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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. Hi! This recipe is fantastic. I have to agree with the other reader, once you’ve had this it’s hard to ever buy again. I loved it. I have a question regarding the shelf life of this hummus. I made it to have on hand at home vs for a party or get together. Please let me know. Thank you! And happy mother’s day to you and all the special ladies in your life.






  2. this was excellent. Made as is






  3. very easy and inexpensive.






  4. I didn’t have lemons so I substituted lemon juice for apple cider vinegar and used lemon pepper turned out so good! I’m looking forward to making more and adding some spice!






  5. Can’t WAIT to make this. Hummus is one of my very favorite foods!
    I read, to achieve an extra smooth consistency, to actually pinch off all the chickpea skins. I have yet to try this, but will when I make your delicious recipe. Stay tuned…

  6. Delicious and so easy! Both my husband and my son were skeptical but both loved it. Will definitely keep this one!






  7. LOVE THIS!! I used my chili infused oil for this and it gave it a WONDERFUL heat on the back end of the bite. New favorite go to base recipe for hummus. Thank you for sharing!

  8. Our local falafel place makes THE BEST hummus; and you can buy a 16 oz container of it for $10. The price is a little outrageous, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve done that quite a few times because I’ve never found any other hummus that compares. This, though? This easily rivals it any day – and it cost a pittance comparatively! It was so easy to make, and the flavor is outstanding. Thank you!






  9. This is very good we just need to add more tahini sauce

  10. Hi! I got one quick question. Do you soak chickpeas all night? Do you boil them? I am a basic cooking learner :)

  11. I AGREE! I tried the Solmonov method and honestly couldn’t tell any difference from just using chickpeas right out of the can. Glad I’m not the only one. :) I will have to try leaving my hummus in the food processor a bit longer.

  12. Yay, I’ve been waiting for you to post this. I loved the Instagrams with Barclay sitting in front of all of those bowls of hummus!

  13. Looks great – going to try putting that food processor to work, as my hummus always seems a bit grainy. BTW, I was served warm hummus as a side dish to roast lamb when we were on holiday in Australia – it was quite strongly flavoured with toasted cumin seeds and was an absolutely delicious alternative to mashed potatoes. I’ve been feeding it to us ever since. Definitely worth a try. Might also go well with grilled fish or spicy chicken.

    • Hi, I made it using the nutribullet or the ninja or the magic bullet and it really came out a perfect texture!

  14. I’m not sure what the fuss about texture is with hummus. When I learned to make it, about 50 years ago, I was taught to mash the beans with a fork. The texture was NOT like baby food, which is what it is like these days. The other thing I would point out is that tahini can be made with raw sesame seeds or toasted sesame seeds. You definitely want tahini made from toasted sesame seeds. That alone would make a huge difference in the flavor of the hummus.

  15. Ali, Hummus is my favorite snack food and take along for parties food. But then, I love garbanzos any way, even straight out of a can or stewed and served with a huge bowl of white rice. Oh and in soups! our recipes are similar, but I also add cayenne while processing and garnish with a generous amount of smoky Paprika mixed with 1/3 part of Cayenne. Some like it hot, yeh?






  16. LOVE hummus. The trick is to remove & discard the skins on the canned chick peas. It’s tedious but it goes pretty fast. Then you’ll have the silkiest and smoothest hummus. If you soak/cook your own chickpeas, you’ll need to do this after the cooking.

  17. Yummm! I juat had to run and make it as soon as this landed on my inbox!
    It’s the best hummus yet, although I had a bigger ratio of chickpeas as I use the jars of Gutbio chickpeas from Aldi (you definitely have to try them if you haven’t yet!)
    Thank you so much Ali, a game changer!

    Also, would you mind sharing the details of your little falafel joint in Barcelona with a local? I would love to try it with my little family!

    Moltes gràcies!






  18. I am sure this is a silly question but I am going to ask anyways. Can I freeze hummus?
    Thank you in advance,
    P.S. your website is the greatest.
    Christine Allen

  19. I always make my own hummus.
    I love your ideas of how to serve it other than veggies and pita.

  20. My dad always adds a few drops of liquid smoke in his hummus. It’s amazing!

  21. Do you know if you use hard neck or soft neck garlic? Or better, your specific garlic variety? I find a huge difference in garlic flavor between the different types.

  22. I just made this for my weekly snack! I usually like a stronger tasting hummus, but this is SUCH a great homemade basic hummus recipe. I’m excited to play around with different flavors, including those I’m reading in the comments- smoked paprika and cayenne, yum!






  23. This is so good!!! Best humus I have tried so far!






  24. Thank you for this!! I recently started making my own hummus and this was my best batch yet! I appreciate you doing all the experimenting to figure out the best method :)






  25. I agree with you – I recently did a blind taste test with hummus for my family and the biggest difference was the blending. The only difference between your recipe and mine is, though, is that I stopped using a food processor and started using a blender. I have an industrial blender from our time owning a restaurant, but I’m sure any old blender would do. Using the blender and extending the time blending is the one big breakthrough I’ve made over the years. It makes it so much creamier.
    I also have started adding a splash of organic cider vinegar as well as the lemon juice. It gives it a little extra zing.
    I’m interested in one reader’s comment about adding a drop of liquid smoke. I have no idea where you’d get that here in Australia, but I might try adding some charred eggplant to it for a smoky flavour. Kind of like a cross between hummus and baba ghanoush…Mmmm.
    Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I’ve been making dinners from your site since September last year and have lost 32kg so far.

