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Hummus

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This homemade hummus recipe is quick and easy to make, super-smooth and creamy, and tastes so fresh and flavorful!

This past month, I’ve been on a mission to improve my hummus game.

I’ve had a basic hummus recipe here on the blog that I’ve made and enjoyed for years. But while it was good — I have to admit — it wasn’t knock-your-socks-off great.  And ever since we became regulars at this little falafel joint here in Barcelona that introduced us to the creamiest, dreamiest, smoothest, most-flavorful hummus ever, I knew that I needed to go back to the drawing board and kick my old hummus recipe up a notch.

And thus — the hummus testing began.

My first mission was to improve the flavor of my hummus, which was actually a piece of cake. More tahini, more lemon juice, more garlic, and more salt instantly livened and brightened up the flavor of this dip. Plus a generous sprinkle of ground sumac on top (the preferred spice of our falafel spot), or maybe some paprika if you prefer.

My second mission was to improve the texture of my hummus and make it as silky-smooth as possible, which ended up being a total recipe-testing rabbit hole. Turns out that the internet is full of opinions about exactly how to achieve the perfect creamy texture, most of which have to do with how to cook your chickpeas. So in the quest for killer hummus, I put on my Ali’s Test Kitchen hat and tried ’em all. From Solmonov’s famous method of soaking dried chickpeas overnight and then boiling them until they are overcooked in baking soda, to Epicurious’ shortened method of just boiling a can of chickpeas in water for 20 minutes, to Melissa Clark’s scratch Instant Pot hummus, to the Washington Post’s super-speedy method of pureeing the hummus for a full 3 minutes in the food processor, to various tips from around the internet to incorporate aquafaba, use a blender, and (ugh) individually peel every one of those little chickpeas — well, let’s just say it’s a good thing that Barclay and I love hummus because we’re nearly twenty batches in this month (and counting).

Our conclusion?

I hate to say it, but the difference between most of these methods was surprisingly microscopic. From the way that people talk online, I was expecting pretty dramatic differences between the various methods once we lined our batches of hummus up side by side for round after round of blind taste-testing. But most of our conversations ended up being like, “Dang, I don’t know, I mean maybe batch three is a teeny bit smoother than batch four?! Maybe?”

In the end, the most game-changing factor for us ended up being the easiest, quickest, almost-hate-to-admit-it-after-all-of-that-testing step of all — simply pureeing your hummus an extra few minutes in the food processor. I know, it seems so obvious. But giving the food processor a few extra minutes to work its magic seemed to be the key factor in achieving that perfectly creamy, light, whipped texture that we were going for.

That said, yes, the flavor and texture may have been a tiny bit better with boiled-from-scratch chickpeas, either made on the stove or in the Instant Pot. Or yes, if you’re using canned chickpeas and have an extra 20 minutes to boil them before pureeing, the texture may be just a tiny bit creamier. But honestly, after blitzing our final three batches for 4 full minutes in the food processor — one with chickpeas boiled from scratch, one with canned chickpeas boiled for 20 minutes, and one with chickpeas just straight outta the can — Barclay and I couldn’t even reach an agreement with blind taste-testing about which one was the smoothest. Those extra few minutes in the food processor seemed to even them all out!

Anyway, I know that hummus-making opinions on the internet are very passionate. So to each hummus maker, his or her own. But, if you’d like to try the winning recipe and method that we landed on in our house after our hummus-a-thon, here it is!

Classic Hummus | 1-Minute Video

What Is Hummus?

Alright, first let’s back up for a sec — just exactly what is hummus? In case this is new to you, it’s a classic dish from the Middle East and Mediterranean made primarily from chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), tahini (ground sesame paste), lemon juice, garlic and salt. Various countries add in their own staple ingredients, like ground cumin. And of course, if you look for hummus at any American grocery store nowadays, there are about a million variations that you can buy. It can be served warm or cold, as a dip or as a spread, and above all, it’s downright delicious.

