give dried garbanzo beans a shot.
What ingredients do you need to make spicy chile de árbol hummus?
Spicy chile de árbol hummus doesn’t require many ingredients. First, you’ll need 1.5 cups of chickpeas whether they’re in 1 can or cooked from dried is up to you. Next, you’ll need half an ounce of dried chile de árbol peppers. Lastly, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, a garlic clove, water, and salt.
How do you make spicy chile de árbol hummus?
Making spicy chile de árbol hummus requires minimal preparation, ingredients, and kitchen tools.
For the kitchen tools, you’ll need a measuring cup and spoons, a knife and a cutting board, a kitchen scale (no worries if you don’t have one. I give estimates in the recipe card.), a small pot to soften the chiles, a strainer, and a blender.
Start out by bringing a medium-sized pot filled with water to a boil. Meanwhile, destem and remove the seeds from the chiles de árbol. Add the chiles to the pot and gently simmer for 7-8 minutes until the chiles are soft. Drain and set aside.
Next, add the chickpeas, chile de árbol peppers, a garlic clove, lemon juice, water, olive oil, and tahini to a blender. Run the blender until the hummus is smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste and blend to combine again. The amount of salt you’ll need will depend on if your chickpeas are already salted in the can or if they’ve been cooked from dried. Good luck and don’t over-salt!
Serving ideas and substitution ideas
If you’re looking for some creative ways to eat spicy chile de árbol hummus I have a few ideas…
Make it WFPB (oil-free): If you’re oil-free add a half an avocado to the hummus plus some more water to thin. This might affect the color a little bit, but you’ve gotta get that fat from somewhere, am I right?
Serve on a charcuterie board: Hummus makes an awesome charcuterie board addition. Try making a Mexcian inspired board with chile de árbol hummus, fresh salsa, tortilla chips, pickled carrots, and dried chile mangos.
Go Mediterranean: Add spicy chile de árbol hummus to your favorite Mediterranean dishes. Add it to a falafel sandwich, or serve with pita chips.
Make it into a dressing: Add a little more water to bring the hummus down to a salad dressing consistency and there you have a spicy hummus salad dressing!
Liked spicy chile de árbol hummus?
If you like chile de árbol hummus you might like some of my other related recipes! Feel free to check out:
- White bean hummus
- Green chile lentil sloppy joes
- Chipotle corn pasta salad
- Roasted breakfast potatoes with soyrizo
- Loaded potatoes
Recipe jam
In this segment, I suggest a song for you to listen to while you make spicy chile de árbol hummus! You can even stream it right here in your browser. Today’s recipe jam is I Like You by MRCH.
If you try this recipe, I want to hear about it! Feel free to post your creations to Instagram or Facebook and tag Hell Yes It’s Vegan or #hellyesitsvegan. I look forward to seeing what you make!
Spicy Chile de Árbol Hummus
Equipment
- knife
- cutting board
- measuring cup and spoons
- blender
- medium-sized pot
- kitchen scale
Ingredients
- ½ ounce dried chile de árbol peppers, (about 20 peppers)
- ⅓ cup water, (plus more for hydrating the chile de árbol)
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, (if possible use dried, if not, 1 ½ cups is one can!)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 1 clove garlic
- juice from ½ lemon
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Destem and remove seeds from chiles. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a low simmer, add the chiles. Hydrate the peppers for 7-8 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and add to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste if needed.
- Serve with tortilla chips, terra chips, pita chips, vegetables, or slather on sandwiches. I mean, it's hummus. Put it on everything.