Sweeten Store-Bought Hummus With Ease Using One Pureed Veggie

We don't always have time to make creamy homemade hummus from scratch, so sometimes we have to buy a store-bought version. Of course, the grocery store variety isn't always going to taste as good as a homemade batch, but there are ways to elevate it depending on what exactly it's missing. If the problem is that the hummus just isn't quite sweet enough for your tastes, then all that it takes is one pureed veggie to fix it — sweet potato.

True to its name, this type of spud has plenty of natural sweetness, so it's the perfect solution to not-sweet-enough hummus. At the same time, these tubers also have some earthiness and nuttiness to them, so they will fit right in with the overly savory aspect of the dip. If you want to expand on the flavors from there, you can add cinnamon or nutmeg, both of which complement the taste of sweet potato. 

To accentuate the sweetness even more, you can add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. If you want to make for a more complex flavor, then you can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Feel free to experiment with which combination of spices you think best goes with the sweet potato flavor in the hummus. 

One or two small to medium-sized sweet potatoes should do the trick for a container of hummus. Start by peeling your spuds and then cut them into cubes. Place the pieces in a large pot and fill with water, submerging them completely. Bring to a boil and cook until the cubes are tender, which should take around 20 to 25 minutes. 

After draining the sweet potatoes, let them dry off by returning them to the low pot and placing the pot on the stove — the remaining heat in the pot and on the stove will do the job. Finally, add the tubers to the food processor versus a blender and mix until smooth. However, if you don't want to boil them, you can also roast them in the oven. Just bake them for about 45 minutes or until they're tender at 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then blend in the food processor. 

Whichever method you choose, once the sweet potatoes are mixed it's time to add them to the hummus. Add the pureed spuds to a mixing bowl and combine the two and voila, you have a sweeter version of the store-bought hummus. And if you love this outcome, next time you make this dip from scratch you can go ahead and make a sweet potato hummus version.