Hummus was one of the very first recipes I ever blogged about, and it continues to be a favorite recipe on my site. Making your own hummus is easy and affordable, and the resulting flavor is far superior to those tubs of store-bought dip. When you peel the chickpeas before blending, a light, silky texture emerges that is simply irresistible.
Hummus is an absolute staple in our home cuisine. Rarely a family gathering goes by without a dish of hummus at the table. This simple food is tasty, filling, heart-healthy, vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free. What could be better?
Since first posting this recipe, I have refined my hummus-making technique quite a bit. Peeling the chickpeas is a must, but I always found it to be a very tedious process. The owner of a local falafel joint shared his secret for peeling lots of garbanzo beans at once, and I’ve been using it ever since. This simple trick using baking soda works like a charm! I decided to update my recipe with this new technique, and I even added a video to help walk you through the steps- check it out down below the ingredient list.
Hummus has been a mainstay of the Middle Eastern diet for centuries. It is eaten as both an appetizer and a main course, usually served with hot baked pita bread and a bowl of olives. Hummus is often paired with fresh fried falafel and sometimes shared alongisde ful mudammas in a dish known as hummus ful. In Western countries, it tends to be served as an appetizer or snack dip alongside vegetable crudités, pita bread or chips.
A decade ago hummus was relegated to the health food stores, an oft-overlooked dip with a niche audience. The dip has gained massive popularity in the past few years, and now can be found at most major grocery stores in varying flavors. From roasted pepper to spicy jalapeño to white bean basil, you can find a variety of hummus choices on market shelves. Venture into making it yourself, and you’ll discover even more possibilities– like creamy avocado cilantro or exotic peanut hummus. Once you master the technique, you can come up with your own delicious ideas!
Hummus is very nutritious… and if you make it yourself, it’s affordable too. You can make about three times the amount of hummus for the price of one store-bought tub, and it tastes so much better made fresh. As long as you have a food processor, nothing could be easier. Of course, you could mash it the old fashioned way with a mortar and pestle, but it will take some serious elbow grease. I highly recommend the processor if you have access to one.
I sometimes add roasted garlic to my hummus instead of plain garlic. The roasting adds depth to the garlic’s flavor, and just a hint of sweet smokiness that I find delicious. It’s also easier on the digestive system than raw garlic. I have provided instructions for roasting garlic in a previous blog. Use raw garlic if you prefer a stronger, sharper garlic flavor.
Keep in mind that all ingredients are “to taste.” The key to great hummus is tasting often and adjusting the flavors as desired.
Hummus tastes best when made with cooked chickpeas instead of canned. To learn how to prepare the chickpeas, check out this post: How to Soak and Cook Chickpeas.
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Video by Entice Films
Classic Hummus
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups canned OR soaked and cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (optional - to help skin the chickpeas, then rinsed away - see instructions below)
- 1/3 cup tahini paste
- 8 roasted garlic cloves , or more to taste (you may substitute 1-3 fresh garlic cloves if you prefer a stronger sharper flavor)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice , or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil , plus more for garnish
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , or more to taste
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Paprika and fresh minced parsley for garnish optional
NOTES
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them first. If cooking the beans, follow my soaking and cooking instructions here. Drain the beans after cooking and let them return to room temperature.To make this hummus ultra creamy, you should peel the cooked chickpeas. While this step is optional, I do recommend it for creamy results. To peel and remove the chickpea skins easily, place them in a skillet with 1 tbsp baking soda and stir, coating all the beans thoroughly with baking soda. Heat up the skillet over medium, stirring the beans constantly, for 2-3 minutes until the beans are completely heated throughout and the skins begin to separate from the beans.
- Pour the hot beans into a large mixing bowl, then immerse them in 3-4 changes of cold water, agitating the beans with your hands to release the skins. Loose skins should float to the surface where they can easily be discarded with each batch of cold water. When most of the skins are gone, proceed with the recipe.
- Another way of skinning the chickpeas (which takes a lot longer) is to take each chickpea and gently squeeze to remove the skin, then discard the skins before processing. While this step is not completely necessary, it will ensure that your hummus turns out very smooth and creamy.
- Reserve about 15-20 whole chickpeas for garnish. Outfit your food processor with a blade attachment. Place chickpeas, tahini paste, roasted garlic, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper into the processor. Process the mixture until it becomes a smooth, creamy hummus.
