Is Hummus Gluten Free? + (29 Gluten Free Hummus Brands)

Anyone on a plant based or gluten free diet absolutely loves hummus. It’s the perfect vegan protein! Hummus is versatile, easily available, tasty and can be made in 100’s of different ways. When you search for “hummus recipes,” you’ll find 91,800,000 results on Google! If you’re new to hummus and a gluten free diet then this ultimate guide is perfect for you. I’m going to answer the question, “Is Hummus Gluten Free?” once and for all. We’ll also cover what hummus is, what it’s made from, gluten free brands of hummus you can buy, how to make gluten free hummus at home and more!

If you don’t want to read thousands of words on hummus then click one of the jump links in the table of contents below which will take you to the section of this post where I answer your specific question.

Table of Contents

• What Is Hummus
• What Ingredients Is Hummus Made From
• Where Did Hummus Come From?
• Is Hummus Gluten Free?
• Is Store Bought Hummus Gluten Free?
• Is Tahini Gluten Free?
• What Is Gluten?
• 21 Ingredients That Have Gluten To Look For In Pre-Packaged Food Products: Including Hummus
• Which Brands of Hummus Are Gluten Free?
  • Is Sabras Gluten Free?
• 29 Gluten Free Hummus Brands
• 18 Refrigerated Gluten Free Hummus Brands
  • 11 Shelf Stable Gluten Free Hummus – That Doesn’t Need To Be Refrigerated
• How To Make Gluten Free Hummus At Home
  • Instructions For Homemade Gluten Free Hummus
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
  • What If I don’t Have Tahini?
• Is Hummus Vegan?
• Does Hummus Have Diary?
• What Do You Eat With Hummus
• Is Falafel Gluten Free?
• Common Questions And Answers

If you’re new to a gluten free lifestyle then you’re probably trying to figure out what you can eat at a restaurant, what to buy at the grocery store and what recipes you can cook.

Transitioning to a gluten free lifestyle can be exhausting. There’s so much information out there and you suddenly have to stop to check the ingredients of almost everything you eat. I want to demystify gluten free living for you so that you can enjoy food and feel good. You’ll be happy to know that you can add hummus to your list of gluten free foods to enjoy.

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What Is Hummus

Hummus is a smooth creamy paste made from blending ground sesame seeds (tahini), chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and some acid like lemon juice. It’s typically used as a condiment for dipping or to enhance another dish like a gyro or wrap.

What Ingredients Is Hummus Made From

Basic hummus is made from the following five ingredients.

• Garbanzo Beans also known as Chickpeas aka Grams
• Tahini also known as Ground Sesame Seeds
• Fresh Chopped Garlic
• Lemon Juice
• Salt

There are tons of variations of hummus including zucchini hummus, carrot hummus, etc. These ingredients are all suitable for a gluten free diet but hummus variations may have ingredients that contain gluten so its important to pay attention.

Where Did Hummus Come From?

Hummus translates in arabica to “ground chickpeas” and the earliest hummus recipe came from a cook book dating back to the 13th century! There are many theories and claims of where hummus originally was invented throughout the Middle East. So we at least know that hummus came from North Africa or Iran.

In it’s simplest form of preparation hummus has been consumed in Egypt and the Levant. Everyone throughout the Middle East ate chickpeas but they prepared them differently like in stews and other hot entrees.

Hummus as we know it today didn’t appear in written records before the Abbasid period in Egypt.

Is Hummus Gluten Free?

Yes hummus is gluten free! Since the ingredients used to make basic hummus are all naturally gluten free, hummus is generally accepted as a gluten free food.

But… before you get all excited about gluten free hummus there are some things to consider. Even though hummus literally only contains 5 ingredients that are naturally gluten free, it isn’t always gluten free when you buy it in the store.

This could be due to three factors.

1. Gluten could be added to the hummus as a thickener.
2. The factory where the hummus is made could also be processing foods that contain gluten. In this instance cross contamination is a possibility and companies won’t say that the hummus is gluten free for liability reasons.
3. If you aren’t buying classic hummus, the ingredients added into the variation you’re buying could have gluten. They usually don’t but it’s important to check the ingredients.

Is Store Bought Hummus Gluten Free?

So when you buy hummus it’s always important to CHECK THE LABELS. But to make your life easier I have a list of brands that guarantee their hummus is truly gluten free.

Is Tahini Gluten Free?

YES, Tahini Is Gluten Free! Isn’t that great news? I’m so happy I’m shouting the news from the rooftops.

To understand why tahini is gluten free we should look at what tahini is and the ingredients it’s made from. By definition tahini is: A smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds.

Sesame seeds are gluten free since they’re in the nut family and don’t contain wheat of any kind. Hooray! That means if you’re on a gluten free diet you can enjoy tahini and foods that contain it including hummus.

For more information and a list of gluten free tahini brands take a look at this article I wrote on Gluten Free Tahini.

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a broad term used to describe the proteins found in wheat products. The three types of wheat that are predominantly associated with gluten are wheat, barley and rye. However gluten proteins can be found in food additives and other forms of wheat like wheat berries, durham, spelt and more).

In order to help you remember what gluten is, when you think of “gluten” think of the word “glue.” That is because gluten is literally the, “glue” that holds food together. Gluten proteins are created in bread when the dough is kneaded. Gluten looks like the beautiful lattice webbing (holes) found in traditional bread like a baguette.

Gluten can also be found in unexpected foods. Below is a list of common additives that have gluten in it. If you are on a strict gluten free diet because you have celiac disease I suggest that you print out this list and bring it with you when you go to the supermarket. Cross reference all of the products you buy to make sure that one of these gluten additives isn’t listed in the ingredients.

