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6-ingredient hummus dressing is a super creamy, quick, and easy way to use leftover hummus to top all your favorite salads and bowl meals! + It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and ready in just minutes!
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Quick, Easy Creamy Hummus Dressing Recipe
Whether you’re looking for a leftover hummus recipe or just in need of a quick, practically effortless salad dressing idea, this simple and versatile hummus dressing has taken our plant-based, budget-friendly kitchens by storm! Get ready to fall in love.
Combining leftover hummus with ingredients like lemon, mustard, and a touch of sweetness produces a rich and creamy, slightly sweet, tangy, super delicious, and yet surprisingly healthy salad dressing in just minutes! Plus, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week, making it great for simple vegan meal prep.
Looking for more simple vegan salad dressings? Try our easy miso tahini dressing, lemon dressing, or basil salad dressing.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Hummus: We highly recommend making it, though store-bought works, too.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor, though bottled works in a pinch. For more citrusy flavor, add lemon zest. Another acid, like apple cider vinegar, also works.
- Dijon mustard: For subtle heat and tang – regular yellow mustard works, too.
- Ground cumin: Classic hummus already contains cumin, but we love to boost its flavor when combining it with additional ingredients in this dressing.
- Sweetener: A small amount balances and enhances the flavors in lemon hummus dressing. We used regular sugar this time, but an unrefined option will work well, too – like raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave, etc. Adjust the amount to taste.
A sugar alternative, like erythritol or a maple syrup alternative, will work, too.
- Olive oil: For a silkier mouthfeel and to help the hummus dressing cling to salad leaves. Leave it out if preferred, though.
- Water: To bring the hummus dressing to the correct drizzling consistency.
Flavor Variations
The easiest way to change the flavor of this simple hummus dressing is to use flavored hummus. I.e., dill pickle hummus, beet hummus, pistachio hummus, butternut squash hummus, red pepper hummus, etc.
- Smoke paprika: For subtle smokiness.
- Spice: You could add a pinch of red pepper flakes, sriracha, or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – adjust the amount to taste.
- Garlic: We usually use garlic powder as fresh garlic can affect the shelf life.
- Salt: Just a little if the dressing doesn’t taste salty enough.
- Pesto: Add a tablespoon or two for rich, herby flavor.
- Curry: Add some curry powder or paste, to taste.
- Fresh herbs: There are plenty of ways to add herbs alone or alongside other add-ins for heaps of flavor variations (like lemon and dill or cilantro lime).
How to Make Hummus Dressing
- Transfer all the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
Add the water in increments to adjust the dressing thickness to your liking.
- Then, taste and adjust any of the elements in the hummus dressing (i.e., more lemon for tang, cumin for earthiness, sweetener, etc.), and enjoy!
FAQs
If you’d like, although the ingredients mix well with only a whisk, too.
You could try freezing it for 1-2 months in a freezer-safe container or portioning it into an ice cube tray. However, the hummus can sometimes become a little gritty upon thawing, and the dressing can lose some flavor, so it will require re-mixing/whisking and possibly some extra lemon/cumin.
This depends on the hummus you use as the base for this dressing, but generally, yes!
The hummus adds fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based protein with plenty of micronutrients (like iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, and more).
Pro Recipe Tips
- To adjust the consistency: Adjust how much water you add for a thicker or thinner dressing.
- Taste and adjust: Make it sweeter, tangier, etc., to taste.
- Use high-quality ingredients: For the best-tasting dressing, use the best, freshest ingredients like high-quality hummus, fresh lemon juice, etc.
- Leave the dressing to ‘marinate’: If you have the time, we highly recommend giving it at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.
- Serve at room temperature: The texture and flavors are best that way.
Storage Instructions
Store the creamy hummus salad dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, whisking it between servings.
How To Use Hummus Dressing
- Over leafy green salads – like lettuce or kale-based salads
- Over bowl meals like a Buddha bowl or grain bowl
- Drizzled over roasted vegetables – like cauliflower, bell peppers, squash, etc.
- Mixed into grain salads, pasta salads, and even potato salad
- A dip for pita chips
- Within vegan sandwiches, burgers, and wraps
How else do you enjoy this creamy salad dressing with hummus? Let us know in the comments.
More Vegan Salad Dressings
- Vegan Caesar dressing
- 3-minute Italian dressing
- 2-minute oil-free salad dressing
- Taco salad dressing
- Avocado green goddess dressing
- Japanese carrot-ginger salad dressing
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Hummus Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of water
- ½ tablespoon of granulated sugar
- ½ cup of hummus
- ½ teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a small bowl or mason jar, mix the water, sugar, hummus, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon mustard until fully combined and smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- To adjust the consistency: Adjust how much water you add for a thicker or thinner dressing.
- Taste and adjust: Make it sweeter, tangier, etc., to taste.
- Use high-quality ingredients: For the best-tasting dressing, use the best, freshest ingredients like high-quality hummus, fresh lemon juice, etc.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
![completed Vegan Chipotle Sauce [Taco Salad Dressing] against a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Taco-Salad-Dressing-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-6-378x378.jpg)
Simple to make… delicious dressing. The cumin adds a delicious depth of flavor.
Right?! Such a yummy and distinct flavor!
So easy to make and so tasty!