Mung Bean Dip

To get the smoothest, creamiest bean dip you can imagine, use mung beans. They work beautifully accented with shallot oil and chives in this hummus-inspired spread.

Mung Bean Dip

Mung beans are a great ingredient to explore. They’re incredibly versatile, nutritious, and quick to cook. A favorite way to use them is in this creamy textured mung bean dip. Swap in mung beans for the chickpeas you would use in a traditional hummus — that’s the basic idea. You see the mung bean dip here next to a tangle of just-baked whole wheat pita strips topped with shallot oil (leftover from this), crispy shallot bits, fresh chives, and za'atar. So good. I enjoyed this bowl with one of my favorite cooks, Tina Dang.

mung bean dip in a bowl with chives and shallot oil

Mung Bean Basics

Look for mung beans (tiny, bright green) in the dried food bins of natural food markets, Whole Foods, and the like. It’s not mandatory to soak them prior to cooking. Although, you can sprout them in the day or two prior to using, if you plan ahead, for added nutritional boost. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Below you see the mung beans after a round in the food processor.
mung beans in the bowl of a food processor

Beyond Dipping

In the days that follow, leftover mung bean dip is spread on thinly toasted bread, topped with ripe avocado (and more za'atar). And with the last of it, I like to thicken it up with some breadcrumbs and a bit of egg. Shaped into little patties, they’re wonderful pan-fried.mung bean dip in a bowl with chives and shallot oil

Toasted Pita Strips

I include my method for making these toasted pita strips (below) along with the mung bean dip recipe below. It's nested into the base of the recipe.

homemade toasted pita strips

More Mung Bean Recipes

mung bean dip in a bowl with chives and shallot oil

More Dip Recipes

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Mung Bean Dip

5 from 2 votes

Took cook the mung beans cover about 1 cup of dried mung beans with an inch or so of water. Boil until tender, 20 minutes or so (usually), and drain off any extra water. Add more water if needed along the way.

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups / 7 1/2 oz cooked mung beans
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup / 120 ml tahini
  • 1 large clove garlic, peeled & smashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • ~1/3 cup water
  • To serve (any or all of the following): shallot or olive oil drizzle, fried shallots, minced chives, zaatar, baked pita strips*
Instructions
  1. Start by adding the mung beans to a food processor and pulse until a fine, fluffy crumb develops, really go for it - at least a minute. Scrape the bean paste from the corners once or twice, then add the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and sea salt. Blend again, another minute or so. Don't skimp on the blending time, but stop if the beans form a dough ball inside the processor.
  2. At this point start adding the water a splash at a time. Blend, blend, blend until the hummus is smooth and light, aerated and creamy. Taste, and adjust to your liking - adding more lemon juice or salt, if needed.
  3. Serve with as many of the following as you like: shallot, lemon, or olive oil, fried shallots, chives, and/or za’atar. It's great with toasted whole wheat pita or naan chips.*
Notes

Makes about 2 cups.

*Cut (or tear) whole wheat pita bread (or naan bread) into strips, wedges, or chunks. Toss well with a few glugs of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Arrange a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until deeply golden, tossing once or twice along the way.

Serves
6
Prep Time
8 mins
Total Time
8 mins
 
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Recipe Rating




Comments

This looks beyond incredible! Such a unique idea to use mung beans.

Christina @ The Beautiful Balance

I just made it and it is delicious!! Thanks for another great idea.

María Moscoso

Can't wait to try this - never thought of using mung beans in hummus but it sounds delish.

Kristen@Slender Kitchen

Finally made this and it was wonderful! Heidi - when you make a lentil version is it the same quantity of cooked lentils as mung beans here? Also Connor above: Hummus can be made with just olive oil, no tahini, just add oil until it's rich enough for your taste! HS: Yes, that's right Hannah. I pretty much did the same thing. Maybe a bit less water in the red lentil version. Glad you liked it!

hannah

mung bean hummus is so good, I love to snack on these with naan bread :) We get our mung beans from our local 'nature' store here. Love anything that involves dipping.

Richard

I made this last night for a dinner party and it was incredible! I topped it with zataar and drizzled with olive oil, and I was surprised with the creaminess! I am curious about the idea of trying a lentil hummus. Thanks for the post!

