In this article
- Does hummus have fiber in a normal serving?
- Fiber in hummus per calorie, next to its ingredients
- Hummus next to other beans with fiber
- Protein, copper and what else hummus brings
- Hummus, fiber and a sensitive stomach
- A snack plate that does the math for you
- Making hummus at home
- What to check on a tub of hummus
- How hummus fits a full day of fiber
- The one case where more hummus isn’t better
- What people also ask about fiber in hummus
- Sources
Does hummus have fiber? Yes, and by the spoonful it carries a little more than the chickpeas it’s made from. Half a cup of commercial hummus has about 6.8 grams, while half a cup of cooked chickpeas has 6.3 grams.
The twist comes when you count calories. That same half cup of hummus runs about 292 calories, more than twice the 135 in the chickpeas, because tahini and oil pack a lot of energy into every scoop.
So hummus is a real fiber food, just a dense one. How much it helps depends on the size of your scoop and what you dip into it.
Does hummus have fiber in a normal serving?
A half cup is a generous scoop, though. Smaller amounts, like a couple of tablespoons on a wrap or a quarter cup beside some vegetables, are worth knowing too.
USDA FoodData Central lists commercial hummus at 5.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams, with 237 calories. Scaled to the amounts you’d actually eat, it looks like this:
| Hummus portion | Weight | Fiber | % Daily Value | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 tablespoons | 30 g | 1.7 g | 6% | 71 |
| ¼ cup | 62 g | 3.4 g | 12% | 146 |
| ½ cup | 123 g | 6.8 g | 24% | 292 |
| 1 cup | 246 g | 13.5 g | 48% | 583 |
The Daily Value for fiber is 28 grams, per the FDA. The FDA also treats 20% or more of the Daily Value as high, so a half cup of hummus qualifies while a thin spread does not.
A quarter cup is the sweet spot for most snacks. It gives you a solid 3.4 grams without turning a side dish into a meal’s worth of calories.
Where the fiber in hummus comes from
Chickpeas do most of the work. Boiled chickpeas have 7.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams in USDA data, and they make up the bulk of any hummus recipe.
Tahini, the sesame seed paste that gives hummus its nutty taste, adds some too. USDA lists it at 9.3 grams per 100 grams, or about 2.6 grams per ounce, though that ounce also carries 170 calories.
Lemon juice, garlic and olive oil round out the classic recipe. Those extras stretch the chickpeas out, which helps explain why hummus has less fiber per gram than chickpeas on their own.
Fiber in hummus per calorie, next to its ingredients
Grams per serving tell one story. Grams per 100 calories tell another, and it’s the one that matters if you’re watching both fiber and energy:
| Food | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|
| Red bell pepper, raw | 7.9 g |
| Carrots, raw | 6.9 g |
| Chickpeas, boiled | 4.6 g |
| Hummus, commercial | 2.3 g |
| Tahini | 1.6 g |
Chickpeas deliver twice the fiber per calorie that hummus does. Fresh dippers like carrots and peppers beat both by a wide margin, which is a good argument for loading the plate with vegetables rather than crackers.
None of this makes hummus a poor choice. At 2.3 grams per 100 calories it still beats tahini, and it makes a plate of raw vegetables far more appealing to finish.
Hummus next to other beans with fiber
Hummus is a bean dish at heart, so the fair comparison is with other beans and legumes. The Dietary Guidelines list these amounts for a half cup:
| Legume (½ cup) | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Lentils, cooked | 7.8 g | 115 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | 7.7 g | 123 |
| Black beans, cooked | 7.5 g | 114 |
| Hummus, commercial | 6.8 g | 292 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 6.3 g | 135 |
| Edamame, cooked | 4.1 g | 94 |
By volume, hummus holds its own against whole beans. By calories, it sits well behind them, which makes sense for a food blended with tahini and oil.
If you like hummus but want more fiber per bite, pair it with whole beans rather than replacing them. A spoonful of hummus over a bowl of lentils or black beans adds creaminess while the beans carry the fiber load.
Protein, copper and what else hummus brings
A quarter cup of commercial hummus has about 4.8 grams of protein, according to USDA. It also supplies a handful of minerals that are easy to overlook:
- Manganese: about 0.7 mg, roughly 31% of the Daily Value
- Copper: about 0.23 mg, roughly 26% of the Daily Value
- Magnesium: about 46 mg, roughly 11% of the Daily Value
- Iron: about 1.6 mg, roughly 9% of the Daily Value
- Folate: about 30 µg, roughly 7% of the Daily Value
Sodium is the number to watch. USDA lists commercial hummus at 426 mg per 100 grams, so a quarter cup carries about 262 mg, or 11% of the Daily Value, and a whole cup reaches 46%.
Mayo Clinic notes that soluble fiber, found in foods like beans, can help lower LDL cholesterol and slow how quickly sugar is absorbed. Chickpeas are garbanzo beans, so hummus brings some of that soluble fiber along with the rest.
Hummus, fiber and a sensitive stomach
Monash University lists most legumes and pulses as high in FODMAPs, a group of fermentable carbohydrates that can cause gas and bloating in people with irritable bowel syndrome. Chickpeas are a legume, and many hummus recipes add garlic, which Monash also lists as high FODMAP.
