Hummus Platter + Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe
The perfect summer lunch and the prettiest appetizer you ever did see
This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did. Start with a generous layer of creamy hummus, pile on crunchy vegetables, olives, feta, and a few finishing touches, and suddenly you’ve got a colorful, flavor-packed platter that’s a perfect for lunch as it is for entertaining. It’s my idea of the perfect summer recipe - easy, unfussy, endlessly adaptable, and no stovetop or oven required.
One evening in 2024, after packing up the RV in preparation for the next day’s drive from Colorado to Montana, we went over to my friend Charlene’s house for pizza (she is a MASTER).
As a before-pizza snack, she had prepared the most beautiful and delicious hummus platter topped with veggies, olives, and crumbled feta. She said she made it because every single time she’s been to our home she’s noticed all of these flavors in our refrigerator.
And you know what? She’s 100% correct. So correct that I made the platter you see here just a few days later even though we were out in the middle of nowhere. It required no trips to the grocery store because I had all of these ingredients in my kitchen already.
We’ve eat this frequently for lunch, but it’s a brilliant appetizer for when you’re entertaining. Charlene spread the hummus out onto a large platter that was perfect for feeding a group (there were 8 of us), and included bowls of tortilla chips and focaccia for dipping. You could also serve it with warm buttered naan, pita chips, crudités, cheddar and almond crackers, or even homemade flour tortillas.
The basic idea is this:
Spread a thin-ish layer of hummus over the surface of a plate, bowl, or serving platter. (My recipe for hummus is below, but use any kind of hummus you like.)
Sprinkle diced cucumber and red pepper over the top of the hummus (or any kind of chopped veggies), followed by chopped olives and crumbled feta cheese. The only veggie that doesn’t work well here is tomatoes because they make the whole thing watery. (And yes, I know tomatoes are technically a fruit.)
Drizzle everything with some good quality extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle on whatever else you want. As you can see here, I added some toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of sumac. To toast pumpkin seeds, add them to a skillet with some olive oil and cook over medium heat until about half of them are golden brown. Remove from the heat and toss with salt. You can do the same thing with pine nuts if you prefer.
Recipe notes:
I had a Cuisinart food processor for years but when it finally kicked the bucket, I replaced it with a Ninja food processor and will never go back. I LOVE the double blade and can’t understand why every food processor doesn’t have the same.
Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.
My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.