Artificial Food Coloring Free Cilantro-Lime Beet Hummus with Veggie Dippers
That vivid magenta color isn't from a dye bottle ā it comes entirely from roasted beets, which give this hummus its stunning hue and a subtly earthy sweetness that plays beautifully against bright lime juice and fresh cilantro. For anyone avoiding synthetic dyes, store-bought dips and spreads can be a minefield of unnecessary additives, so making your own from whole ingredients is genuinely the better move. Roasting the beets low and slow in a foil packet coaxes out their natural sugars and makes the skins slip right off, leaving you with tender, deeply flavored chunks ready to blend. Tahini and chickpeas bring the creamy, nutty backbone you expect from a great hummus, while the cilantro and cumin keep things lively and a little unexpected. A drizzle of good olive oil and a swirl on top make it look like something you'd order at a restaurant, but it comes together in your own kitchen with nothing but real, recognizable ingredients. The rainbow of carrot sticks, cucumber spears, bell pepper strips, and broccoli florets alongside means the whole spread is as colorful as it is clean ā no artificial anything required.
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Learn more āIngredients
6 servings
For the hummus
- 2 medium beets (about 12 oz total), scrubbed
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Ā¼ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Ā½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed
- Ā½ tsp ground cumin
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2ā3 tbsp ice water
- Ā¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
For serving
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
- 2 medium persian cucumbers, sliced into spears
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 4 oz broccoli florets
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400Ā°F (205Ā°C). Place the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tsp of the olive oil, and wrap tightly into a packet. Set the packet on a baking sheet and roast until the beets are completely tender when pierced with a knife, 40ā50 minutes depending on size.
- 2
Remove the beets from the oven and let them rest, still wrapped, for 15 minutes. Unwrap and, once cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel or the foil. Cut the beets into rough chunks.
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