Hummus Ingredients

One of the other things I love about making homemade hummus is that most all of the ingredients can be found in your pantry, making this an easy impromptu dip to make for parties, game day, or a regular ol’ delicious weeknight dinner. You will need:

  • Chickpeas*: I simply recommend buying a can of good organic chickpeas, which we will rinse and drain and add straight to the hummus.
  • Tahini: Since this ingredient is arguably the most prominent flavor in hummus, I recommend purchasing a jar of good-quality tahini.
  • Garlic: This recipe calls for two cloves, but feel free to double that if you would like more garlicky flavor.
  • Lemon juice: Fresh, please!
  • Ground cumin: I absolutely love the added flavor of some cumin in hummus.
  • Olive oil: We will incorporate some into the hummus itself, and then drizzle extra on top for serving.
  • Salt: I always use fine sea salt.
  • Cold water: This is another game-changing ingredient when it comes to the texture of your hummus. If it’s too thick and not smoothing out, just add in some more water.

*Or, as I mentioned earlier, feel free to instead use:

  • Chickpeas that have been cooked from scratch: Either in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. I recommend overcooking them a bit to slightly soften the chickpeas and loosen up the skins.
  • Canned chickpeas that have been simmered for 20 minutes: If you have the extra time, just rinse and drain your chickpeas. Transfer them to a saucepan and cover with an extra inch or two of water. Then bring to a simmer, continue simmering for 20 minutes, and drain. If you happen to buy a brand of chickpeas that seems to be harder and undercooked — I’ve found that brands can vary significantly — this method may be helpful.

Then, of course, there are the toppings. For a classic batch of hummus, I recommend drizzling some olive oil on top of the dip, and then sprinkling it with either ground sumac or paprika, plus maybe a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley. But the sky’s the limit with other toppings you could add! Toasted pine nuts, chopped roasted red peppers, and everything bagel seasoning are a few of my other faves.

How To Make Hummus

To make this hummus recipe, simply:

  1. Puree the first seven ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Tahini, cold water, olive oil, cumin, salt, garlic and lemon.
  2. Add in the chickpeas. One can, rinsed in warm water and drained.
  3. Puree for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth. Yep, put that food processor to work! Just keep it going and going until the hummus is nice and smooth, pausing once or twice to scrape the sides down. If the hummus seems too thick, feel free to add in an extra tablespoon or two of water too.
  4. Taste and season. Give the hummus a taste, and add in extra salt, cumin and/or lemon juice if needed.
  5. Garnish and serve. Transfer it to a serving bowl, add on any toppings that you would like, and enjoy!!

Hummus Recipe Variations

The sky’s the limit if you’d like to get creative and mix things up with your hummus! Some of my favorite variations include:

  • roasted red pepper hummus: a classic, and even better with some crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled in too
  • pesto hummus: store-bought or homemade, plus maybe an extra garnish of toasted pine nuts
  • roasted garlic hummus: nix the fresh garlic in favor of a few cloves of rich, sweet, roasted garlic

Ways To Use Hummus

Of course, you can always use hummus as a dip. But it’s also delicious used in:

  • toast: I’ve been on a major hummus toast kick this year (more on that coming soon!)
  • burgers/sandwiches: just use the hummus as a spread for extra flavor
  • wraps: similarly, hummus makes a great spread in wraps or gyros
  • salads: mix in some extra lemon juice, water and oil, and hummus can double as a delicious salad dressing
  • mixed into pasta: similarly, just thin the hummus out with some water, and it can be used as a sauce for hot noodles or cold pasta salads
  • as a “crust” for chicken: this old hummus-crusted chicken recipe is still one of my faves
  • deviled eggs: the flavors in hummus pair perfectly with deviled eggs!
  • mashed potatoes: so good.

