If you haven’t had hummus, I encourage you to get past the weird name (it took me a while) and give it a try. The main ingredient is chickpeas, but they’re really there for substance more than flavor; it’s the seasonings that carry this dish. Hummus is a creamy, garlicky, cumin-blessed mess. This Lebanese dish is usually served as a dip, but can also be used as a sandwich or wrap spread, a topping for grilled chicken, or even salad dressing.

It’s a favorite party food here in Wichita, and I’ve perfected my own recipe — which you can find about halfway down on this page.

It’s a really healthy food as-is, but if you’re avoiding legumes because of food allergies/sensitivities, because you’re doing the Whole30/Paleo thing, or you’re on a ketogenic diet, the chickpeas are a problem. Because my husband is now on a keto diet and because hummus topped with sauteed peppers and onions and sliced chicken shawarma is one of his favorite dishes at our neighborhood Lebanese restaurant, I wanted to find a worthy alternative I could make at home.

This recipe replaces the chickpeas with almond flour. You can use flour made from either whole or blanched almonds — it won’t affect the flavor — but the blanched version looks more like traditional hummus. That’s what’s in the pictures here.

Traditionally, hummus is served with pita bread wedges for dipping. You could use my grain-free flatbread recipe and cut it in wedges for that. That flatbread is gluten-free, but not low carb, so to make it keto-friendly, we like to top it or dip it with grilled chicken strips for a complete meal, but you could also serve it with veggies of your choice for a vegetarian version.

Almond Hummus Recipe (Keto)

4 dinner servings; probably more as appetizer

1/2 large or 1 small clove of garlic

¼ cup water

¼  cup olive oil

2.5 oz. almond flour (blanched looks better)

1.5 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teasp. coconut aminos (optional, if you don’t have it, don’t worry)

¼ teasp. cumin (or more, to taste after chilling)

1/8 teasp.  paprika

1 teasp. tahini or almond butter

1 pinch kosher salt or other coarse salt

Mince the garlic, toss it with a little oil, and microwave for 30 seconds. This will help mellow the sharpness a bit.

Put all ingredients into a blender, or the carafe of a stick blender; blend till smooth. If you don’t have a blender, you can just mix it well by hand or with a small mixer. Just make sure you mince your garlic extra fine in this case.

The hummus will be a little runny at this stage, but will firm up some in the fridge.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container; the flavor will be better if chilled for at least two hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve cool or at room temperature, topped with: drizzled olive oil, toasted pine nuts, a light sprinkling of paprika, and/or small pickles. Or our favorite way…

Topped with sauteed onions, peppers, and grilled chicken or steak.

Enjoy!