Creative ways to season hummus on a low sodium diet?

December 17, 2020 3:39 AM

I made my own hummus for the first time yesterday. It went well, but it's pretty bland without the salt. I'm not a big "spicy" person, but I'm looking for other low-sodium ideas on spices or ingredients I might toss into the food processor to liven it up a bit. I'm a very lazy cook, so simplicity is key.
posted by backwards compatible to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

More garlic. Like a whole lot, maybe half a head. Unless garlic is "spicy" to you.

More lemon. Fresh squeezed juice and zest.

A bit of pesto or sundried tomato paste.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 3:58 AM on December 17, 2020 [11 favorites]

Cumin! Not spicy but a good pair with hummus
posted by sedimentary_deer at 4:02 AM on December 17, 2020 [6 favorites]

Cumin, lime, red pepper, peppercorns, zaatar , nutritional yeast
posted by erattacorrige at 4:03 AM on December 17, 2020 [8 favorites]

Paprika
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:05 AM on December 17, 2020 [6 favorites]

Canned artichoke hearts with extra lemon and pepper
Roasted red peppers
Harissa
Basil & pine nuts for a pesto hummus
posted by pazazygeek at 4:30 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

I do think you’re going to have to dial back expectations somewhat because it’s never going to taste the same as hummus made with usual amounts of salt BUT

Mike Sololomonov who runs Zahav in Philly and is famous for his hummus(es) has published recipes involving a technique for blending raw garlic cloves in lemon juice to extract the raw garlic flavors with less harshness. There’s a chemical explanation that the acid stops some process that is otherwise the reason raw garlic is sharp and can get overwhelming.

Oh and when we ate there before covid there was also a butter-based hummus that was baked and topped with more butter and i think urfa pepper (which whether or not you think butter in hummus is for you might be worth investing in - urfa chili flakes are not terribly hot but super flavorful and kind of addictive.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 4:33 AM on December 17, 2020 [8 favorites]

seconding to mix the garlic & lemon juice before you start

also be sure that you're using enough tahini in the recipe

douse with good olive oil at the end - then sprinkle with smoked paprika or sumac or ras el hanout
posted by rd45 at 4:35 AM on December 17, 2020 [4 favorites]

potassium chloride salt substitute can do a little work here. very modest portion or else it imparts a chemical-ly flavor.
posted by j_curiouser at 4:50 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you can't do the salt, up your fat and acid: really good olive oil and lemon (with zest and fresh squeezed if possible).

For non-spicy flavor oomph, smoked paprika (sweet smoked paprika, not hot), roasted red peppers, roasted garlic.

I'm guessing olives themselves are off the table due to the salt content but if you can do a little, chopped olives on top would really pop.
posted by carrioncomfort at 5:11 AM on December 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

Also carmelized onions!
posted by erattacorrige at 6:02 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've never made hummus myself, but my favourite flavour to buy is lemon and coriander (cilantro). Here's a recipe from the BBC.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:11 AM on December 17, 2020

I usually replace half the lemon juice in a recipe with balsamic vinegar, it’s tasty.
posted by outfielder at 6:27 AM on December 17, 2020

A bit of MSG? It's still sodium, but you can use less to achieve an effect.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:35 AM on December 17, 2020

Table Tasty is way better than any other commercial salt substitutes I've found. I would expect it to work well in hummus.
posted by FencingGal at 6:52 AM on December 17, 2020

Top with toasted sesame seeds. Also smoked paprika.
posted by Daily Alice at 6:55 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Not sure if roasted garlic is too much work, but if not, smash in a couple of heads. It's a very different flavor than raw garlic, so you could use both.
posted by superfluousm at 6:57 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Penzey's Justice
posted by oflinkey at 7:10 AM on December 17, 2020

Besides tasting salty, salt does the work of neutralizing trace bitterness in other ingredients (I am particularly sensitive to this, but ymmv). I make hummus often, and I find that adding ½ tsp. of whatever vinegar and a similarly small amount of sweetener, each to taste, can really help both round out and heighten the flavour.
posted by wreckingball at 7:36 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Whenever I add nutritional yeast to popcorn without reducing the salt, for some reason it makes the popcorn taste almost inedibly salty.

So I'm not sure how it works but I think nutritional yeast is a best answer here.
posted by aniola at 7:55 AM on December 17, 2020

Sumac will add a zesty flavor that is wonderful with hummus.
posted by mezzanayne at 8:09 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Probably, you would get more punch of adding stuff when you serve it than adding something to the blender. So make it like you did -- perhaps with more cumin and garlic -- and then sprinkle za'atar or chili flakes or sumac or paprika on top. Eat it in a pita*, with a salad made with herbs and vegetables and maybe some pomegranate seeds for other tastes and textures, or put it in a bowl, add olive oil (maybe a chili or garlic oil), a squeeze of lemon juice and za'atar and chopped fresh herbs, and dip your bread into that mix.
You can also reserve some of your cooked chickpeas, and marinate them in a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and chili. Let them rest for at least 20 minutes, so the marinade can work its magic. Sprinkle these on top of the hummus.
In other words: layer the tastes.

* about pita: the other day I had some leftover plain bread dough in the fridge, and I suddenly realized I could make pita bread out of it. First I heated up the oven to very hot, with a cast iron pan in there. While it was heating up I just took out a ball of dough the size of a golf ball, sprinkled some flour on the countertop, and rolled it out to a flat disc. I put some baking paper in the hot pan, to minimize clean-up, and threw in my dough-disc. After 3 minutes it was gloriously puffed up, and I turned it over and baked for 2-3 minutes more. BAM.
This is why I have given so much thought (and a bit of reading) to hummus preparation and serving. The next couple of days I made different pita stuff all the time.
I can't believe I didn't think of this before. From now on, I'm going to always have a container of dough in my fridge. If making a plain yeast dough isn't for you, buy some at your local pizzeria, or buy pizza dough at the supermarket, but then you won't have as much control over the sodium content.
posted by mumimor at 8:23 AM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

I would add sumac and/or harissa and/or lemon juice and/or fresh parsley.
posted by Dr. Wu at 8:55 AM on December 17, 2020

If you can get it:
Not just paprika, but smoked paprika. That stuff's divine.
posted by Too-Ticky at 9:14 AM on December 17, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks to you all! So many great ideas here, I will be trying them all!
posted by backwards compatible at 9:54 AM on December 17, 2020

Off-the-wall answer: I really like summer savory in hummus. I'm not even sure why; I just do.
posted by humbug at 12:55 PM on December 17, 2020

Toasted sesame oil will take your hummus to the next level.
posted by kamelhoecker at 5:03 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Za'atar is delicious on hummus, but worth noting it often contains salt, so check the ingredients (or make your own?)
posted by brushtailedphascogale at 11:18 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice) was my favorite discovery when I was researching low and no sodium seasonings for a family member. I did not try it with beans but it was great on top of sweet potatoes with lots of olive oil and a bit of lemon.
posted by missmobtown at 12:07 PM on December 18, 2020