More Favorite Dip Recipes

Looking for more great dip recipes? Here are a few more of my faves:

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Hummus

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 208 reviews
  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

This homemade hummus recipe is quick and easy to make, super-smooth and creamy, and tastes so fresh and flavorful!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/3 cup good-quality tahini
  • 24 tablespoons cold water, or more if needed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • juice of 1 lemon (23 tablespoons)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas*, rinsed and drained
  • optional toppings: extra drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, toasted pine nuts

Instructions

  1. Add tahini, cold water, olive oil, cumin, salt, garlic and lemon juice to a food processor.  Puree until smooth.
  2. Add in the chickpeas.  Puree for 3-4 minutes, pausing halfway to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the hummus is smooth.  If it seems too thick, add in another tablespoon or two of water.
  3. Taste and season with additional salt, cumin, and/or lemon juice if needed.
  4. Serve immediately, garnished with your desired toppings.  Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

Or, as mentioned above, feel free to instead use:

  • Chickpeas that have been cooked from scratch: Either in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.  I recommend overcooking them a bit to slightly soften the chickpeas and loosen up the skins.
  • Canned chickpeas that have been simmered for 20 minutes: If you have the extra time, just rinse and drain your chickpeas. Transfer them to a saucepan and cover with an extra inch or two of water.  Then bring to a simmer, continue simmering for 20 minutes, and drain.

These two methods may yield slightly smoother hummus.  But in my experience, the difference was negligible and arguably not worth the extra time and effort.

 

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386 comments on “Hummus”

  1. I made this hummus with canned chickpeas, boiled them for about 15 Minutes and it was really delicious. I chopped up some kalamata olives and placed those in a the middle with a little bit of olive oil. Thanks so much for posting. I will be using this recipe many times in the future!

  2. For someone who was not a hummus fan, now I’m making it once a week ! My husband loves it and I love the easy recipe. Thank you!






  3. Love this! So easy and delicious. Will use this recipe every time. I will never buy from the store again ?

  4. I hate store bought hummus, but my coworker’s husband made some so I tried it. I absolutely loved it and so did my mom (I had to hide it before she ate it all.). He gave me the recipe to make for myself, and now I am addicted to it. It is perfect with my veggies. I do have a question though, what is the serving size???






  5. great classic. Smooth and fluffy in less than 2 min. I like to add smoked paprika on top. thank you






  6. This is by far my favorite Hummus recipe. I’ve tried tons and this one just has all the proprtions right!

    Have you used this recibe as a base for flavored Hummus such as Roasted Pepper Hummus or sundried tomato Hummus?

  7. Perfect






  8. This recipe is THE BEST base recipe for hummus. (I always add another 2-3 cloves of garlic), but I love that I can make this recipe and the add what I have around that sounds good: jalapenos, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and it turns out fantastic. I have a food processor and a Vitamix Blender. I prefer the creamy texture I get with the blender, but I think whatever you have will work! (Also- I use the canned organic chickpeas rinsed, and simmered under water for approx. 20 minute recommendation-perfect every time).






  9. Never need to look for another hummus recipe ever again. It’s perfect and SO good!

  10. Love it! So easy and tastes so fresh.






  11. How many chick peas if making fm scratch n not using canned ones ?

  12. I made hummus for the first time yesterday and this recipe is delicious! Better than any hummus I’ve ever bought. Great recipe.






  13. Wow this really is the yummiest hummus! Just made it today thank you!






  14. This recipe is so simple and tastes so delightful! I love how this recipe begins so basic (and delicious) but can easily transform into a more complex recipe by adding various things.






  15. This is the best hummus recipe I have ever tasted. And it was so easy to put together. Thank you for sharing!

  16. Skip the salt! 3/4 teaspoon of salt ruined the entire batch of hummus, it’s so salty I can barely eat it. Do not add salt to your hummus. Salt to taste at the end if you choose to do so.






  17. Thank you! I made it successfully the second tume around






  18. So very easy and DELISH! LOVE IT! Used Himalayan salt added a bit more flavor.

  19. So easy to make. We had leftover Spanish stewed garbanzos and decided to make hummus. We dig out our tahini and got to work kept the recipe as-is however, the garbanzos were obviously seasoned already. What a treat. We served this with warmed pitas brushed with garlic olive oil.






