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When they say people from the Middle East add hummus to everything, it’s so true! I mean yes, we eat it mostly as a dip, but for my family, we also eat it in sandwiches, with crackers, and as a main dish topped with beef. I’ve also accidentally realized that hummus is amazing with pasta. I created a creamy tomato pasta last year and now I’m sharing this epic basic hummus pasta recipe!
What’s awesome about hummus pasta?
- It’s totally vegan! The creaminess of the sauce comes from the hummus thinned out slightly with some pasta water.
- There are no nuts in the recipe. Unlike most vegan creamy sauces that are cashew-based, this recipe doesn’t use any cashews or nuts, making it a great vegan pasta option for anyone who wants a creamy consistency without the nuts.
- You can make this all in one pot/skillet. I cook the spaghetti first, drain it and set it aside. Then in the same pot I’ll make the sauce (which literally takes a few minutes) and then I bring it all together back in that same skillet. That kinda one-pot meal magic is truly a savior for busy weeknights!
- This hummus pasta is easily adaptable and versatile. If you don’t like spinach or onions, you can leave them out. You can also add other greens like kale, arugula or parsley. And this pairs with everything from chicken, to shrimp, to salmon to a ginormous dinner salad.
How to make hummus pasta?
Basically it’s all about combining ready-made hummus with a little pasta water, and there’s your alfredo-like vegan sauce. What I like to do first though is to saute some onions and garlic in order to add a little more flavor to the sauce. After the onions are soft, I also add spinach and cook it just until it slightly wilts.
Then it’s hummus time! I sometimes use leftover hummus if I have some in the fridge or buy ready-made hummus from the grocery store. Next, add the hummus to the vegetables and thin it out with some pasta water. You can also use plant-based milk or vegetable broth, but I think pasta water is the easiest of the options, and flavors it perfectly.
Once you mix everything together, it pretty much looks like an alfredo sauce with a smooth texture.
But this hummus pasta has zero cream and zero heavy feeling that can sometimes be associated with eating pasta with heavy cream. We always seem to have some leftover hummus in my house, so this is a pretty easy quick weeknight meal to use up pantry items. It’s hearty, healthy and full of hummus without anyone really knowing…how could you go wrong?
Tips to make hummus pasta
- Cook the pasta al dente. In order to allow the hummus to properly coat the spaghetti noodles, you’ll need to toss them in the heated hummus sauce for a couple minutes. So make sure whatever pasta you use is not over-cooked before this step for best results.
- Slowly add the the pasta water. Although you’ll reserve a whole cup of pasta water, I recommend adding half a cup to start and slowly adding more until you get the consistency you like.
- Make it low-carb by changing up the pasta. For a lighter version of this meal without as many carbs, you can use any low-carb pasta you like or even make it with zucchini noodles.
Fore more vegan pasta recipes, check out:
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
- One Pan Pasta
- Cauliflower Alfredo
- Pumpkin Pasta
- Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
If you make this healthy-ish feel good Hummus Pasta recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Hummus Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup plain hummus
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped, plus more for serving
- Pinch crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and return to the pot to stay warm.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until fragrant and they soften. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until is slightly wilts.
- Add the hummus, about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, the lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir until a creamy sauce forms. Add more pasta water to thin the sauce a little at time, as desired.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet, turn off the heat and toss everything together. Top with basil and crushed red pepper.
- Serve immediately with parmesan cheese or basil, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Love this recipe! Easy and “SO good”!! 🙂 Thank you!!
Yay, so happy you love it! Thank you!
Delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you, Darlene!
Ok! So I made this and when I reached for the crushed red pepper to top I accidentally used a couple dashes of smoked paprika. While I thought “oh NO!!” At first.. I then remembered smoked paprika is super common in hummus so I went with it. Topped with red pepper and flaked salt and would really recommend the combo!
Haha sounds like a happy mistake, I love smoked paprika on hummus! So glad you liked how it turned out too, Zoe!!
Can you freeze this?
Hi there, I haven’t tried freezing this but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Very good! Thank you!
Just wondering if you have ever made your own hummus.
If you have do you have an easy peasy recipe thanks 😊
Hi, Jackie. I have a few hummus recipes, actually! My go-to’s are traditional Lebanese hummus and roasted garlic hummus. If you search the site, you’ll find a couple more, and I am putting out a beet hummus recipe soon as well! You’ll have to let me know how you like the pasta!
This is one of my family’s go to meals. We love the fresh lemony-ness—perfect for summer! And the hummus as the sauce is like magic. It makes it seem like this pasta is loaded with cream and cheese.
I love that! That’s perfect.
I tried it, and it tasted weird. The lemon was too over powering, the texture was weird, and just I overall didn’t really like it. Give this recipe a try if you’d like!
