The last ten years or so have seen the rise of hummus as a refrigerator staple. It’s grown from pita chip companion into a crudité dip into a salad topping and reached its full potential as a hot meal centerpiece. For us, its most dedicated consumers, straight out of the bowl with a finger or spoon is just as good.
Chocolate hummus first piqued mass interest around October 2017, when Boar’s Head dropped its own pre-packaged chocolate hummus dessert. It promised “chocolate indulgence” without the exorbitant amount of sugar and based on the popular demand that made it a permanent product, it looks like it succeeded. And yet, we feel in our bones that hummus should be a savory dish.
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But when Trader Joe’s started stocking its own chocolate hummus and priced it at just under $2, we knew we had to try it. What if the best hummus you’ve ever had was just on the other side of sweet?
The Taste Test
The ingredient list includes chickpeas, cane sugar, cocoa powder, canola oil, sea salt and tahini. We paired it with strawberries, pretzel thins, and Trader Joe’s Original Vanilla Wafer Cookies.
Eating this with salted pretzel thins was a mistake – this hummus has enough sweet-savory going on on its own. It’s alright with strawberries, but you won’t get that same mouth watering satisfaction as if this were real chocolate. However, if you use it to dip your vanilla wafer cookies, you’ll find that chocolate hummus low-key slaps. Not enough to make me a repeat customer, but enough to prompt me to finish the tub.
Chocolate hummus’s biggest offense is that it looks like rich delicious brownie batter and tastes nothing like it. It just reminded me of the brownie batter I didn’t have and made me want to buy Pillsbury’s Creamy Supreme Dark Chocolate Icing instead. Nobody from our office who tried it actually hated it, but it just didn’t seem like it was worth the transgression. Hummus, we largely decided, is better off savory. If I saw this on the snack table at a party I would probably finish it. (I don’t like chocolate hummus but I dislike parties more and I’m prone to eating my feelings.)
But if you are looking for vegan, allergen or health-conscious alternatives to chocolate icing or brownie batter, then chocolate hummus is the move for you. And if you just had your wisdom teeth removed or are otherwise unable to eat solid foods, chocolate hummus could be a godsend.