Is Hummus OK for a Low-Carb Keto Diet?

Hummus is a tasty Middle Eastern dip/spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas. Hummus is rich in proteins but also has a high carbohydrate content, which is not ideal for a keto diet.

Hummus is a tasty Middle Eastern dip/spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals. There’s also a large number of proteins, healthy fats, and carbs in hummus. 

However, is it OK to have hummus if you’re on a keto diet?

Read on to discover more about hummus and how to include it in your keto diet.

Hummus is a popular and easy-to-make spread or dip. It is served as an appetizer in Middle Eastern countries. Hummus is made of a smooth paste composed of cooked, mashed chickpeas or garbanzo beans. It also commonly contains tahini paste made from toasted sesame seeds and oil. To make classic hummus, you’ll also need to blend the chickpeas and tahini paste with garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice for flavor. 

You can easily make hummus at home or buy it at stores in cans or packets. You can even add other ingredients like herbs, spices, salt, and pepper to improve its flavor. Commonly used seasonings include paprika, cumin, basil, and parsley. You can also garnish hummus with toppings like nuts, olives, and herbs. 

Hummus is typically served with pita bread and vegetables or as a spread in wraps and sandwiches.

A cup (246 grams) of store-bought hummus will provide:

• 583 calories
• 19.1 grams of protein
• 36.9 grams of carbohydrates
• 43.8 grams of fat
• 13.5 grams of dietary fiber
• 1.52 grams of sugar
• 116 milligrams of calcium
• 6.25 milligrams of iron
• 184 milligrams of magnesium
• 445 milligrams of phosphorus
• 768 milligrams of potassium

Hummus also contains essential trace minerals like copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium, along with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K. It also has B vitamins like thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, and folate, along with antioxidants like cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. 

Here’s a detailed look at the macronutrient content of all ingredients in hummus:

Chickpeas. The majority of the calories, proteins, fats, and carbs in hummus come from chickpeas. One cup (164 grams) of cooked or boiled chickpeas contains 269 calories, 14.5 grams of protein, 44.9 grams of carbs, and 4.25 grams of fat.

Sesame. Sesame is a great source of protein, fiber, and calcium, though it is also high in carbs. A 100-gram serving of whole, dried sesame seeds contains 573 calories, 17.7 grams of protein, 23.4 grams of carbs, and 49.7 grams of fat.  

Lemon. Raw lemon juice from one lemon has 11.75 calories, 4.06 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fat, and 0.18 grams of protein.

Garlic. Garlic is a rich source of minerals like calcium, potassium, and selenium. It also contains antioxidants like beta-carotene. It contains more carbs than proteins and fats, so three cloves (approximately 9 grams) of garlic contains 2.98 grams of carbs, 13.4 calories, 0.57 grams of protein, and 0.045 grams of fat. 

Olive oil. Olive oil contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids or healthy fats. It doesn’t contain carbs or proteins.

Hummus is rich in proteins but also has a high carbohydrate content, which is not ideal for a keto diet.

What is a keto diet?

A ketogenic (keto) diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can help you lose weight. It involves drastically decreasing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with healthy fats. The reduced carb intake puts your body in a state called ketosis, where your body burns fats for energy instead of carbohydrates like glucose.

The idea behind the keto diet is that restricting your carb intake will force your body to burn fats for energy, which will lead to weight loss. The keto diet may also have other health benefits like lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

On a keto diet, your total carb intake must be less than 50 grams daily and might be reduced to as little as 20 grams daily. The nutritional breakdown of a keto diet includes 5% to 10% carbs, 70% to 80% of fats, and 10% to 20% of proteins based on your total daily calories. So, if you have 2000 calories daily, your diet should include up to 40 grams of carbs, 165 grams of fat, and 75 grams of protein. 

Bear in mind that having too much protein on a low-carb keto diet can prevent ketosis because your body can convert the amino acids in proteins into glucose, which is a carbohydrate.

How can you make hummus keto-friendly?

Hummus can be part of your keto diet if it is eaten in small amounts. A cup of hummus has about 37 grams of carbs, so just one or two servings of hummus could potentially exceed your daily carb intake if you’re following a strict keto diet.

So, if you like hummus and wish to include it in your diet, you’ll have to limit your portion size. For instance, a tablespoon of hummus would give you around 2.25 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 or 4 tablespoons (up to 60 grams) would add about 7 or 8 grams of carbohydrates to your diet.

Also, watch what you eat with hummus. Hummus is typically eaten with pita bread, which is also high in carbs. One pita bread serving weighing 45 grams contains 25 grams of carbohydrates. 

Instead of pita, have hummus with vegetables like cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers. They’ll not only control your carb intake but add fiber and other nutrients to your diet. 

If you’re craving a creamy dip, here are some keto-friendly, low-carb hummus alternatives:

• Mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise is one of the best hummus alternatives if you’re on a keto diet. It is high-fat, low-protein, and low-carb. One packet (10 grams) of mayonnaise has 7.48 grams of fat but only 0.05 grams of carbs. 
• Traditional guacamole. Guacamole made from avocados is high in healthy fats and low in carbs. Two tablespoons (30 grams) of guacamole has 3 grams of carbs.
• Baba ganoush. Baba ganoush/ghanouj is a creamy eggplant dip with similar ingredients to hummus. A 57-gram serving of baba ganoush only has 3 grams of carbs, though.
• Almond hummus.  Almonds are one of the most keto-friendly nuts. An ounce (28.35 grams) of almonds contains 5 grams of carbohydrates.

These alternatives will help you satisfy your hummus cravings without adding too many carbs to your keto diet.