Is hummus keto? You likely enjoy Mediterranean tastes with their rich texture, but wonder whether or not you can eat hummus on the keto diet. It’s always advisable to ask questions when you want to follow a strict keto plan to lose weight or improve your wellness.
So, is hummus keto? Unfortunately, hummus has more carbs than you should enjoy in a single sitting, especially if you enjoy too much of it. Spreading hummus like butter on a pita bread isn’t keto. Let’s show you how to enjoy limited hummus with the right snack or alternative.
Is hummus keto-friendly? You may be able to eat limited quantities of traditional hummus while factoring in other daily carbs, but here’s a look at three hummus types better for keto:
Also, eating hummus with the right foods could make an acceptable snack, including:
However, eating hummus on keto is more complicated. Let’s help you discover whether or not hummus is keto-friendly, what to eat with specific amounts, and how to make a substitute.
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Hummus is OK in small amounts on occasion. However, the famous dip with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices has pros and cons. Knowing the truth behind hummus will help you enjoy your favorite dip in strict moderation or replace it altogether.
Hummus isn’t entirely good on keto. However, moderate amounts may stand above chickpeas alone. A 100-gram portion of hummus has 237 calories, 15 g of carbs, and 5.5 g of fiber, meaning you eat 9.5 g of net carbs per 100-gram serving (12).
In contrast, a 100-gram portion of canned chickpeas without added fat has 146 calories, 22.4 g of carbs, and 7.3 g of fiber (9). That means you eat 15.1 g of net carbs per 100-gram serving. Chickpeas are the main ingredient in traditional hummus.
Commercial hummus brands without added sugars and flavors have fewer carbs but canned chickpeas have fewer calories (12, 9). A keto diet requires you to eat 5-10% of total carbs from your daily calories, limiting them to 50 grams max (16).
Eating more carbs daily can disrupt ketosis, when the body burns fat stores after carbs and glucose run dry (16). As for the calorie differences, the NHS suggests women eat 2000 and men 2500 per day to maintain their weight (24).
However, WebMD says you have to remove 500 calories a day to lose weight (11). This means that chickpeas contain too many carbs for the keto diet. Meanwhile, eating 100 grams of hummus pushes the carb and calorie boundaries (9, 12).
Hummus carbs are high but this famous Greek dip has plenty of protein, averaging 7.78 g per 100-gram portion of the commercial dips (12). The Cleveland Clinic recommends eating 10-20% of your calories from protein daily on the keto diet (16). Hummus is a good protein source.
However, this doesn’t dismiss the famous dip’s carb amount (12). George Mason University says hummus carbs are complex, containing dietary fiber and resistant starch (22). A 100-gram hummus portion also has 8.81 g of polyunsaturated fat, the healthier kind (12, 22).
A healthy amount of hummus is nutritionally dense with healthy fat, complex carbs, and a good protein portion. Still, let’s see whether it’s healthy and how to eat it.
A 2016 Nutrients study suggests hummus may hold various health benefits (22). The nutrient-dense hummus may contain phytic acid, tannins, sterols, carotenoids, and isoflavones, which may reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate insulin or glucose. The study also found that hummus may help with weight management as part of a balanced diet.
The USDA also shows that hummus has vitamins A, B6, E, and K (12). You also get calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, manganese, selenium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate in every portion.
However, you’re following the keto diet, which requires strict limits on protein, fat, and carbs daily (16). You should limit your hummus to fit into a daily balanced keto eating plan. Change your quantities to healthier amounts that fit better into a day’s keto plan.
For example, two tablespoons of commercial hummus have 4.5 g of carbs, 5.34 g of fat, 2.34 g of protein, 1.65 g of fiber, and 2.85 g of net carbs (12). Eating two tablespoons on occasion as a dip with a keto-friendly snack would be healthy on the diet.
Carb Manager shows that two tablespoons of Sabra hummus have 4 g of carbs, 5 g of fat, 2 g of protein, 1 g of fiber, and 3 g of net carbs (7). No real differences exist between Sabra and regular store hummus if you limit your intake to two tablespoons on occasion (12).
