Tips for getting kids to eat hummus?

[wagamama]

I love hummus and eat it at least twice a week, but my kids (5 & 2) refuse to eat it. I've heard that so many kids love dipping raw veggies and pita bread into hummus -- so why don't mine?!! I make it from scratch (dried beans), leave out the garlic, have tried both with tahini and without, but they still say they don't like it. (They do like chickpeas, though, either in soup or just plain, as a snack.)

Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has any marvellous tips or ideas for getting kids to like hummus. I would love for my kids to like it, because it's such an easy and healthy lunch. TIA!

[cristeen]

Have you asked what it is about it they dont like?

[BetsyS]

My kids aren't big dippers, but they do like sandwiches. So, I serve it in mini pitas as a sandwich. They really like hummus that way. I sold it to them by telling them that it was similar to peanut butter, which they adore.

[koru]

My kids prefer it with red peppers (I just put them in raw, not roasted). Even though they won't heat a red pepper cooked or raw, they love the sweet taste in the hummus! And I still use garlic & tahini, too.

We also substitute hummus for mayo on many of their sandwiches. One of their favs....hummus with cheese, cucumbers & lettuce. Yum!

[manchestermafia]

Crazy Camel out of Somersworth, NH, makes a dessert hummus. They have PB, chocolate, pumpkin pie, and others. Pumpkin pie tastes just like the real thing! They'll never know what they are really eating!

[wagamama]

They can't explain the reason they don't like it. They just say "Yuck". The sandwich idea is good. My kids aren't big dippers either, actually. I like the idea of using a small amount of hummus, as a kind of mayonnaise, with other things -- I'll try it!

[Marylizah]

If you figure it out, let me know. DS1 won't eat it either (DS2 is still too little). To make matters worse, DS is half-Lebanese. It doesn't go over too well with the extended family that he refuses his grandmother's hummus!!

[blumooned]

DS (17.5 mos) likes it spread on bread.

I'd leave in the garlic (unless they really don't like garlic in particular) & season it as you normally do or maybe add in some extra flavors: artichoke, red pepper, roasted garlic, olives, sundried tomato . . . I think kids prefer seasoned/well-flavored foods over ones that are too "kid-friendly" aka bland.

[Storm Bride]

It may be a texture thing. I totally thought dd1 would like hummus, but she doesn't. I didn't think ds2 would like it, but he does. I'm 99% sure it's a texture thing for dd1. She just doesn't like the texture of hummus (or cooked beans/lentils, in general, really). I haven't been able to sell her on it.

DS2 likes it just spread on rice cakes. He won't eat it from a spoon and doesn't really like it on veggies...but he'll lick it off a rice cake.

[Essie]

I love it too, but DS won't eat it. I think you just have to wait and see. Maybe they will when they are older?

[taramoon13]

ds loves the (extra garlic)hummus that i buy from the store and so i tried making some roasted red pepper hummus that i thought came out pretty darn good, but he wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! i know a pp said their kids love the roasted red pepper kind, but every kid is different. try making it without the pepper, or try some store bought and if they like it you could try to replicate it.

[Essie]

you could try white beans. have you ever asked them why they don't like it? for many kids it's a texture thing.

[Wilbur]

DS did the same thing for awhile, until one day at the park I was eating some with raw broccoli, down on a picnic blanket next to him, and legitimately raving about how good it was but didn't offer him any, since he normally refuses, and he grabbed some and liked it and continues to respond well to it, but only that kind, which I'd put parsley into and was low on the tahini... so what I'm really saying is that I second (or third?) the idea of fiddling with the additions you put into it and the consistency.