Deliciously creamy & garlicky dehydrated hummus recipe for lightweight backpacking meals on the go
Lunch in the outdoors can be a bit of a conundrum. You want grub that is speedy and nutritious so you can get back to the adventure at hand. You also don’t want to be faffing about with your cooking equipment up the side of a peak.
This dehydrated hummus recipe is great for lunches and snacking on the trail. It’s packed with protein which is just what your muscles need in the midst of a sweaty day in the hills.
It’s non-perishable and super lightweight, so it’s ideal for backpacking trips. You can shove it into your bag and have some delicious creamy hummus to dunk veggies or top crackers when you fancy something a little indulgent on your trip.
Hummus is so versatile, so this recipe is a great one to have on hand, especially for multi-day adventures when camping food can get a little repetitive.
Delicious Dehydrated Hummus Recipe for Lunches on the Trail
This dehydrated hummus recipe is ideal for lightweight trips. You get all the joys of hummus without the faff.
Shop-brought or ordinarily homemade hummus needs to be refrigerated and it’s heavy. We’ve tried a few trips with a tub from the shops, which can get messy quickly and can perish if you don’t eat it quickly enough.
Dehydrated hummus on the other hand is ideal for the outdoors. It’s packable, crammed with goodness and it’s tasty.
Hummus is an excellent source of protein as it’s made from chickpeas and sesame seeds, which are also packed with other nutrients.
It’s pretty versatile so can be smothered on crackers, fill sandwiches or dolloped on dinner. Its creamy and rich consistency lends itself to so many dishes.
As it’s dehydrated it can last for days, even weeks, ready for when you fancy something tasty to gobble down with lunch. It’s incredibly lightweight and takes up very little space in your bag.
This dehydrated hummus recipe is a great way to inject some flavour into your trail lunch:
- It’s non-perishable
- Super creamy and garlicky
- Incredibly lightweight and packs down small
- Great smothered in sandwiches or to dunk veggies
- Packed with protein and goodness
- Adds a bit of flare to your run-of-the-mill trail lunch
How to Make Dehydrated Hummus at Home
Despite how it may seem, dehydrated hummus is actually pretty easy to make at home. The only things that could hold you back are that you need a food processor or powerful blender and a dehydrator.
If you’re new to the world of dehydrated food, check out our guide on how to use a dehydrator to get you started.
A food processor is powerful enough to pummel your hummus ingredients into a creamy consistency but a high-powered blender can also do the job.
For a dehydrator, we have the Vonchef one. It’s a budget-friendly one and works amazingly at dehydrating fruits to whole meals, like curries. If you do a lot of lightweight backpacking and like to make your own food, it’s definitely worth considering getting one. It means you can carry a lot more food and makes preparing munch on the trail a whole lot smoother.
1. First thing first, you need to make your hummus. Begin by cooking your chickpeas if you’re using dried ones or get straight on with opening your tin of chickpeas.
2. To your food processor, add your chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt and lemon, then blend.
3. As your hummus blends, you may need to scrape down the sides. You can also add a little water if it’s quite clumpy. Just do this about 1tsp at a time as too much will affect the flavour of your hummus.
4. Once your hummus is creamy prepare your dehydrator trays by lining them with baking paper or dehydrator sheets.
5. Next, slather your hummus onto the lined trays. Try to spread it evenly so it dries at the sametime. The hummus should be about half a cm thick.
6. Then it’s time to let the dehydrator work its magic. Dehydrate at 70 degrees Celcius for 3-6 hours or until it’s completely dry to crumble between your fingers. Then leave it to cool completely.
7. To pack it down super tight, transfer your dried hummus to a food processor and blitz. This step isn’t necessary but will make your hummus more compact for lightweight trips.
8. Then transfer to zip lock bags for the trail or divide into portions if it’s easier.
How to Rehydrate Hummus on the Trail
To rehydrate, combine with water to create your desired consistency. You can do this in the zip lock bag into a bowl or mug for easy dipping.
Add the water a little at a time in order to get the consistency you want avoiding soggy hummus. The more water you add will also affect the flavour so bit by bit is key here.
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Tips for Making Dehydrated Hummus for a Backpacking Trips
- Make extra portions and section off the amount you want into a bowl on the trail to mix with water. That way you can enjoy hummus on several occasions on the same trip.
- We have found a spoon or spork is ideal for mixing in the water and dehydrated hummus powder. That way you can stir in the water and use the back of it to mash the hummus to a creamy consistency.
- Wanna shake things up? You can make different flavours of hummus by adding ingredients to the mix when blending. Things like: caramelised onions, roasted red peppers, fresh herbs, spices, anything you fancy really. Just be sure to blend them fully into the mix as bigger chunks of food will take longer to dehydrate and take up more space.
- Once your hummus is rehydrated, treat it like ordinary hummus and eat it quickly to avoid it perishing.
Tips for Storing Your Hummus
Like with most dehydrated foods, how you store them will affect their shelf life:
- After your hummus has dehydrated, wait until it’s completely dry before storing it. You want to remove as much moisture as possible to extend its life.
- Storing your hummus in an air-tight container will stop moisture from getting to it and preserve its life.
- Once dried, if exposed to warmer temperatures it will affect the shelf life of your hummus. For example, if it’s stored at 10 degrees Celcius it’ll last longer than if stored at 25 degrees Celcius.
- As with heat, exposure to light will also affect the longevity of your dehydrated hummus. Storing it in a cool dark place will help it to last longer.
Dehydrated Hummus Recipe
Protein-packed dehydrated hummus recipe that is the ideal lightweight snack for backpacking trips.
- Food processor
- Dehydrator
- 1 tin chickpeas (- or 250 grams of cooked fresh chickpeas)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ of lemon juiced
- pinch salt
- water (- to help the hummus blend and to re-hydrate on the trail)
First thing first, you need to make your hummus. Begin by cooking your chickpeas if you're using dried ones or get straight on with opening your tin of chickpeas.
To your food processor, add your chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt and lemon, then blend. As your hummus blends, you may need to scrape down the sides. You can also add a little water if it's quite clumpy. Just do this about 1tsp at a time as too much will affect the flavour of your hummus.
Once your hummus is creamy prepare your dehydrator trays by lining them with baking paper or dehydrator sheets.
Next, slather your hummus onto the lined trays. Try to spread it evenly so it dries at the same time. The hummus should be about half a cm thick.
Then it's time to let the dehydrator work its magic. Dehydrate at 70°C for 3-6 hours or until it's completely dry to crumble between your fingers. Then leave it to cool completely.
To pack it down super tight, transfer your dried hummus to a food processor and blitz. This step isn't necessary but will make your hummus more compact for lightweight trips.
Then transfer to zip lock bags for the trail or divide into portions if it's easier.
