Last Updated on November 5, 2021 by Anne-Marie

Serve this spicy hummus recipe as a dip at your next party. This vegan hummus recipe can be made in 20 minutes or less.

Why this recipe works

Got leftover cranberry sauce? Then make up some Spicy Cranberry Hummus.

It can be put together in 20 minutes or less from Thanksgiving leftovers and requires no cooking.

Serve this festive spicy hummus dip at your next holiday party.

The color is so pretty and it looks amazing on your holiday table with sliced peppers in various colors.

Best of all, this vegan hummus recipe is gluten free and dairy free, making it the perfect appetizer for just about all your guests.

All the ways you can use spicy hummus

I love that this is a vegan hummus that even non-vegans will enjoy. (Most hummus recipes are vegan, after all.)

It’s also a versatile recipe. You can serve this as a vegan hummus dip.

Or you can use it as a sandwich spread on bread, pitas or a wrap.

Some people like to stir hummus into rice or a vegetable stir fry.

You could thin this easy vegan hummus with vinegar or lemon juice and use it as a vegan salad dressing.

(Looking for more vegan salad dressings? Try my 4 Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes.)

Tips for making vegan hummus

Making spicy cranberry hummus is quick and easy.

Tools: You’ll need a high speed blender or food processor to make the hummus recipe easily and quickly.

Here’s Amazon’s recommendation for the best high speed blenders.

I’m a Blendtec blender gal, especially when my kids broke the jar, Blendtec replaced it no questions asked.

Draining the chickpeas: Save the drained water from the chickpeas! Known as aquafaba, it can be used as a substitute for eggs or egg whites in many vegan recipes.

The stuff is pretty amazing! Here are 20 things you can do with aquafaba.

Leftovers: This cranberry hummus recipe is designed to use leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal prep like shallots and parsley.

It also uses cranberry sauce from your Thanksgiving meal. If you don’t have any, cook up a new batch or buy more from the store.

(Try my Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce recipe to make this a sugar free hummus recipe.)

Tahini: While I love the taste of tahini, you can make the hummus without it if you don’t want to buy a jar just for this easy vegan hummus recipe.

Now that we found out my daughter’s allergic to sesame seeds (crazy, right?), I leave it out when I make hummus.

I miss the tahini – it does add something special – but it’s better than her having an allergic reaction requiring s dose of Benadryl and possibly an epi-pen.

Chipotle peppers: You can find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Hispanic/Latino section of your grocery store.

How spicy? I’m not into super hot things, but my kids love this homemade spicy hummus because it’s fairly hot.

You can make this more or less spicy depending on how many chipotle peppers you use.

Lowering the fat: To make this a low fat hummus, eliminate the tahini and use less olive oil. If you feel the hummus is dry, add more lemon juice or some water.

Olive oil: Can you make this an oil free hummus? Sure! Add water, a little vegetable broth, or some of the saved aquafaba instead of the olive oil.

There is sesame oil in the tahini and usually some type of oil in the adobo sauce.

So you may want to eliminate the tahini and rinse the adobo sauce off the chipotle peppers to go completely oil free.

Lemon juice: You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice. You could also use lime juice if you wish.

Holiday entertaining with cranberry hummus

To make this a completely gluten free appetizer, all you need to do is serve this easy hummus recipe with gluten free crackers.

If you have vegan guests, you’ll need to it with sliced peppers, carrots, and vegan crackers.

Luckily, there are all kinds of terrific gluten free crackers on the market that you can easily find at the grocery store.

I love Good Thins crackers, several varieties which are certified gluten free and vegan. (Just check the box.)

I also like Late July Snacks Chia and Quinoa Tortilla Chips, which are also certified GF and vegan. If you haven’t checked out this brand of chips, please do!

Not only are they tasty, but they’re sturdy enough to stand up to thick dips without breaking.

If you’re tempted to having a selection of regular, non-vegan and GF crackers, please don’t. This way you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination from guests sticking gluten containing or non-vegan crackers into the dip.

Check out the Best Gluten Free Thanksgiving Desserts Recipes and the Best Keto Thanksgiving Recipes for more delicious recipes for your holiday table.

More hummus recipes

Looking for more vegan hummus recipes? Try these:

● Avocado Hummus

● Easy Edamame Hummus

● Hummus & Tabbouleh Salad

Originally published on November 3, 2015. Updated with new photos and information.