Can Babies Have Hummus?

The short answer is that you can add hummus to your baby's diet, starting six to eight months. But you will have to alter the recipe a bit.

• Your baby's hummus shouldn't contain anything but blended chickpeas and olive oil.
• When you prepare the hummus for your baby, you should keep it simple and skip adding salt, pepper, tahini paste, or lemon juice.
• This is because your baby's digestive system will be in constant development at this stage. It might not be ready for all the ingredients in a regular hummus recipe.

Tahini is essentially a paste of sesame seeds. While sesame seeds are considered safe for most babies, there are also allergy cases starting with six months.

• You will notice that your baby is allergic to sesame seeds if they develop any skin eczema or other type of skin reactions such as a rash or irritation.
• Suppose you notice such a side effect after giving your baby sesame seeds in any form, being it plain or in a tahini paste, you should avoid giving it to them any more.

However, suppose there is no skin reaction for four days after eating sesame seeds. In that case, your baby is not at risk for allergy. Therefore they can eat products containing sesame seeds such as tahini.

A severe complication of sesame seeds allergy is anaphylaxis crisis. This is rare in babies, but if it does happen, you should know that taking your little one to the hospital as soon as possible is crucial for their life. The signs of such a condition are severe skin rash, difficulty breathing, and lethargy.

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Chickpeas are very healthy, not just for adults but also for children and babies.

• You can add chickpeas to your little one's diet starting with six months of age, but it is essential not to give them whole chickpeas because they can be a choking hazard.
• But there is no need to worry as there are many ways to prepare chickpeas safely so that your baby can enjoy them to their best qualities.
• You can use chickpeas in hummus as long as you skin the other spices or use it as a chickpeas flour in different recipes.
• You can even add some chickpeas to different vegetable purees to enrich your baby's meal with iron and protein.

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A great dish for babies who are starting to enjoy solid foods is beetroot hummus. If you want to add some taste and nutrition to your basic hummus recipe, beetroot might do the trick.

• All you have to do is peel the beetroot and portion it into small cubes.
• Soak the beetroot in olive oil and roast it for about 45 to 50 minutes.
• When the beetroot is soft enough, add it to the blender along with your chickpeas, and you will obtain a healthy pink hummus that your baby will love.

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When it comes to the type of hummus you give your baby, it is always best to choose the homemade recipe.

• This way, you have complete control over the hummus ingredients, and you can skip all the harmful ones. It is also effortless to prepare it as it only takes a few minutes.
• Store-bought hummus contains spices and ingredients that are not healthy for your baby and preservatives and certain emulsifiers to make it taste better.
• You want to keep your little one away from all the chemicals that might affect their health. However, you can better your hummus recipe to enhance the taste after they turn one year old.

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As we mentioned, there is a risk of your baby developing a sesame allergy. If you don't want to take the chance, you might want to avoid tahini altogether.

• Hummus recipe without tahini is actually straightforward, and it shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
• Boil the chickpeas until they are soft enough to blend them into a puree. You might want to save some of the water you boiled them in because you will use it in the blending process.
• Once the chickpeas are boiled, add them to your blender along with one or two tablespoons of olive oil.
• You will add water as you feel it is needed to obtain the consistency you want.
• Allow the hummus to cool down and serve it plain to your baby.

As far as quantities go, you shouldn't need more than 100 grams of chickpeas for a portion of hummus for your baby.

However, if you want to have leftovers, feel free to increase the quantity to 200 and even 250 or 300 grams. You can store the hummus in the fridge for up to 3 days, and you can also freeze it if you want for future meals.