Creamy, Black Olive Hummus

Black Olive Hummus is a slight twist on your regular chickpea hummus. The saltiness of the kalamata olives cut through the rich creaminess of the chickpea mixture. This hummus dip is rich, briny, and INCREDIBLY delicious served on crackers, vegetables, or you know…. a spoon!

Hummus ~ A deliciously addictive dip that suits ANY vegetable dipper!

Black Olive Hummus Dip Recipe

I know we’ve all heard of HUMMUS, right? In the case that you haven’t, hummus is a Middle Eastern dip typically made of chickpeas. The chickpeas are soaked, boiled, and then blended with olive oil, tahini, and other spices. Usually, it’s served with pita bread or other bread/vegetables for dipping. It’s sublime.

Seriously, SERIOUSLY sublime.

Since hummus has made its way to North America, there’s been a whole slew of riffs on the traditional hummus. Now, it’s pretty common to find flavored hummus dips like Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Black Bean Hummus, and even beetroot hummus.

While commercially made hummus is usually delicious, nothing beats homemade. This way, you can control the flavors and make it exactly as you wish with your own twist on it, just like my White Bean Mediterranean Hummus. Just like my Zesty Pineapple and Habanero Salsa recipe, these hummus recipes are crazy delicious!!

Ingredients and Substitutions

OLIVES: I wanted to use KALAMATA olives because of their salty, briny flavor. The ones I used had pits in them, so I had to cut the meat off the pit, but I’m pretty certain you can buy them pitted. If you can’t find kalamata olives, you can certainly use regular black olives.

Could you use green olives instead?
OF COURSE! And quite honestly, I think using nice, salty green olives would be a perfect substitute for kalamata olives. Feel free to even mix the olives if you wish – it would bring fantastic flavors to this creamy hummus.

CHICKPEAS: I had a bag of dried chickpeas that I wanted to use so I pre-soaked them and then boiled them to soften even further. But the easier and more convenient way to cut your effort in half is by using canned chickpeas.

Did you know that another name for chickpeas is GARBONZO BEANS? Why one is a ‘pea’ and the other name is a ‘bean’ for the same thing, is unclear. But I just know they are delicious!!

TAHINI: Tahini is ground-up sesame seeds mixed with oil. I’ve made hummus before without tahini, but I highly recommend adding it because it really enhances the flavor of the dip. You can usually purchase tahini at most major grocery stores now. If not, I know that amazon sells it as well.

GARLIC: Minced garlic is preferred here. I suppose you could use powdered granulated garlic in a pinch, but do not use garlic salt, as it could make the dip too salty if you add the extra salt listed in the recipe.

AVOCADO OIL: Tradition calls for olive oil here, but I prefer to use avocado oil because it’s neutral in flavor. However, if you have a really nice olive oil that you love, please use it! The oil in this recipe helps to make the hummus creamy and smooth.

LEMON JUICE: If at all possible, use real lemon juice for this recipe. It seriously makes all the difference in the world in flavor. But again, if all you have is bottled, that’s totally fine. It’s better to use bottled than to leave it out. The lemon also helps cut through the richness and really brightens up the flavors.

COLD WATER: Ice cold, please. It helps to make the dip a nice consistency without using too much oil.

SEASONINGS: I used simple pink salt (you can use regular salt if you don’t have Himalayan salt).

How to Serve Black Olive Hummus

You have quite a few options here, which is awesome.

So the obvious would be to serve it in a pretty dish, and using the back of a spoon, make a few swirls in the top and drizzle a little oil (avocado or olive) over the top. If you wanted to spare the extra calories, skip the oil and sprinkle the top with a little cumin or smoked paprika.

And of course, you can’t go wrong with using a few of the diced olives from earlier to sprinkle over the top.

You can serve the chickpea hummus with regular, soft pita bread or do what I did, and make the pita into pita chips like my Buttery Garlic Rosemary Pita Chips! They’re incredible with the dip and honestly, it’s REALLY hard to stop and just one!

Also, consider using fresh veggies like carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli, cucumber, and even cherry tomatoes as dippers to carry the dip. The juiciness from the tomatoes mixed with the creaminess of the hummus is incredible!

Another awesome way to use this olive hummus is to use it as a condiment or a spread! Smear a few tablespoons on wraps, pitas, or sandwiches and it adds an almost mayo-type creaminess with extra flavor.

Adding a touch of water, apple cider vinegar, or more lemon juice, and a tad bit of mustard to a portion of hummus will be perfect for a salad dressing!

Storing and Freezing Hummus

This hummus dip recipe will store perfectly in the fridge for up to 4 – 5 days.

Yes, surprisingly, hummus freezes beautifully.

You can store it for up to 3 months in an air-tight container with room to expand as it freezes. To thaw, leave in the fridge overnight and you might want to give it a bit of a stir before you use it as the oils may come to sit on the top of the hummus.