Hummus & Vegetable Stick Snack Jars

Looking for an easy and nutritious savoury snack recipe to meal prep ahead for a busy week? Introducing these hummus and vegetable stick snack jars!

They’re speedy to make, requiring less than 15 minutes to whizz up the hummus and assemble the jars. Of course, this can be reduced to mere minutes if using store-bought hummus (just make sure to slice your veg sticks slowly within that timeframe…let’s not lose any fingers!).

If you (or little ones you know) sometimes struggle to hit the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables, try serving with a dip. A neat study found that this duo leads to a higher veggie intake!

Ingredients Needed

Hummus is a delicious and creamy Middle Eastern spread starring chickpeas. You can get great store-bought hummus, however it’s hard to beat the taste of homemade. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

• Chickpeas. I opt for canned, but feel free to substitute for freshly cooked. You’ll need 1½ cups if doing so.
• Tahini. A spread made from ground sesame seeds. Both hulled or unhulled tahini are great for hummus – if you’re after a creamier texture, use hulled; if you’re after the more nutrient dense of the two, unhulled is where it’s at.
• Lemon juice. Opt for freshly squeezed. If you prefer more tang, feel free to go beyond the recommended recipe amount.
• Olive oil. For luxurious flavour and a boost of heart-healthy fats. Did you know that fat helps absorb certain nutrients; like the beta-carotene in carrots, which is converted into vitamin A in the body?
• Salt. To bring all the flavours alive! Season to taste.
• Celery & carrot. My pick for vegetable sticks for this recipe. Chop into batons.

Not a hummus fan? Swap out for another dip of choice. Nut butter, baba ganoush or a yoghurt dip would work well.

Kitchen Tips

Here are a few tips to make these a dream to eat:

• Use a wide-mouth jar, around 300ml in capacity. In an ideal world, you’d have the goldilocks of jars – not too big and not too small. A wide-mouth is helpful too, otherwise your fingers don’t have as much wriggle room for scooping action!
• Use vegetables with good staying power. Sliced carrot and celery happily sit in dip for a few days and still taste super fresh. Others, like cucumber and capsicum, tend to go limp or soft. That’s not to say you can’t use the latter – just something to keep in mind based on storage time.
• For ease of dipping, cut your veg sticks long. Have them reaching almost the rim of the jar when sitting in the hummus, but with enough room to still screw shut.

When eating, if you get to the bottom of the jar and there’s a bit of hummus leftover, put a spoon to work to scrap out the corners!

Storage Suggestion

Be food safe! Homemade hummus varieties generally last anywhere from 3-4 days, whereas store-bought brands might last 6-7 days after opening (check packaging for guidance).

Looking for another nutritious savoury snack idea? Try these yummy crispy kale chips.