Sabra hummus also has chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, with salt, garlic, tahini, soybean oil, citric acid, and potassium sorbate. The difference in ingredients makes Sabra hummus have fewer nutrients. It only has trace amounts of calcium, iron, and sodium (7).
Read more: Is Pho Keto? The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Pho on a Low-Carb Diet
Hummus isn’t keto-safe unless you eat a tiny amount with the right snacks on occasion. Don’t eat hummus with pita bread or as a dip for 20 carrot sticks. Instead, use hummus as a light garnish with the following snacks, never exceeding two tablespoons at once:
Each snack has total carb grams. Subtract the fiber to see how many net carbs per serving. This way you’ll notice that the best keto tortillas have zero net carbs per serving. Otherwise, try these snacks with fewer than five carbs per serving with your hummus (1):
Alternatively, use hummus as a limited garnish for low-carb vegetables, including (18):
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Also, some hummus substitutes work if you’re unwilling to risk the limited quantity allowed on keto. Let’s see what else you can eat to replace hummus.
Some delicious keto-friendly dip-style foods can substitute hummus in moderation, including:
Eden Foods developed a recipe with black soybeans to replace traditional hummus (10). You replace the chickpeas with soybeans to decrease your legumes on keto. Meanwhile, it has a tasty blend of garlic, lemon, cumin, parsley, and cayenne pepper to inspire you.
Macros per serving: 87 calories, 5 g carbs, 6 g fat, 5 g protein, and 3 g fiber (10)
Read more: 6 Keto Sushi Recipes to Eat on a Low-Carb Diet
Keto Connect has a hummus substitute recipe using avocado (2). It isn’t the same as guacamole as it uses garbanzo beans (chickpeas). However, it cuts carbs by diluting the chickpeas with avocado and other ingredients for a tasty alternative to normal hummus.
Macros per serving: 44 calories, 5 g carbs, 2.4 g fat, 1.5 g protein, and 2 g fiber (2)
The Big Man’s World has a keto cauliflower hummus recipe that replaces the dip without changing the texture or taste much (14). It also uses tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic to capture the right flavors, but it replaces chickpeas with cauliflower to cut carbs.
Macros per serving: 178 calories, 8 g carbs, 15 g fat, 5 g protein, and 15 g fiber (14).
Commercial hummus is high-carb but contains some complex carbs, like dietary fiber and starch (12). Still, you eat roughly 15 g of carbs or 9.5 g of net carbs in 100 grams of hummus. You’re only allowed up to 50 grams of total carbs daily on the keto diet (16).
Cheese is ideal for the keto diet. Medicine Net recommends low-carb, high-fat cheese like blue, cheddar, cream, goats, gouda, and parmesan on the keto diet (25). Enjoy your limited hummus portions with cheese to increase your healthy fat intake while keeping carbs low.
Cheating on the keto diet will only cheat you out of the best results. The Cleveland Clinic says it takes 2-4 days to enter ketosis to lose weight if you eat only 20-50 grams of carbs daily (16). Cheating means you’ll start over, taking up to four days to start ketosis again.
Tahini is a good hummus ingredient and a substitute for keto. One tablespoon has 89.2 calories, 3.18 g carbs, 8.07 g fat, 2.55 g protein, and 1.4 g fiber (19). The slightly tangy roasted sesame seed paste works nicely as a dip or sauce.
Medical News Today says olives are an excellent source of healthy fats on the keto diet but lack protein (20). Eating a 3.5 oz. serving of olives with two tablespoons of hummus has 4.5 g of carbs, 19.34 g of fat, 1.17 g of protein, and 2 g of fiber (20, 12).
Add an ounce of cheddar to get another 0.955 g of carbs, 9.44 g of fat, 6.49 g of protein, and 0 g of fiber (8). Have a keto-friendly snack platter with cheese, olives, and hummus.
Is hummus keto? You now know how you can safely incorporate minimal amounts of hummus into your keto meal plan. However, you also see how many delicious substitutes exist. Alternatively, make hummus at home with three incredible recipe inspirations.
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