  20. Delicious!
    I used smoked olive oil. Gave it an extra dimension.

  21. This recipe really delivers! Directions were clear and easy to follow. Smooth and creamy!

  22. Wow really yummy humus recipe ??

  23. The very best authentic hummus I’ve ever made! Simply delicious!!!

  24. Literally the best hummus! About the make some wraps with it. Thank you for a great recipe.

  25. I just made this, and went ahead and boiled the chickpeas (why not?) with the cloves of garlic. Served it warm. My husband loved it! We go thru a couple of store bought (Sabra) each week, and he thought this recipe was better than that. :-) Looks like I’m making it from now on. It’s so good. Thank you so much!

  26. Use 1/2 the Tahini and quadruple the olive oil.

  27. We at Plate Pixel have great Blogs regarding Food & Beverages that include Recipes, Cooking Inspirations, Success Stories, and Industry Trends. Serving one a plate full of experiences.
    5 Vibrant Hummus Dips https://platepixels.com/5-vibrant-hummus-dips/  
     






  28. Just made this! So good! I added a little fresh ground pepper and it cut the salt a bit! Thank you!!

  29. My son is super picky when it comes to foods, but he likes to dip things. I tried this recipe today and it was a HUGE success! I was able to get him to eat raw veggies while dipping them in more veggies! The texture is super smooth and the flavor is amazing, better than what we buy in stores. I’m very happy I found this ?






  30. Oh, man. My husband has made this recipe a few times now. BEST hummus ever! This hummus is so good and so easy…we will never buy store bought ever again!






  31. Absolutely smooth and delicious. This will make “convenience” hummus so much more difficult to buy! I agree it’s worth making home made chick peas. I used my pressure cooker and in less than 20 minutes, it was all good ! Yum! We garnish with Kalamata olives and drizzled olive oil. This is equally good as a dip or spread for vegis or pita






  32. I’ve made hummus for years using many different recipes and this is my favorite. Thank you!

  33. Trick from a famous Israeli chef
    the water you add to loosen up the texture is best when ice cold
    I just pour the water from a can of organic chick peas into a glass full of ice cubes

  34. Easy and oh so delish! A fam fav!






  35. I tried this the over the weekend, it is amazing. I added chipotle peppers to it and I cannot get enough of it. Thank you for much for sharing.






  36. In love with this recipe!! Super easy and tasty, very happy with the results!






  37. This really was the best hummus I have ever tasted

  38. Absolutely delicious! Thanks so much :)






  39. It looks very yummy and definitely I will try it, Thanks for sharing this type of tasty recipes.I think you Guys should try once homemade SOUTH INDIAN TASTY FOODS .






  40. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!! It is absolutely amazing. I doubled it for my large family and it was a hit. This Mom is never buying store bought hummus again.






  41. Lovely recipe. I used canned beans rinsed in warm water. I used a vitamiser to blend as instructed – used the 4 tablespoons of water. Cut salt back to half a teaspoon. I love Hummus, so very excited to have made my own 3 plastic rice cups: one for me, two to share. Thank you ?






  42. Use a food mill

  43. I believe one reason for boiling in Baking soda is to reduce gas, not just smoothness of the hummus.
    Love the advice on the garlic and lemon! Also about just adding water if it’s too thick.

  44. Easy and amazing






  45. This recipe makes perfect hummus, I followed the instructions exactly as written, just opened 4 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed and added everything to the food processor, I did have to add a bit of water to loosen it up more and when served sprinkled cayenne pepper over the top, can taste all the flavors individually and very creamy, this will be my go to recipe.

    Thank you for sharing ❤️






  46. Best hummus ever! Did not have cumin, used coriander- turned out great! Ali has the best recipes!

  47. Kind of bland, I think I’ll keep looking.






  48. SO GOOD! I opted for a little more olive oil and a little less water and lemon. Canned chickpeas worked wonderfully and ended up smooth. As a happy accident, my little food processor got hot while blending the chickpeas making the hummus warm which was even YUMMIER. Highly recommend.






  49. Delicious hummus! I made the recipe as written. I blended it for almost 5 min and it was so creamy and fluffy!
    I used 2 large garlic cloves which turned up the garlic taste up a notch–probably not a good thing for a first date! So much better than store bought–I add lightly toasted pine nuts before serving–Yummy!