Yummus, it’s time to make Homemade Hummus! (I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop myself.) I have some tricks up my sleeve to make ethereally smooth, restaurant-style hummus at home! It’s garlicky, lemony, and supremely creamy, and you don’t even need to start with dried chickpeas.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Hummus
- I Repeat: No Dried Chickpeas. A lot of the good homemade hummus recipes start with dried chickpeas…but I am here to tell you that you don’t have to mess with them. Give canned chickpeas a quick boil and a good rinse and they taste like you cooked them from scratch.
- A Dip with Benefits. Chickpeas are an excellent source of fiber and protein, tahini has vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, while olive oil brings healthy fats to the table.
- Classic Mediterranean Flavor. While I do love Edamame Hummus and Chocolate Hummus, sometimes I crave classic restaurant-style hummus and this homemade hummus recipe delivers. This recipe is better than store-bought hummus! It’s bright and lemony, with enough garlic to make things interesting without being overpowering.
- It Really Is the Best. There are a lot of little tricks and hacks in this recipe to give it the creamy texture and authentic flavor you expect from a good hummus. It takes a little bit more time than dumping a can of chickpeas in a food processor with olive oil, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice, but trust and believe, it is worth it.
How to Make This Homemade Hummus Recipe
The Ingredients
- Chickpeas. AKA garbanzo beans. Rinse and drain them well—our first step to getting rid of that canned flavor.
- Baking Soda. This may be an unexpected ingredient, but it will break down the chickpeas when you boil them, giving you an ultra-creamy—never grainy!—texture.
- Garlic. I find one clove to be perfect for homemade hummus, but this depends a bit on its size. If your cloves are tiny, go ahead and add an extra. If they’re ginormous, half might do the trick.
- Lemon Juice. Freshly squeezed, please! Bottled lemon juice, while convenient, has oxidized, dulling its bright flavor.
- Kosher Salt. Sea salt would be just fine too.
- Tahini. One of my tricks to the best hummus is to go heavy on the tahini. A paste made from sesame seeds, it has an intensely nutty, savory flavor that’s important in Mediterranean cuisine. You’ll have some extra, which is perfect! Use it to make dressing, like the one on my favorite Buddha Bowl recipe.
- Ice Cubes and Ice Water. Adding ice cubes to hummus is one of that hacks to making it supremely creamy.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. This is a great opportunity to use your fanciest bottle of EVOO—the kind with fresh, fruity notes.
- Optional Garnishes. Restaurant hummus is usually topped with sumac, but ground paprika and za’atar are also fantastic.
The Directions
- Boil the Chickpeas. Add the baking soda. They’ll get nice and soft and the skins will start to come off.
- Mix the Garlic and Lemon Juice. This mellows the garlic’s flavor.
- Rinse the Chickpeas. This makes it easy to remove most of the skins (don’t worry; you don’t need to remove all of the chickpea skins to make great hummus).
- Puree. Get those chickpeas as smooth as you can.
- Add the Tahini and Ice Cubes. Blending again. Lots of blending!
- Continue Blending, If Needed. If your homemade hummus has the consistency of thick yogurt, you’re done. Otherwise, turn on the food processor and stream in ice water until it reaches the desired consistency. You really can’t overblend here.
- Season. Taste and add salt or lemon juice, as needed.
- Finish. Transfer the hummus to a serving plate and make a well in the center. Add olive oil, reserved chickpeas, and any optional garnishes. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Use Roasted Garlic. Swap the single raw garlic clove with a whole head of Roasted Garlic; skip the mellowing-in-lemon-juice step.
- Add Some Smoky Flavor. Use smoked paprika for garnish to add some smokiness to your homemade hummus.
- Get Creative With Toppings. Instead of adding the reserved chickpeas to the top of the hummus, try adding a scoop of olive tapenade, Roasted Eggplant, Roasted Red Peppers, or Roasted Chickpeas.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Place leftover homemade hummus in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- To Freeze. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving; stir in a little extra olive oil or water if needed to thin it out.