I’d recommend adding some of the lemon juice instead of squeezing a whole lemon in it next time if it’s too lemony. Definitely not for everyone, but worth a try – especially if you love hummus!
Looking forward to trying this! I thought you had a recipe for roasted hummus pasta with tomatoes but I can’t find it!! Can you please comment with the link? Thank you
Can’t wait for you to give it a go! I think you’re referring to this baked hummus pasta with cherry tomatoes, which I shared to my Instagram page. The recipe can be found in the caption! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZx5RsyApjf/
I made this and made you recipe foe roasted cherry tomatoes and mixed thenm together (added some asparagus, red pepper, and broccoli) and it came out AMAZING
That sounds so perfect! I love that!
I made this hours after watching the post on IG and it was a complete hit with my family! I doubled the batch so that I could make half with Banza pasta for my daughter who is gluten free. This was super easy, delicious, and quick to make. Even my husband loved it and he is always dubious about anything if is not ‘meat and potatoes’! I may run back to Whole Foods and grab a few more tubs of this hummus before it is gone! 5/5 stars!
This is amazing! I’m glad the whole family enjoyed.
The pasta with hummus is so good..so good 😊—-added pancetta and put kale instead coz I don’t have basil.
Thank you so much! Sounds perfect!
Do you think basil would taste good in here instead of spinach?
Sounds like it could be!
This was so delicious! I didn’t have a lemon on hand and I sprinkled a little nutritional yeast and parm cheese on top. So creamy! Thank you for this new way to eat hummus.
Yay!! You’re so welcome!
Was looking for ideas to use up a tub of hummus and came across this! Never would have thought to use it as a pasta sauce. Was so tasty and filling!
So glad you gave this a try! Yay!!
Had left over hummus and found this recipe. I sautéed some onions, orange bell peppers and tomatoes along with the spinach. Added some lemon pepper seasoning. And I threw my pasta water away by accident, so I used chicken broth– just a little (not as much liquid as recipe called for)– Then I mixed in a few tablespoons of the garlic humus I had. And added some grated parmesan on top. WOW. I’m no chef, but this tasted like it came from a restaurant… and I would have had to have paid a pretty penny for it. LOVED IT. Will be trying it again. And want to add the red pepper flakes for a little more “spice”.
Love that it still worked out in the end! Yay!! Hope you continue to enjoy.
This was amazing! I don’t usually comment on recipes like this but I can’t help it. I’m definitely going to be making the sauce again, but instead of pasta I’m thinking of pouring it onto chicken cutlet, not sure how it will turn out but it’s worth a shot right?
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! It’s definitely worth a try!
I have roasted red pepper hummus about to expire. Worth the try? any changes to recipe you would recommend?
Yes, I think it is worth the try!
This is DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much!!! Absolutely loved it!!
I’m so happy to hear! Thank you so much!!
This was delicious! Mixed it up by adding asparagus and artichoke hearts instead of spinach. Will definitely make again!
Love that idea! Thank you!
Yum! I made this for lunch with shell pasta. I added a spoonful of vegan pesto and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Yummmm love the added pesto in there – great idea! Thank you!
Decided to try this tonight and it was so good! I didn’t have all the same ingredients but I did have hummus, spinach, and I put chicken in it with some seasoning. Will definitely be making again!
So glad to hear it! Thank you!
Love it. Thank you! I was looking for something I could make quickly from what I have on hand. The lemon made it delish.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you!
I’m allergic to lemons..any ideas what would make a good substitution? This looks amazing!
You could try limes if you’re not allergic to that!
I dont cook that often, infact I cook at rare times. But I love your content…followed here through instagram…
Love,
From India
Ruchi
Aww thank you so much!!
I love this creamy pasta! A great dairy free option. I added chicken and mushrooms to it! It’s a new family favorite!
NOT GOOD! Waste of time and ingredients. Horrible
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that. Everyone absolutely loves this recipe so far and I think it’s one of the most shared on Instagram. What didn’t you like about it? Was it the texture, taste or measurements were off?
Super delicious, easy, and healthy recipe!! I will definitely make this again!
So glad to hear it! Thank you!
I was really skeptical initially but I tried it when I had leftover hummus, it turned out amazing. Felt like a cross between an alfredo sauce and aglio e olio pasta, really delicious!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing 🙂
this was so bomb! 🙌🏼
Yay, so glad to hear! Thank you!
Excellent…thank you so much. I used red onion, maitake mushrooms, chickpea pasta, fresh spinach, cherry tomato halves, a handful of raisins, Cava Traditional hummus, a little Baba Gounoush from Whole Foods. Super easy and delish!!
So glad to hear that you liked it. Thank you!
This was wonderful! Made it with fettuccine pasta and it was so much better than the greasy glob of my rendering of Alfredo. Used roasted red pepper hummus, a half cup of cream lingering in my frig plus some pasta water, and sauteed some sliced almonds with the onions. Flavorful but not heavy and greasy. It’s a real winner. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that. I love that you added a touch of cream still along with the sliced almonds – sound delicious!
