Garlic scape hummus is creamy, garlicky, versatile, healthy, and just plain delicious. Served at any gathering or snack table, this garlic scape hummus recipe is sure to please!
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Garlic scape hummus? Yup! If you’ve never tried or even heard about garlic scapes, you are in for a treat my friend.
Are you a hummus lover? Me too. I’m always looking to create variations when making my own hummus and adding fresh garlic scapes, or in my case a bit of my homemade garlic scape pesto, to the mix, and voila! Garlic scape hummus!
Have you taken a look at pre-packaged, store-bought hummus lately? Gee whiz! Take out a mortgage why don’t ya 😅 AND it’s not even organic!!
Fortunately for us hummus lovers, making your own homemade hummus is easy and economical! AND organic! AND tastier! AND healthier! AND versatile! Need I say more 🤗
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But I get ahead of myself. For those who are not familiar with garlic scapes, here you go.
WHAT ARE GARLIC SCAPES?
Garlic scapes, considered a vegetable, are the flowering stem of the hardneck variety of garlic plants. It’s the only variety that we grow here on the hill. Why? Because it’s a twofer. Two harvests with one planting!
When you grow hardneck varieties of garlic, you get to harvest the garlic scape AND the garlic clove! Yes, please!!
And, did I mention how easy garlic is to grow?
Once the individual cloves of garlic are planted each fall, mulched heavily, it’s then left alone until the curly scapes begin to show themselves come late spring! No care, no fuss, no issues!
WHY HARVEST THE GARLIC SCAPE FROM THE GARLIC PLANT?
Garlic scapes are basically how the plant pro-creates, by developing a “flower” stem which grows from the center stem of the plant.
See this quick tutorial on all things garlic scapes for answers to all questions scape related! Or, simply watch the quick video below 😊
So why do we have to harvest the garlic scape from the garlic plant? In a nutshell, so the plant’s energy can be redirected toward creating a larger garlic bulb (the part that grows underground) and not into the creation of the garlic scape “flower”.
By snipping the garlic scape about ½ inch above where it emerges from the plant, near the leaf growth, once it begins to develop its curls, you can be sure the scape will remain tender and edible and the bulb itself will continue to enlarge.
WHAT PARTS OF THE GARLIC SCAPE ARE EDIBLE?
Although all parts of the garlic scape are edible, some parts are more tender than others.
The end or lower stem (the portion of the scape which grows from the plant) will remain tender when harvested young. The older the scape, the more woody this portion of the scape becomes.
The most tender portion is between the “woody” end and the bulbous flower. This is actually what’s considered the “scape”, and is completely edible.
The “flower”, which will be lighter green colored or almost an opaque, white’ish color, is the portion of the scape which is bulbous in shape. The “flower” is actually garlic seeds which when left to grow will turn into small, summer garlic bulbs.
Many choose not to consume the flower, but we actually use it and find it completely flavorful and edible.
The tip of the scape past the flowering head, what we call the leaf, tends to be a bit fibrous and grass-like in texture. This is the one part of the garlic scape which we do not utilize other than to compost it.
ARE GARLIC SCAPES AS HEALTHY AS GARLIC?
Yup. Garlic scapes possess the same nutrient content & benefits as the beloved garlic clove.
A great source of vit B6, vit C, selenium, and manganese. Just one cup of garlic scapes offers 250 mg Calcium, 2.3 mg Iron, 3 g of Calcium, and 9 g of Protein. All that and only 1 g of fat!
GARLIC SCAPE SEASON
No matter whether you grow your own or are the recipient of garlic scapes in your local CSA or pick some up at your local farmer’s market or growers, the short seasoned garlic scapes come on fast and furious and then seem to disappear just as fast.
That means one thing. A LOT of garlic scapes at one time.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A LOT OF GARLIC SCAPES?
Oh, so many things! Not only do they make for interesting garnishes (or even visual interest in summertime bouquet arrangements), they can also be added to just about any recipe which calls for garlic.
Think not only condiments (mayonnaise, aioli, butter), dips, dressings, & marinades, but also as an aromatic addition to just about any dish!
Garlic scapes are even amazing on their own grilled to perfection!
My favorites? Garlic scape pesto is a must make every year. So versatile to make, adjusted to suit any diet lifestyle, it can be frozen into convenient sizes and can be used to make garlic pesto pasta, pizza, and now hummus!!
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT GARLIC SCAPE HUMMUS?
What’s so special about garlic scape hummus? Ahhh, everything! It’s nothing short of delicious!
It’s also ….