Leftover Ideas
Use leftover hummus in recipes like Hummus Chicken, Greek Layer Dip, or Hummus Tartine. I also love spreading it onto a toasted whole wheat bagel and topping it with sprouts, cucumbers, and a thick slice of heirloom tomato.
What to Serve with Homemade Hummus
- Traditional Accompaniments. You can’t go wrong with a crudité platter, crackers, and pita bread or chips!
- Mediterranean Favorites. Put together a meze platter with olives, Mediterranean Shrimp, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip.
- Naan. It’s fusion cuisine! Warm, fresh Homemade Naan is the perfect pairing with this hummus.
- Veggie Burgers. I love homemade hummus on a Vegan Burger or Quinoa Burger as a healthy alternative to mayo.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Food Processor. I prefer a food processor to a blender because it’s not as deep, which makes scooping homemade hummus into a serving bowl easier.
- Measuring Spoons. I love these because they’re double-sided.
- Citrus Juicer. The best way to juice a lemon.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Follow the Recipe as Written. Don’t skip the boiling with baking soda, the swishing, the ice cubes, the ice water—each step is designed to bring you the very best homemade hummus.
- Go Slow With the Ice Water. If you add too much water, it’s hard to save your hummus, but it’s always easy to add more water if you need to.
- Don’t Forget to Scrape Down the Sides. Scraping down the bits that stick to the sides of your blender or food processor will help ensure that your hummus turns out perfectly creamy and smooth.
- Blend, then Blend Some More. Really blasting everything in the food processor goes a long way to giving you the creamiest hummus ever!
Homemade Hummus
This restaurant-style homemade hummus is THE BEST. Learn to make super smooth, easy hummus with canned chickpeas that tastes authentic!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice plus additional to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 ice cubes
- 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
- Big drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
Optional Garnishes
- Sprinkle of ground paprika or sumac
- Sprinkle of zaatar
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a medium pot and cover with 1 1/2 inches of water. Stir in the baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the chickpeas for 20 minutes, until they are soft, a number of their skins float to the surface, and a few are starting to break down.
- Meanwhile, peel the garlic clove, mince it as finely as you can (or grate it with a rasp) and place it in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes while the chickpeas cook (this mellows the garlic so it’s not as potent).
- Drain the chickpeas and return to the pot. Rinse with warm water, swishing them around with your hand (this helps remove any lingering tinny taste from the chickpeas, since we’re using canned). Pour off the top most part of the water (some of the skins will come with it), then drain the chickpeas. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the most entact chickpeas for garnish if you like, then immediately transfer the rest a food processor or high speed blender while still warm. No need to remove the rest of the chickpea skins.
- Strain the lemon/garlic mixture through a sieve into the food processor, pressing any solids into the sieve (if you don’t mind your hummus with a bigger garlic punch, you can just pour it right in and skip straining). Add the salt. Blend the chickpeas for at least 1 full minute, until they are as smooth as you can possibly get them at this point in the process, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the tahini and ice cubes. Blend, blend, blend into smooth, creamy oblivion, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Evaluate the consistency—it should be similar to a thick yogurt; it’s likely you’ll need to add ice water. Put some cold water in a small liquid measuring cup with a spout, and add a handful of ice cubes (you need it COLD). With the processor running, stream in about 2 tablespoons of ice water. Keep adding 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired hummus consistency is reached.
- Taste and add salt or lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a serving plate. Use a spoon to make a few swooshes and shallow well in the center. Drizzle with a generous amount of more olive oil. Place the reserved chickpeas in the well, then with paprika, sumac, and/or zaatar to taste.
Notes
- TO STORE: Place leftover homemade hummus in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- TO FREEZE: Store homemade hummus in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving; stir in a little extra olive oil or water if needed to thin it out.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoonsCalories: 25kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.3mg
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Chickpeas are an inexpensive source of plant-based protein, fiber, and lots of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they’re delicious! Here are some more ideas for how to use them:
This was sooooo smooth. We loved it!
So happy to har it Jeanine, thanks for sharing!!