Tried this today with some leftover spicy hummus. It was amazing! And I’m not vegan! I used a red onion for color and dried minced garlic since I didn’t have fresh. Seriously delish!
Awesome! So glad you tried it and liked it! Thank you 🙂
This dish is fantastic! We added diced tomatoes and used chick pea pasta!(I realize we doubled the chick peas haha). Not only quick and super easy, but absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for being so vegan friendly.
Haha love the double chickpea action! So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight with roasted red pepper hummus and it was excellent! Will definitely make this again, quick and easy.
So you glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you!
Easy to make and came out delicious. The whole family loved it. Even my picky toddler.
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
This dish was soooo good! I forgot to save extra water from pasta though so I added a little almond milk and it worked like a charm! Definitely making this one of our “regulars”!
Thanks so much for sharing Tracy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I wanted to make pasta and saw a can of Hummus so I was like, I’m sure these two should taste great together, and I had a feeling someone online would’ve tried it! And I was right!! ? I read the basic outline of your recipe, and added some other ingredients like spices, and I also added lemon even though I noticed that you have mentioned it at the very bottom 🙂 and I added some roasted nuts, that added a nice flavor as well, although I did find that I had to add more pasta water so I did and it tasted perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe! It helped me with the basics ?
Yay! Great minds think alike! So happy the recipe helped you and love that you added roasted nuts on top!! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!!
Just made this! So easy and delicious!
Yay! So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I wanted a late night snack of pasta. I used spinach and artichoke hummus and topped it with Parmesan cheese. It was so tasty! Will make it for my kids next time.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the hummus pasta! Thanks so much for sharing!
So bright and fresh tasting!! My family and I loved it! This will become part of regular rotation ?
Yay! I’m so happy you liked it!!
It was honestly what I needed that night so thank you, I wasn’t sure if it would work but it did and it was really satisfying ???
Thanks Tom! So glad you liked it!!
I had spinach and hummus that needed to be used up so I tried this recipe. My entire family looked at me like I was crazy when I told them we were having hummus pasta, but they all loved it so much they went back for seconds! Unfortunately, I didn’t have any basil but I added a few more cups of spinach to increase the green factor. I’ll definitely add the basil next time. This is a nice, healthy replacement for traditional pasta with basil, butter and white wine.
Haha, my husband thought I was crazy the first time I told him we’re eating hummus pasta! But it’s such a great change from the norm and I’m so glad your entire family enjoyed it!
I’m making this tonight ?
Yay! I hope you love it!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much! I agree…it’s one of my favorite pasta dishes! I love how light and healthy it is yet so flavorful and full of protein. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback about the recipe…means a lot to me!!
Wow. Tbh I was not expecting much – watered down hummus? On pasta? Lol but somehow it blended into this beautiful consistency with so much flavor. I didn’t have fresh basil or spinach on hand, so I added a bit of dried basil to the sauce and then served with a side of leftover roasted veggies, but will be making this again and will definitely try adding spinach next time, sounds like a great addition. Thx for a yummy, simply recipe.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! It’s definitely one of those surprisingly amazing pasta dishes haha. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Excellent! So delish. Made it ahead for a work lunch. Used edamame noodles. Very delicious and healthy
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing!
So fantastic! I am on a vegan gluten free diet so I added lots of veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and kalamata olives. I used a gluten free pasta and for the sauce simply added some coconut cream to the hummus for a delicious creamy sauce. Was a huge hit! Will definitely make again.
Wow I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing and love all the veggies and coconut cream you added to it! So good!
Wow! So easy & creamy! Mr Vegan loved it. Thank you!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for sharing!
This really is fast and easy and delivers on it’s promise of tasting delicious…DEFINITELY on my meal rotation! I made the recipe as written with no subs and it tasted so so good
Thanks so much for sharing Edna!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Making this for dinner tonight. So excited to try it. Happy New Year!
Yay! Hope you love it! Happy New Year!
It tastes amazing…my husband and I loved It!! Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing!! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Looks wonderful can’t wait to try it! Problem is I’m allergic to tahini, the plain hummus you used is the traditional kind with tahini? If so what would you suggest as an accessible substitute to tahini for this recipe that would give the sauce the desired creaminess?
Thank you! Instead of tahini, you can use olive oil or even nut butters like peanut butter or cashew butter to make the hummus. You can sub it at a 1:1 ratio. Hope you try it and enjoy it! 🙂
This is a MUST try! Not a combination I ever would have thought of, but OH SO DELICIOUS!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
Today was all about Feelgoodfoodie recipes. Made your cheese & broccoli pies. Then the pasta with Hummus. Both easy to prepare and ofcourse, yummy.