If you decide to turn vegan, you'll soon discover the essential need to learn what staple foods fit within your diet. What meals you can quickly make, what brands you can eat, what foods you need to cut out completely.
You'll also find yourself turning to Google and asking if certain foods are Vegan. As you have just done with Hummus! Or even are Doritos vegan?
You don't have to go that far back to when Hummus was almost an exotic food that no one had really heard of, let alone eaten. But now it's no doubt a mainstream food that most people love.
It's easy to make at home and is available to buy readymade at most supermarkets with most selling a variety of flavours of the popular dip.
So, Is Hummus Vegan?
Yes, it's almost, always is suitable for vegans.
Hummus is a vegan staple that allows you to have some versatility in your diet. It's an immensely popular food amongst vegans so you may have found a new favourite yourself. It's available in a wide range of flavours and is very versatile in the kitchen so you can experiment with it if you wish to.
For vegans, hummus is a food that is sometimes mockingly associated with their diet, but that stereotype is often helpful. But the important word above was "almost" always. The point being we can't guarantee that every pot of hummus made by a chef, restaurant or supermarket is going to be vegan. Most of the time it is but your best bet will always be to ask or check the label.
For chefs and restaurants, they will most likely make it suitable for those following a vegan diet, it will also probably say it on the menu. For readymade, this is where things can get a little trickier and there are certain things to look out for.
Hummus you buy from a shop should be clearly labelled as being vegan. If this is the case, then happy days and you can fill your boots.
If there's no label though, don't assume it is, you'll never know what might find its way into hummus that could be non-vegan. So, it's best to always check the label.
Potential Ingredients You Need to Look Out For
So, of course, you can get some meat additions that exist, these should be clearly labelled if so. As such we will ignore these for now and focus on some of the less obvious ingredients that could turn your favourite chickpea dip into a complete no go.
Palm Oil
Hummus should really be made with olive oil. Mass-produced versions may use Palm Oil for cost led reasons. Whilst some may say Palm Oil is technically vegan others would dispute this. You may also want to avoid this due to ethical and environmental reasons.
Sugar
If for some strange reason your chosen Hummus contains sugar this raises issues of bone char. Bone char is sometimes used to filter and whiten refined sugars. Which is a no go!
Additives
As with most shelf products additives, such as stabilisers and emulsifiers may be included to make the hummus smoother or extend its shelf life. Some of these used are not vegan.
If you see Lecithin in the ingredients this will often be clearly marked as being from a plant source (such as soy).
Cross Contamination
This one will be impossible to spot, but it's something you need to be aware of. If your chosen hummus is made where other foodstuffs are produced, you risk cross-contamination. Whilst this is highly unlikely it's something you need to consider when deciding where to buy from, and what brand you buy.
Does hummus have dairy?
No. The normal recipe for Hummus is naturally vegan, gluten free,dairyfree and healthy.
Is Hummus Good for Vegans to Eat?
Well, it’s vegan, so you can't get off to a much better start.
Not only does hummus tick the most important box it's also extremely healthy and nutritious thanks to it being a complete protein. The main ingredients of chickpeas are legumes that are typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron, and magnesium.
When you add in the seeds from the tahini you create a complete protein combinations delivery essential amino acid. So, it's particularly good for vegans to eat!
Pretty much all the ingredients involved in humus have a good nutritional density. This means very few calories are wasted and they have a good level of macro and micronutrients. Just be careful to keep an eye on shop-bought Hummus as this can sometimes be very high in fat.
You can even throw in some wholemealpita breadtoo and improve the nutritional benefits even more. Serve it with some carrot, cucumber, and peppers and you've got one fantastic lunch on the go.
Can Vegans eat pita bread?
So yes, in its simplest formPita BreadisVeganFriendly, because it is simply a flatbread made from a mixture of flour, water, yeast and salt.
However, some manufacturers may add other ingredients such as Milk, Eggs or Honey for Flavour. Most forms ofPita Breadare indeedVeganFriendly.
So there you have it, Hummus is vegan! Be sure to check out our shop if you're looking for some great vegan gifts and hampers!