After a few trips to the grocery store you’ll have the list memorized and you’ll be surprised to find that your brain has been trained to look for gluten products. Once you know what to look for going to the supermarket won’t be as stressful.

21 Ingredients That Have Gluten To Look For In Pre-Packaged Food Products: Including Hummus

1. Wheat (bran, germ and starch)
2. Malt (since it’s made from barley)
3. Cracker Meal
4. Soy Sauce
5. Kinkel
6. Vital Gluten
7. Wheatgerm
8. Sulfosccinate
9. Seitan
10. Rusk
11. Teriyaki Sauce
12. Durum
13. Semolina
14. Einkorn
15. Emmer
16. Farina triticale
17. Farro or faro (spelt)
18. Graham flour
19. Hydrolyzed wheat protein
20. Modified wheat starch
21. Rye

Which Brands of Hummus Are Gluten Free?

Most brands of hummus are labeled gluten free. Some brands use flour to thicken the hummus which makes it not gluten free. Many of these brands advertise the wheat flour as one of the ingredients. Or they manufacture the hummus with equipment that also comes into contact with gluten.

Is Sabras Gluten Free?

According to the Sabras website and labeling Sabras hummus is gluten free.

29 Gluten Free Hummus Brands

18 Refrigerated Gluten Free Hummus Brands

• Abraham’s Traditional Style Hummos
• Aldi’s Simply Nature Organic Hummus
• Athenos Hummus
• Baba Small Batch Organic Hummus
• Blue Moose Hummus
• BRAMI Keto Lupini Bean Dip
• Cava Traditional Hummus
• Cava Spicy Hummus
• Cava Roasted Garlic Hummus
• Cava Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Cedars Hummus
• Esti Authenitc Greek Hummus
• Hope Food’s Hummus
• Kirkland Signature Expect More Organic Hummus
• Love Co – Love Hummus 
• Sprout’s Market Corner Artichoke Spinach Hummus
• Tribe Hummus
• The Hummus Guy

11 Shelf Stable Gluten Free Hummus – That Doesn’t Need To Be Refrigerated

• Boars Head Hummus
• Fazlani Foods – Shelf Stable
• Lilly’s Hummus
• Nature’s Promise Organic Hummus
• Roots Vegan Hummus
• Sabras Hummus
• Hummus Classical Gourmet
• Veggicopia Creamy Original Hummus
• Wild Garden Hummus Dip
• PEARLS Classic Organic Hummus 
• 365 Whole Foods Brand Hummus

How To Make Gluten Free Hummus At Home

If you want to make sure that your hummus is 100% gluten free and safe to eat if you have celiac disease then you can make it at home. Since hummus is so widely available in grocery stores a lot of people don’t think about making it.

Some of the benefits of making homemade hummus are:

• It’s much cheaper
• You get a larger quantity
• You can control the flavor by adding more or less spice
• If you’re on a renal diet you can reduce sodium
• You can make fun flavors

With the cost of food rising it certainly makes more sense to use a can of chickpeas to make hummus than it does to spend 6 dollars or more on a 5 ounce container of organic hummus.

To make my favorite hummus at home check the recipe card below, but it’s very easy!

Instructions For Homemade Gluten Free Hummus

This gluten free hummus on my blog was also made with carrots. I like using another vegetable to cut the amount of chickpeas in the hummus down to lower the calories and increase the flavor.

For more detailed instructions on how to make hummus at home check out this post!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C Roasted Carrots 1 pound peeled
• 1 1/2 C Chickpeas prepared and soaked or one 15 oz can
• 1/4 C Olive Oil cold pressed
• 1/2 C Water
• 1/4 C Mellow White Miso chick pea miso if you are avoiding soy
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice optional
• 1 tbsp Peruvian Spice Blend

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400-F. Arrange carrots on a baking sheet and coat with oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper and bake until soft and slightly golden (30 minutes).
• Remove the carrots from the oven. Peel off any burnt parts and mash with a fork
• In a food processor combine all ingredients.  Combine until emulsified. Enjoy!

What If I don’t Have Tahini?

If you don’t have tahini on hand it’s no big deal! You can easily make tahini at home right now! Click here to get my home made tahini recipe!

Is Hummus Vegan?

Yes, hummus is vegan because all of the ingredients used to make it are naturally vegan. However, be careful to check the labels of store bought flavored hummus for dairy and meat products. 90% of the time hummus is vegan.

Does Hummus Have Diary?

No hummus is typically vegan and dairy free. The traditional ingredients in hummus are all plant based and vegan. Hummus flavors that could have dairy or other animal products added to them are feta hummus or spiced beef hummus.

What Do You Eat With Hummus

Hummus is enjoyable as apart of hot dishes or as a dip. Some common foods that hummus goes well with include:

• Pita
• Crackers
• Cut Vegetables
• Falafel
• Tortilla Chips
• Corn Chips

Hummus can also be used as a condiment in:

• Wraps
• Sandwiches
• Burgers
• Fish
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Gyro
• Salads

Falafel is my favorite food to eat hummus with. Falafel is usually gluten free but it is fried. I made a healthy gluten free baked falafel recipe. If you want to make it or learn how to make falafel check out the post!

Baked Gluten Free Falafel Recipe.

Is Falafel Gluten Free?

Chickpeas don’t contain gluten so traditionally made falafel is gluten-free.  Some recipes use wheat flour and other filler ingredients which contain gluten.  So if you’re on a strict gluten-free diet you can make this recipe.  But when eating out at restaurants always make sure to ask whether or not the falafel is gluten-free.  Especially if you have a condition that is made worse by gluten such as celiac, IBS or chronic constipation.  Even though this recipe is gluten-free it does contain seeds.  So if you have a nut allergy you should not make this!

Common Questions And Answers