Chocolate Hummus (Dessert Hummus)

This dark chocolate hummus recipe uses just 6 ingredients and is a sweet dessert hummus, perfect for serving with crackers and fruit! Plus, this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and vegan!

I’ve made no secret of my love for hummus. I’ve already shared several different hummus recipes, like this pumpkin spice hummus, red pepper hummus, beet hummus, turmeric hummus, and of course, the OG super creamy hummus. I’m taking things into dessert territory this time with this chocolate hummus (aka ‘dessert hummus’).

I’ll admit, when I first heard of the combination a few years ago, I fully thought it would be a hard pass for me. But then I sat with the idea; we have black bean brownies, chickpea brownies, and other baked goods, which taste great …. so this is basically “brownie batter” hummus – and that’s an idea I can definitely get behind.

This chocolate hummus recipe combines chickpeas with cacao powder,
nut butter (in place of tahini), a liquid sweetener of your choice, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and salt. The result is a sweet hummus that you can whip up and surprise your friends and family with – maybe don’t tell them what it is upfront, though… tell them it’s brownie batter dip and see what they think.

Best of all, it’s fairly healthy too – packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and only unrefined sugars! Plus, if you have pre-cooked chickpeas stored in your fridge/freezer, then this is a simple 5-min dessert too! All you need to do is chuck everything in the blender/food processor until smooth and creamy.

The Ingredients

• Chickpeas: I always use chickpeas I’ve cooked at home rather than tinned for superior flavor. And I always have some in the freezer to make this as a quick 5-min dessert/appetizer option. However, feel free to use tinned too. 
• Cocoa powder: I used unsweetened cacao powder. You could also experiment with using some Dutch-processed cocoa (used to make Oreos!). I find the flavor quite strong, so I would suggest a combination of both if you want to add it.
• Sweetener: I used maple syrup, but you can use the liquid sweetener of your choice: agave, honey, etc. It may also work with date paste, but I haven’t tried. 
• Vanilla extract: I use homemade vanilla extract.
• Nut butter: almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, or even coconut butter can take the place of tahini in this chocolate hummus. You could use homemade Nutella (aka chocolate hazelnut butter) as the nut butter for double chocolate power!
• Salt: just a pinch to enhance the chocolate flavor.
• Espresso: Like with my fudgy brownies, adding a little espresso to any chocolate dessert is a great way to add depth to the cocoa flavor without tasting coffee. Feel free to omit this if you can’t have caffeine/coffee.
• (optional) Water: or milk of your choice (like nut milk) to get the hummus to the consistency of your preference, if it’s too thick.

Optional Add-ins

• Coconut oil: feel free to add 1-2 tablespoon coconut oil for a silkier chocolate hummus. Just be aware, this will solidify slightly in the fridge, so it will need to be brought to room temperature before enjoying.
• Natural flavor extracts: if you don’t like the plain dark chocolate hummus, you might want to experiment with other flavors: orange, mint, rose, almond, etc.
• Chocolate chips: for even more brownie batter hummus vibes, feel free to add a small handful of your favorite chocolate chips.
• Spices: you could add cinnamon, vanilla powder, ginger, or even cayenne powder to this dessert hummus for flavor variations.

How To Make Chocolate Hummus

Step 1: Prepare the chickpeas

You can follow this process to prepare chickpeas from dried. The basic steps include soaking them for 8 hours, then straining, rinsing, and then boiling until tender. 

If you’re using tinned chickpeas, then you don’t have to do any prep. Although, if you want super creamy results, you cook the chickpeas with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas become mushy. 

Step 2: Blend the chocolate hummus

Then add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. This can take several minutes, depending on how smooth you want the chocolate hummus to be.

Finally, taste the hummus and adjust any of the ingredients, adding more sweetener, nut butter, cocoa powder, etc. 

If the hummus is too thick, then you can add 1 tablespoon ice water or an ice-cube at a time until the correct consistency is reached. You could also use the leftover aquafaba (liquid from the tin or boiling water from the dried chickpeas) to thin the hummus. 

How To Serve

This dark chocolate hummus is perfect for serving as an appetizer, snack, or dessert – topped and served in several ways. 

I topped the chocolate hummus with raspberries, mixed berry compote, chopped hazelnuts, and a bit of lemon thyme. Once topped, you can serve the hummus with:

Fresh Fruit: Feel free to add some of your favorite berries or sliced fruit. Strawberries, banana, apples, pears, orange, mango, and figs – these all go great with chocolate and their sweetness will balance the bitterness. I also love mine with frozen berries.

Freeze-dried & dried fruit: Make for a wonderful dipping tool. Even these ginger chips could work. 

Savory snack: like pretzels, crackers (i.e., graham crackers), and other healthy cookies – like these Healthy Chocolate Digestive Biscuits Recipe 

You can also serve it alongside several breakfast/dessert dishes: pancakes, french toast, scones, overnight oats, chia pudding, etc. 

How To Store

Fridge: you can store the leftover chocolate hummus in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Freezer: I haven’t tried to freeze this brownie batter hummus, but I imagine it would work as well as other hummus recipes. Store in a freezer-safe container or portioned into ice-cube trays if preferred for between 3-4 months. 

If the texture changes at all upon thawing, you can re-blend the hummus for a short while. Add a little extra water/milk to bring back to the correct consistency if needed.

Recipe Notes

• You can swap the chickpeas for black beans if preferred – which, if anything, have an ever more neutral flavor.
• I like to use the ‘overcooked chickpeas’ hack for this dessert hummus as it makes the chickpea skins almost ‘disappear’ into the dip without the need to sit there and spend 10-15 minutes removing them by hand (if you want the dip super smooth).
• For more top tips for super creamy hummus, check out this original hummus recipe.

Related Recipes

• Simple Creamy Homemade Hummus Recipe (+ FAQs)
• Rainbow Hummus 6 ways – Rainbow veggie platter idea
• Turmeric Hummus (Golden Hummus)
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Oil-Free)
• Easy Beet Hummus (Roasted, Boiled or Steamed)
• Easy Pumpkin Spice Hummus
• Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip (+ Variations)
• Gluten-free Muhammara Dip (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

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If you try this chocolate hummus recipe, then let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and would love to see your recreations – just tag @AlphaFoodie.