- Simple to prepare (literally takes between 5-10 minutes)
- Fresh intense flavors
- Full of garlic taste
- Economical to make
- Versatile to make
This version of hummus literally is devoured in the blink of an eye. Especially when I have a few of my homemade flatbread crackers on hand. Just sayin’ 🤗
Garlic Scape Hummus
Hummus is such a simple & healthy preparation, taking just between 5 to 10 minutes from beginning to end. Adding garlic scapes to the hummus only boosts the flavors AND the nutrition!
Using simple ingredients, a food processor or high speed blender, and 10 minutes max, you will be devouring your garlic scape hummus and thanking me later 😊
INGREDIENTS FOR GARLIC SCAPE HUMMUS
Gather the following ….
- 1 C Prepared Garlic Scapes (10-15 scapes) or 1 Tbsp Garlic Pesto (Use less for less intense garlic flavor)
- 1 Can Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans (15.5 oz) – Rinsed & Liquid Reserved OR 2 C Cooked
- 1 Tbsp Tahini (generous) *optional
- Pepper to taste
- ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper (reduce for less heat)
- 2-4 Tbsp EVOO
- Juice of ½ lemon or lime
- **Optional Herbs of Choice (Cumin, Paprika, Etc)
- Reserved liquid from chickpeas (When using cooked legumes, reserve a bit of liquid as well)
Should you be unfamiliar with garlic scapes and how to prepare them, take a look at the video below 😊
HOW TO MAKE GARLIC SCAPE HUMMUS
Making your own homemade garlic scape hummus is pretty straight-forward. Should you not want to read and prefer viewing, here you go …
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS
- When using prepared garlic scapes (simply roughly chopped), place them into the bowl of a food processor along with the oil and lemon or lime juice. Pulse until almost paste-like. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down and pulse several more times
- When using garlic scape pesto as I’ve done, add all the ingredients EXCEPT the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans into the bowl of a food processor
- Pulse the processor or run until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth
- Should it be necessary to thin your hummus, with the processor running drizzle the reserved liquid a bit at a time into the bowl until the desired consistency is reached
Be sure to bookmark the recipe or download your copy! I guarantee you will be making this again.
Garlic Scape Hummus
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor *optionally, use a high speed blender
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Measuring Cups & Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Prepared Fresh Garlic Scapes Alternatively, 1 Tbsp Garlic Scape Pesto
- 1 15.5 oz Can Garbanzo Beans *Reserve Liquid
- 1 Tbsp Tahini *optional
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper *optional – increase as needed
- 2 Tbsp EVOO
- 1/2 Fresh Lemon (or lime)
Instructions
- When using prepared garlic scapes (roughly chopped), place them into the bowl of a food processor along with the oil and lemon or lime juice. Pulse until almost paste-like. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down and pulse several more times
- When using garlic scape pesto as I’ve done, add all the ingredients EXCEPT the reserved liquid into the bowl of a food processor
- Pulse the processor or run until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth
- Should it be necessary to thin your hummus, with the processor running drizzle the reserved liquid a bit at a time into the bowl until the desired consistency is reached
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Drizzle EVOO along with any desired herbs (chives, garlic scapes, or dill) on top when serving
Notes
STORING HOMEMADE GARLIC SCAPE HUMMUS
If you have any garlic scape hummus left, store it into an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Properly stored hummus should last about a week, sometimes a bit longer.
Need longer storage? Portion the hummus into whatever size containers you like and place into the freezer. Frozen properly, your hummus should keep for up to one year.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Looking for ways to serve your garlic scape hummus? Here are a few serving suggestions …
~ As a dip for veggies, pita chips, crackers
~ In lieu of a condiment & use as a spread on sandwiches and paninis
~ As a topper on salads
~ On top of crostini
Making your own garlic scape pesto is pretty quick and easy, delicious, healthy, and versatile. May you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
What version of garlic scape pesto will you be making?
Love, Light, & Laughter ~
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7 comments
I love garlic AND hummus! I’m sure I’d enjoy garlic scapes hummus.
What a fantastic recipe! We will share with the daughter as she is the cook in the family and loves new recipes.
I love hummus! Can’t wait to try this garlic scape kind because garlic is the hummus flavor I get the most 🙂
I love hummus, so I am excited I came across your post. Thanks for sharing.
I love hummus, but I’ve never made it myself. Garlic scape hummus sounds like it would be really flavorful, and that’s how I like my hummus. I’ll have to give this a try!
Oh my! This garlic scape hummus looks delicious! I’m going to have to try this one!
This looks like a great recipe for garlic scape hummus! I love hummus!