Brett Taylor

Hey there, this looks amazing, I love all beany dip type things. Any ips on what I could replace the tahini with? my niece is allergic to sesame so I don't keep it in the house... also peanut allergic

Connor

I'll have to try this dip. I have a bag of mung beans left over from sprouting them. I didn't care for the beans themselves but hopefully they will taste good with tahini.

Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamilly

Hummus is a standard in our refrigerator and the mung bean idea is something I'm not familiar with but intend to become better acquainted! Great post, once again!

Dan from Platter Talk

Beautiful hummus! Do you think the texture of the mung beans was responsible for making the hummus so creamy? Have you ever tried to make a lentil hummus? HS: Hi Amy, I have! I make a red lentil version - smooth and tasty.

Amy @ CookingScraps

Try as I might, my hummus is always meh. I have the right proportions of ingredients--thanks to my friend Izzat--but I'm convinced the tahini I've used isn't right. I've tried a few, but would love a reco for a good one.

lori

Love it! I purchased some mung beans from our Asian grocery store a while back, and via a failed sprouting experiment, never did end up eating them. This looks like a fantastic use for them, though; I'll definitely have to go pick up another bag of mung beans!

amy

After buying a pound of beautiful green mung beans from Whole Foods, I couldn't wait to make this recipe. I soaked them overnight, and then cooked the beans the following day on the stovetop until they were smooth and tender. Boy, I was disappointed by the end result. The pale green goo was thick, pasty, and very unappetizing. Not that it tasted so bad, but the consistency was very off-putting. I'll go back to using chickpeas when making hummus from here on.

HS: Oh no Scott - sorry to hear that. I don't soak my mung beans before cooking, and I cook them until just tender (not falling apart)...they still look like little green beans. Not sure if this helps at all. Maybe yours just needed a thinning of a bit more water? Sometimes it's hard to tell. I've made a version with red lentils as well - that I very much like.

Scott Citron

Hi Heidi, Thanks for your response above, I'm from London and my fave is the one Ottolenghi recommends - Al Yaman which is roasted and hulled - for middle eastern recipes, but I make raw tahini from both hulled and unhulled in my food processor. I would definitely suggest getting a good Lebanese one though! h x

hannah

Wow, this actually took me by suprise a bit. I never really saw the appeal of mung-beans, I've been growing my own sprouts from them - but was never really taken with them, that's why I'm left with a pretty big bag of tiny green beans in my shelf. I never thought of using them in such a dish, you might just have rocked my culinary world a bit. This is why I love your blog - always something new and inspirational awaiting here. I'll make sure to give this a go as soon as I get home. Thanks.

Ole @cookingbrains

Fantastic idea! I keep mung beans around for kitchuri but don't really know what else to do with them. I also have a little bag of za'atar that's sitting around from another recipe, so this is perfect.

Kate

I LOVE YOU! and i love mung, so wow!!

priyanca

Thanks for another inspiring and beautiful post. I happen to have a jar of sprouting mung beans on my counter and wonder if it would be possible to use them? If so, should I boil them a bit first?

HS: They'll definitely be a different texture compared to mung beans that have been cooked from dried....I think I might cook them a bit, until just tender? And then puree.

Caroline K.

Who would have thought? Hummus has never been my fave because I can't get over the pastiness of the chickpeas. I like it from dried chickpeas better. But this sounds totally intriguing!

Abbe@This is How I Cook

That sounds so good to me right now! Anything I can dunk a homemade pita chip into, I make. This now tops the list.

Christine

Ooh this sounds delicious, what a fab way to use mung beans!

Lucy

For those of us who find Chickpeas to be almost indigestible (embarrassingly so), Mung Beans - the king of beans in Ayurvedic Kitchens for their easy-to-digest, protein-packed, fiber-rich, nutrient dense, royal flavor - this recipe restores plain old hummus to its rightful place in the kingdom or heavenly meals. Thank you!

Laura Plumb

Excited about this one! I just bought a bunch of mung beans on sale for one of your recipes (with tempeh), but have way too much leftover. And one can only eat so many mung beans at a time. This is the perfect way to use them without thinking, mung beans, again? Thanks!

Amanda

what an awesome idea. i love the idea of drizzling shallot oil and shallot crisps on top!

