Whether you receive support from the NHS Healthy Start scheme or are looking for nutritious ideas for your little ones, we have you covered with this simple hummus recipe. It’s easy, affordable, healthy and can be enjoyed by babies, children, teenagers and adults alike.

Also, every ingredient in the recipe below, apart from the olive oil, is included within the NHS Healthy Start scheme!

But wait, what is the NHS Healthy Start scheme and I am eligible?

If you’re more than 10 weeks’ pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

Find out if you’re eligible and apply for the NHS Healthy Start scheme, and if you are, you’ll be sent an NHS Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. With the card you can buy:

  • plain liquid cow’s milk
  • fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
  • fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
  • infant formula milk based on cow’s milk

Hummus with crudites

Easy Chickpeasy Hummus

Note: This recipe is suitable for children from six months onwards.

Ingredients:

  • 240 g tinned chickpeas (one standard is 400g tin), drained and rinsed
  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 1 clove crushed garlic (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons water

You could also sneak other vegetables in such as carrots or peppers.

Method

1) For a mild taste for babies, you can lightly cook the garlic in olive oil before adding to the hummus. You can also remove the skins from the chickpeas if you would prefer.

2) Add the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add one tablespoon of water and blend again. Add tablespoons of water gradually until the hummus is the desired consistency. The smoother the better when serving this to babies.

3) Keep for a couple of days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Serving suggestions:

For younger babies, you can spread the hummus on a slice of bread and for slightly older babies, serve with sliced up vegetables such as cucumber, carrots or celery for them to dip into the hummus.

Top tip: If you don’t have a blender, you can use a fork or potato masher to blend the ingredients. The texture will be less smooth but just as delicious!

*This recipe was sourced from SneakyVeg.com

Let us know what you thought of this recipe in the comments below!