- Taste the mixture and add more salt, lemon juice, or garlic to taste. Process again to blend any additional ingredients. If the texture seems too thick, add lukewarm water and continue to process until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer hummus to a shallow bowl and create a well in the center with a spoon. Garnish with reserved chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of paprika and minced fresh parsley. Serve with pita, crackers, or fresh vegetables for dipping.
Nutrition
All your recipes are great. My daughter and son use your site too! I was trying to figure out calories and could not find how many servings made in the recipe. If you can let me know, that would be great as I make it often!!!
I made this today, tastes wonderful! It’s going to go great with my falafel pockets.
Just wondering how many servings this recipe yields. If guests are eating some along with a variety of other salads and an entree, is it necessary to double the recipe?
Small note. When I lived in Israel and ate hummus in the Old City in Jerusalem, ful was placed in the middle of the hummus platter, not chickpeas. It was delicious! I’ve had it both ways. If putting the ful in the center of the hummus platter, should olive oil and lemon juice be drizzled over it?
I know it takes time to answer, but a quick response, if possible, would be appreciated. In two weeks I’m having a really important celebration.
Hi Claudia – I need to measure this recipe, it’s one I never weighed and created serving sizes for. It may take me some time to do so, however – so I would recommend doubling this one. It always seems to go quickly in a crowd, and it keeps well in the refrigerator. Re: ful – it depends on how lemony/oily it is already. It’s one of those try it and see things. If you feel it needs more oil or lemon, go for it! I typically add a little olive oil drizzle at the end regardless, since it’s so tasty and has amazing health benefits.
As a Middle Easterner, this is the most accurate recipe for making hummus that I have ever seen online! Great Job! The only exception to making it 100% accurate is the part where you have “lukewarm water,” the traditional way is to add ice (2 cubes) . The hummus must always remain cold while blending to activate the ingredients, plus the ice helps keep the color of the hummus light.
Tori, thank you so much for your amazing recipes. I have made your tahini, your eggplant, and now your hummus. You know your stuff!! Perfect proportions. Thanks again!!
I have tried many hummus recipes and this has been the best so far! I used dried garbanzo cooked in the Instapot per your instructions. Among the changes I made: didnt remove the skins, added some of the garbanzo water for smoothness, used a little more tahini, and blended it until I liked the texture. I think the roasted garlic really added a nice flavor and it was soooo delicious and creamy. Bravo!
So good and so easy. My husband does not like the typical brands of hummus and whenever we are near a kosher grocery store we stop to get a more authentic brand. This recipe is better than any of them! Try an emulsion blender for easy clean up.
Can you make this recipe without using tahini? We have sesame allergies in the family.
Love getting your recipes.
Clarice
Hi Clarice! Sorry you’re dealing with that allergy. I have heard people have good success using nut butters in place of tahini, which would make sense. Maybe cashew butter, or even a very soft smooth ground peanut butter? If you go that route, make sure the nut butter has no sugar added. If you are also dealing with nut allergies let me know! You can make hummus without any tahini, but it won’t be quite as creamy or substantial. Cooking the chickpeas and skinning them will help a lot. If there is interest in a nut free, sesame free version I can work on developing one.
The closes substitute in terms of flavour would be sunflower seed paste with some addition of UNREFINED sunflower oil. If you are allergic to sunflower seeds as well, then adding only unrefined sunflower oil also would work. Just make sure it is unrefined oil, otherwise there is no any point adding it all.
Very easy and homemade dish. So creamy and tasty.
Homemade hummus is much tastier than any bought hummus, so it is definitely worth making!
I added more garlic and lemon since I like strong flavours. Thank you for the recipe!
Made this tonight. Best hummus we have had in a long time.
I added a few green olives to the blend and instead of adding water to get get a creamier consistency I added juice from my olive brine. So good! I always trust your recipes are going to be good! Thanks for sharing with us!
So glad you enjoyed it!
The baking soda trick is the best kitchen tip I’ve heard in a long time.
– I didn know taking the skins off makes a creamier hummus
– This was is so easy
Thanks!
You’re welcome! 🙂
This is the best recipe! And as much of a pain as it is to peel the chickpeas, it is so worth it! Makes it so fluffy and creamy!
How long will homemade hummus keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Melissa, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Homemade hummus will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.