  26. I love this recipe! I’ve always just purchased prepackaged hummus but this inspired me to try it on my own. It’s so easy and quick. It’s delicious as written, but I do like to bump it up to two lemons. I serve it as suggested, or with a hefty dash of TJs Everything but the Bagel seasoning






  27. F.U.N.
    I have been a chicken to try my hand at hummus…
    ohmygosh -#nochoke #soeasy . What on earth was I thinking?






  28. I use my vitamix to make hummus, it really makes it smooth and velvety. Just made your recipe. It’s creamy and smooth and amazing. Thanks!

  29. Buy an immersion blender and use that instead of a food processor. More fun, better results

  30. Your technique of processing all the ingredients other than the chickpeas first makes for a very smooth hummus. Thanks!






  31. First of all, thank you for making it your mission in finding the best texture for hummus. That saved me all the leg work. Secondly your hummus was the creamiest, smoothest and tastiest hummus I have ever made. It was a super hit at my party and my husband keeps asking me to make it again and again. So thank you very much for your recipe.

  32. Very similar to the way I make homemade hummus, except I toast sesame seeds instead of using pre-prepared tahini. It tastes out of this world. I actually like a more stiff texture that one will find in store-bought mass produced hummuses such as Sabra. Blending for this amount of time has always made a super creamy, yet not very stiff texture. I wonder, is there any way other than a mortar and pestle to make a homemade version with the stiff texture of Sabra?






  33. I made this hummus today and it is fabulous! I did add a little extra garlic. There is a small Mediterranean restaurant near us with a hummus I love. This is easily comparable to theirs. Now I can make it whenever I want! Thank you!






  34. It’s a good basic recipe, I found it a little plain. I enlivened it by processing in about three tablespoons chopped parsley (chop it roughly before adding to the processor) as well as a couple of pinches ground cayenne, and I was more generous with the cumin and lemon juice. Adding more garlic was not the answer – I tried that, too, and it overpowered the other flavors.






  35. Absolutely delicious.
    Tricks:
    •Best Tahini I have found (esp for the price) is Trader Joe’s. You get at least 3 batches from a jar.
    •She says to boil the beans to peel the skin off easily. The trick to it being so smooth is peeling every. Single. Damn. Bean… but if you do peel them, I found that boiling makes it harder to remove the skin. When you boil, the skin stays firm, but the inside bean gets soft and mushy and harder to separate. I peel first, simmer after.
    •I do tons of garlic, as much lemon juice as I can physically remove from the lemon, and a bit less cumin that she calls for (but I still eyeball it)

  36. We live off grid and have no food processor. Will a food mill (Mouli) suffice?

  37. Thank you for giving all of us a fabulous hummus recipe that is so wonderful on its own or with other things!! I’ve found the ratios to be off in so many hummus recipes I’ve tried, and even though I doctored things, I was never really happy. Until now! So good!






  38. The (excellent) cookbook I’m using right now, Zaitoun – Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan, has you processing “until the mixture is smooth” and only then the slightly peculiar step of putting a couple of ice cubes in and processing a couple of minutes more–until you don’t hear the ice clattering, basically. She doesn’t explain why ice cubes instead of just water (also “ice cube” is a rather inexact amount of water to put in), but it does end up very smooth.

  39. I did make this recipe, but made changes according to what I had on hand. Cooked my garbanzo beans overnight with salt, garlic and oregano. Came out perfect. I used limes instead of lemons because that’s what I had, added oregano to cumin because I like it and one batch had one sheet of Pacific Kombu (a request) The best part of the directions was to process the tahini and the other ingredients before adding the beans. Very smooth and super yummy.






  40. So easy and perfectly balanced. I’ve made it twice now and love it!






  41. I’ve been working on perfecting my hummus and this method finally did the trick! A full 3-4 minutes in the food processor made all the difference. If you’re bringing to a party, make it ahead of time! Tastes even better the next day






  42. Excellent hummus recipe. I have never made hummus before and your recipe was the first one I tried. It is excellent! I followed the recipe as written. I used 2 tblsp. of lemon juice and Ziyad brand Tahini and the flavor was just perfect! Thank you for posting this recipe! I shared it on facebook as well.






  43. I love this!!! I added roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes. It turned out perfect.






  44. This recipe rocks. No changes, except I didn’t bother to rinse the beans, just drained them, and eyeballed amounts on the ingredients. Used my bullet blender, was plenty big enough for this task, and easier cleanup.






  45. I didnt have Tahinni so I added extra garlic and fire roasted red pepper and it was sooo good. Definitly will make sure the garbanzo is chilled so I can eat the hummus right away. Grateful for another recipe I can make at home and avoid the 8 plastic tubs a month I was buying!






  46. Delicious! I added a little bit of horseradish for some kick. Great recipe. Thank you!






  47. I buy two containers of hummus for my husband on a weekly basis because he loves the stuff. I wanted to try to make it myself and followed your recipe, OMG, this is so much better than the hummus I buy. It was delicious with the homemade naan bread I made.






  48. thank you for mastering the hummus! i love it! i did add more cumin, and garlic! great suggestion.






  49. I love this recipe as it is…good and serves as a good base for adding/experimenting. The latest version had me adding 1 roasted bell pepper, 2 lemons, and paprika. Fantastic. I soaked dry beans from bulk and cooked them for about 20-30 minutes…longer next time. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  50. Awesome taste n flavour!