Recipe: Honey Roasted Chickpea Butter

We already know the mighty chickpea to be a versatile legume, transforming itself into everything from creamy hummus to crunchy orbs inspired by Cheetos, but it manages to surprise us with another trick up its sleeve. In this case, it’s a slightly sweet and toasty spread, packed with protein and fiber.

While it may sound strange to be spreading a sweet chickpea-based butter onto bread, you’ll be pleased once you try it.

Usually when making a nut butter, the nuts are toasted and then ground to a fine powder. As the powder is processed, the oils from the nuts are released, turning it into a smooth paste. With chickpeas, however, they contain a lot less fat and thus don’t readily turn into a smooth, creamy paste. In this recipe the chickpeas are also roasted for added depth, but that also means they are even drier. Once blended they turn into a powder and stay like that until fat is added in.

In standard hummus, usually tahini and/or olive oil are added for that smooth richness. Here I incorporated ghee for a creamy sweetness and the ability to set up once chilled.

The roasting of the chickpeas masks the “beany” flavor that you might otherwise be afraid would persist. A dash of cinnamon, pinch of salt, and scoop of honey round out the flavors too. What you’re left with is a sweet-salty alternative to your standard nut butter to jazz up breakfast time.