Does Hummus Go Bad? (Shelf Life, Storage, Health Benefits and More)

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Does hummus go bad? The answer to that is an obvious, YES, IT DOES! However, in this following article, we will share information about storage and ¬shelf life of hummus that you might find helpful as well as the health benefits of the hummus. Believe me, the potential health benefits of hummus are very impressive!

How is Hummus Made?

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Hummus is an Arabic word meaning ‘chickpea’, is an Egyptian and Levantine famous food dipping sauce/spread that is made out of cooked/mashed chickpeas with garlic, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, and salt. Today, hummus is popular throughout Middle East countries and many Middle Eastern Cuisine restaurants, and it also can be purchased from most of the grocery stores around the world.

What is The Shelf Life of Hummus?

Generally, packaged hummus will have the expiry date stated on the packaging, and the homemade hummus has a shorter shelf life because it does not contain any preservatives. The shelf life of the hummus is usually 2 to 4 weeks for packaged hummus and approximately 5 to 7 days for the homemade ones.

However, take note of the commercial packaging would often specify “consume within [a certain number of days] once opened” then you should obey and discard it even if you did not finish the hummus within the informed date.

But as a rule of thumb, the refrigerated hummus should be discarded if it is already more than one week or more.

How to Store Hummus?

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Hummus needs to be kept refrigerated whether they are from commercial packaged (opened/unopened) or homemade, it is highly recommended that hummus should be kept in an airtight container before storing in the fridge to extend the shelf life.

If you would like to keep the hummus for a long extended period of time, then freezing the hummus is the only option you have. Consider storing the hummus in an ice-cube tray so that it is easily thawed and consume at a time.

But do take note that, the frozen hummus might lose its texture or even quality after being thawed, and that is perfectly normal.

Does Hummus Go Bad?

Now you know that the answer is YES to “does hummus go bad?”, now let’s discuss how to spot if hummus is already gone bad.

Hummus tends to get moldy after some time or when it is improper stored or handled. If mold appeared on top of the hummus, then you should definitely discard it.

Besides that, it is also the time to throw away the hummus if the smell is off. Do not attempt to scrape off the mold from the hummus and consume it because it could be extremely harmful.

The spot of the mold that you can see is usually just the “tip of the iceberg.” Mould is microscopic fungi that are generally filamentous organisms and produces spore.

Therefore, the mold could have already spread throughout the hummus even before you scraped off the visible spot. Also, you should discard the hummus immediately if it is left at the room temperature overnight even though it look and smell fine.

Nutritional and Benefits of the Hummus

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You can find a wide range of vitamins in hummus such as vitamin K, E and C, zinc, magnesium and folate. The vitamins K and E could lead to a reduction in blood clots because they have blood thinning possessions. Chickpeas also an excellent source of iron which plays its role in oxygen delivery to red blood cells and is very beneficial to people with anemia.

Chickpea is also known as Garbanzo bean, is one of the super foods that help reduce the risk of cancer, especially colorectal (colon) cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease.

“Happy Gut”

According to Dr. Vincent Pedre, author of the book “Happy Gut” from New York City, he mentioned that “Hummus is a great on-the-go snack” due to its low-fat content, contain almost no sugar and high in protein, in fact, it is filled with healthy fats - polyunsaturated and monosaturated.

By consuming these type of fats may have improvement on blood cholesterol level and decrease the risk of heart disease. The fiber from the hummus helps build a healthy digestive system and is beneficial for weight watcher, and it helps to stabilize blood sugar.

Based on the study information published by Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, experiment results showed that adults have a lower body mass index and 53% less likely to be obese compared to those who did not eat hummus on a regular basis.

Take it moderately

Even though hummus is nutrition-packed super food but it does not mean you should consume it in large quantities. There are approximately 408 calories per cup of hummus, according to the nutrition fact. Hence you should be aware of your serving size.

One cup of hummus contained 15 grams of fiber which is recommended for our daily fiber consumption but eating too much of hummus may lead to stomach issues, such as diarrhea, may eventuate.

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Substitute for Your Regular Spread

Now that you have a better understanding on how to keep your hummus from deteriorating quickly and knowledge towards the health benefits that derived from the hummus, perhaps you can use hummus as a substitute to mayonnaise sandwich spread.

You will not only cut half the calories from the mayonnaise but also increase the intake of fiber and protein! By taking hummus as part of your daily diet will help treat certain cancer, weight loss, reduce blood sugar and cholesterol level in a nutshell.

In summary:

  • Hummus has to be kept refrigerated whether they are packaged or homemade; opened or unopened.
  • Freezing the hummus can extend the shelf life of the hummus, but the quality and texture may differ.
  • Obey the expiry date that is stated on the package or if the hummus has been stored more than one week or more once opened.
  • Discard immediately when the hummus was left at room temperature overnight, and mold is observed.
  • Hummus is rich in essential nutrients, but do not consume in large quantities because it may cause otherwise.

So now that your question to “does hummus go bad?” has been answered, what are you waiting for? Add hummus as part of your daily diet right now by making your way to the nearest grocery store! Or, you could always make your own by watching this video:


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