Turkish Hot Layered Hummus

Turkish hot layered hummus is a fantastic Appetizer recipe that I discovered in Istanbul. Creamy hummus, served warm from the oven, topped with buttery toasted pine nuts and a chopped salad of cucumber, radishes and sun-dried tomatoes. I love serving this as a party starter. It’s festive and super delicious!

The creamy texture and the garlicky lemony rich flavors of this hummus are unique and wonderful. Turkish hummus has chickpeas and tahini like traditional hummus but is extra light, tangy and creamy because of the addition of Greek Yogurt. The hummus is topped with toasted pine nuts and spiced butter, and baked until the butter sinks in and the hummus puffs up. It's served warm from the oven, with a delicious crunchy chopped salad on top. 

There are so many layers of creamy, crunchy, spicy, tangy deliciousness in this dish. It's always a big crowd-pleaser!

How To Make Turkish Hot Layered Hummus

There are three elements to Turkish Hot Layered Hummus: the hummus; the toasted pine nuts; and the chopped salad. 

The homemade Turkish hummus is made with chickpeas and tahini, whole milk Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin seeds and salt. Puree the ingredients in a food processor and transfer the hummus to a small casserole or ceramic pie pan. Choose a pan that can also be your serving dish. 

Next, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until golden brown. Add butter and Aleppo pepper and stir until the butter is melted. Pour the buttery pine nuts over the hummus, and bake it for 25 minutes at 400ºF. The butter will sink in and the hummus will be hot, puffed up, and golden brown on top. 

While the hummus is in the oven, make the chopped salad. Finely chop the radishes, cucumber and sun dried tomatoes. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar), salt and pepper.

When you remove the hummus from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes or so and then spoon the chopped salad evenly over the top. Serve the warm hummus with any combination of crudités, toasted pita, crackers or thinly sliced baguettes.

The hot layered hummus I fell for in Istanbul was served to me at a restaurant called Kantin, which has since closed. It was served warm, topped with a chopped salad of cooked slivered beets, radishes, cucumber, tomatoes, pine nuts, and a Turkish spicy cured meat called Basturma. It was incredible, one of the most surprising and memorable dishes of my trip. I

I recreated the dish with some tweaks, using inspiration from several sources including the notes I took at Kantin and a recipe in The Middle Eastern Kitchen cookbook by Ghillie Basan.

More Delicious Turkish Recipes to try!

• Turkish Sigara Börek: Crispy Feta Rolls
• Turkish Manti: Tiny Lamb-stuffed Dumplings with three sauces
• Spicy Turkish Tapenade
• Grilled Turkish Kofta Kebabs

Here's the Turkish Hot Layered Hummus Recipe. If you try this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Turkish Hot Layered Hummus

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5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Lisa
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 12-15 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This creamy flavorful hummus is baked, topped with toasted pine nuts; chopped radishes, cucumber and sun-dried tomatoes; and served warm, with bread, crackers and/or crudités for dipping. It's a fantastic appetizer for a party or potluck.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For The Hummus

• 3 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups Greek yogurt (whole milk)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

For The Pine Nut Topping

• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus ½ teaspoon sweet paprika)

For The Salad Topping

• ⅓ of an english cucumber, washed and finely diced
• 5 radishes, washed, trimmed, thinly sliced, then stack slices and cut them into ¼ inch slivers.
• 6 tablespoons minced, drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (or substitute balsamic vinegar)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Several grinds of black pepper

Optional Garnish

• 1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Put all of the hummus ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and puree. Transfer hummus to an oven-proof dish or casserole. Set aside. *Note: you can prepare the hummus ahead to this point, and keep it in the fridge, covered, for up to 24 hours. Allow it to come to room temperature before continuing. Put the hummus in the preheated oven a half hour before you want to serve it.
2. Toast the pine nuts in a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium high heat, tossing constantly, until they begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add butter and stir. As soon as the butter is melted, turn off the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper. Pour the whole mixture over the hummus. Place the hummus in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, until it's hot and has risen a bit.
3. While the hummus is heating, toss all the salad ingredients with the dressing in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. When the hummus comes out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes or so, then spoon the salad evenly over the top. Garnish with pine nuts and sesame seeds, if you like. Serve with any combination of crudités, toasted pita triangles, thinly sliced baguette or crackers.

Notes

Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a the advice of a professional nutritionist.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Turkish

Originally published Jan 27, 2015. Updated Aug 24, 2021 with new photos and clarifying details and step-by-step instructions added to the written post. The same delicious recipe!