Lindsey

Looks amazing, absolutely love mung beans! Officially introduced to them via your recent cookbook. Thanks for linking us up...we will have a lasting relationship I'm sure!!!

Dawn

Love the look and sound of this (as well as the stunning bowl). I am all for making hummus with different legumes. I noticed you used water to mix your hummus - something I have been doing for years because it produces the lightest and smoothest hummus ever just like the tubs you can buy in delis (only better because it is homemade)! Had never seen it as part of a recipe though before your post! And yes to the za'tar, just recently stocked up on this as well and it's currently being scattered on top of homemade flatbread that's been drizzled with olive oil, grilled watermelon and feta salads and fresh tomatoes. Yum!

Sophia

I'm fascinated. Going after the mung bean for my next batch of hummus, then. Thank you again, Heidi!

Maureen Abood

I've gotten my favourite hummus-esque recipe from you (hummus en fuego which I've made countless times to rave reviews) and am very intrigued by this one. Cannot wait to try it!

Sharmila

What a lovely idea - I must try this. Incidentally, from making my latest batch of hummus, which I did yesterday, I have discovered that if you use toasted sesame oil instead of, or as well as, olive oil, it is even more delicious than usual! Try it.

Mrs Redboots

and why not? white beans make a fantastic dip, blitzed with rosemary and garlic-spiked olive oil. and to think i've been using mung beans only as pie weights, all these years... (well, and as sprouts. doh. it's time.)

molly

We just ran out of chickpea hummus and I forgot to soak more chickpeas last night. This is DEFINITELY on today's menu. It looks simply divine!

Sophie

Just finished making this. I'd given up on homemade hummus, but this works - fantastically! Yum, thanks for sharing your experiment.

Amy

This sounds like the best possible plan for the mung beans I've had kicking around my freezer for the last 6 months! A super interesting take on hummus.

Eileen

Any tips on cooking mung beans? Mine never quite turn out or get mushy so I just usually sprout them....

O.

I like to experiment with different shades of hummus but it never occurred to me to use mung beans. Can't wait to try this!

Mike

What's the rationale behind letting them cool? For chickpea hummus it helps if the chickpeas are hot for a super smooth result. If I were super impatient (ok, I *am* super impatient), could I just blend em right after cooking? HS: Hi Zo - I just started with cold mung beans here - you're absolutely right, either way is fine. Will update.

Zo @ Two Spoons

Another exciting recipe to try, thank you! I can't wait to try this one. We love mung beans and hummus. However, I only ever purchased fresh mung beans. Is that what you cooked? Do you steam them or boil them?

HS: Hi Shauna, I boil them, covered by about an inch or so of water. If they don't absorb all the water, drain it off. Alternately, if you need to add a bit more water later in the process, do so. Simmer until tender but not falling apart - 25-30 minutes. They're such a great ingredient!

Shauna

Heidi, it never occurred to me to use MUNG BEANS for hummus! I've only ever had them sprouted, so I'm keen to try this. Thanks :)

Amanda @ Easy Peasy Organic

How do the green mung beans turn into a normal tan-colored hummus? This boggles my mind! I'm definitely putting this on my ever-growing list of recipes to make from you!

Diane @ Vintage Zest

It's been years since I tried making my own hummus and as I recall it didn't go very well. Maybe with mung beans I will have better luck. :) This looks delicious and I love the idea of the toppings too.

Caz

I love the hummus, but I love that serving bowl even more! So pretty! :)

Averie @ Averie Cooks

Mung beans in hummus...so clever! I was going to try this today but apparently I have to soak them overnight. Definitely tomorrow!

HS: Hi Alicia - you can soak mung beans before cooking them, but you don't have to.

Alicia

I never would have thought of using mung beans - what a great idea.

Kathryn

mung beans are one of my favourites too! i am going to try this TODAY! it looks incredible!

Jessica

Too good. Really good. Really smooth. In fact I had to try to be a lady and curb my delights. I had to stop myself from grabbing a spoon, and eating heaping amounts of this creamy hummus. It was really nice delicious!

Tina

That looks delightful! Do you have directions for cooking the mung beans?

ap

Did you use yellow split mung or whole green mung?

HS: Hi Robyn - whole green mung beans.

robyn

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