Now You Can Drink—Yes, Drink—Hummus

A bit ago I noticed an unexpected resident in the reach-in freezer at my corner store: chocolate-flavored hummus. Really? Could it be? Should it be? Did it have to be? I had questions galore. Needless to say, I didn’t try it, nor did I particularly want to (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right?). So I returned it to the shelf and pretty much forgot about it.

Until now, that is.

I’m suddenly reminded of that peculiar brand of hummus because I’ve just been made aware that a hummus milkshake is in the works. Yep, starting May 13, NYC-based restaurant chain The Hummus & Pita Co. will sell a blended, drinkable chickpea concoction. The shake, unlike the dip we know and love, leans sweet—it’s a mixture of chickpeas, tahini, banana, dates, and almond milk.

Hey, that actually doesn’t sound too bad. In fact, it sounds similar to a smoothie recipe we have here on the site. The sweetness of dates and the earthiness of tahini are a match made in heaven. It’s the chickpeas that trip me up a bit. But who knows?

The shake will be available at all store locations just in time for International Hummus Day (because that’s a thing) and will come in five flavors: original, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, and butter pecan. Woah! Plus, they’re vegan, gluten- and dairy-free.

But is this shake an homage to the original spread or an aberration?

Hummus, the delicate and delicious spread from the Middle East, was doing fine before all this meddling. Then, dessert hummus happened. Now, this shake. Is this the direction our chickpeas should travel? Who knows. Don’t knock it till you've tried it, I guess.

Do you want to get your hands on a hummus milkshake? Let us know in the comments.