If hummus tends to leave you uncomfortable, try a smaller portion first. Two tablespoons is a very different load on your gut than half a tub.
Mayo Clinic also suggests adding fiber gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water as you do. That approach suits hummus well, since you can grow the portion slowly as your body adjusts.
If beans and bean dips tend to leave you bloated, our gut health guides lay out a gentle plan for bringing them back in.
A snack plate that does the math for you
Picture a mid afternoon plate: a quarter cup of hummus, a cup of raw carrot sticks and a cup of sliced red bell pepper. Using USDA and Dietary Guidelines figures, it adds up like this:
| Item | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup hummus | 3.4 g | 146 |
| 1 cup raw carrots | 3.6 g | 52 |
| 1 cup raw red bell pepper | 3.1 g | 39 |
| Total | 10.1 g | 237 |
That plate gives you about 36% of the Daily Value for fiber, and the vegetables supply two thirds of it. The hummus makes them worth eating.
For a lunch version, spread the same quarter cup on a 2 ounce whole wheat tortilla and fill it with a cup of red pepper. The Dietary Guidelines put whole wheat tortillas at 2.8 grams per ounce, so the wrap lands near 12.1 grams.
Making hummus at home
Homemade hummus lets you decide how much tahini, oil and salt go in. A simple batch of 1 cup boiled chickpeas and 1 ounce of tahini holds roughly 15.1 grams of fiber and 439 calories before you add lemon and garlic, based on USDA figures.
Split four ways, each portion has about 3.8 grams of fiber, slightly more than a quarter cup from the store. Unsalted boiled chickpeas have only about 7 mg of sodium per 100 grams, so nearly all the salt in the batch is salt you chose to add.
Using less oil than a typical recipe calls for also pushes fiber per calorie up.
Looking for more dips, wraps and bowls built on chickpeas? Our recipe eBooks are stocked with high-fiber ideas to try this week.
What to check on a tub of hummus
Store-bought hummus varies by brand, so the label is worth a quick look. Run through these points before it goes in the cart:
- Serving size: scale every number on the panel to the amount you’ll really scoop.
- Fiber: USDA’s commercial hummus has about 1.7 grams per 30 grams, a handy benchmark for comparing brands.
- Calories: the same 30 grams runs about 71 calories, so a much higher figure points to a richer recipe.
- Sodium % Daily Value: the FDA treats 5% or less as low and 20% or more as high.
Plain or flavored, those numbers tell you most of what you need. A tub that lands near the benchmarks on fiber and stays low on sodium is a good everyday pick.
How hummus fits a full day of fiber
Mayo Clinic recommends 25 grams of fiber a day for women and 38 grams for men up to age 50, and 21 and 30 grams after that. A quarter cup of hummus covers about 14% of the women’s target and 9% of the men’s.
That makes hummus a helpful contributor rather than a solution on its own. Paired with fresh vegetables, whole grains or whole beans, it can anchor one of the higher fiber moments of your day.
Curious how many grams your own day should hold? Our fiber calculator sets a number for you from a few quick details.
The one case where more hummus isn’t better
If you eat hummus straight from the tub, the fiber climbs fast, but so does everything else. A full cup gives you 13.5 grams of fiber along with 583 calories and about 1,048 mg of sodium, close to half the day’s limit.
You’d get about the same fiber from a single cup of cooked lentils or black beans, at roughly 230 calories, and unsalted beans carry almost no sodium. Keep hummus as the sauce and let whole beans and vegetables be the main event.
What people also ask about fiber in hummus
How much fiber is in 2 tablespoons of hummus?
About 1.7 grams. Two tablespoons of commercial hummus weigh roughly 30 grams and have about 71 calories, based on USDA data.
Is hummus high in fiber?
It depends on the portion. A quarter cup has about 3.4 grams, or 12% of the Daily Value, while a half cup reaches 6.8 grams, which the FDA would count as high.
Is hummus or chickpeas better for fiber?
Chickpeas win on a per calorie basis, with about 4.6 grams of fiber per 100 calories compared with 2.3 grams for hummus. By the half cup, hummus has slightly more fiber, 6.8 versus 6.3 grams, but more than twice the calories.
Is hummus good for constipation?
It can help as part of a fiber rich day. Fiber adds bulk to stool, and a quarter cup of hummus with raw vegetables can give you about 10 grams, as long as you drink enough water too.
Why does hummus make me bloated?
Chickpeas are a legume, and Monash University lists most legumes as high in FODMAPs, which some people ferment and react to. Garlic, another common hummus ingredient, is also high FODMAP, so smaller portions may sit better.
Does homemade hummus have more fiber than store-bought?
It can. A batch made from 1 cup of chickpeas and 1 ounce of tahini has about 15.1 grams of fiber, and using less oil raises the fiber per calorie.
Is hummus a good source of protein?
It’s a modest one. A quarter cup has about 4.8 grams of protein, plus useful amounts of manganese and copper.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Hummus, commercial (174289); Chickpeas, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (173757); Seeds, sesame butter, tahini (170189).” FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- Monash University. “High and low FODMAP foods.” Monash FODMAP, 2019. www.monashfodmap.com
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic, 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
