Hummus
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Say goodbye to mediocre store-bought hummus — with this simple recipe, superior hummus is easy to whip up at home!
Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made from a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices. It’s commonly served as a starter or mezze, paired with pita bread, or as a side to dishes like falafel, kofta or kabobs. I was fortunate enough to learn how to prepare authentic hummus from a kabob maker in the Old City of Jerusalem. Using a few smart shortcuts I’ll share with you, it’s surprisingly easy to replicate at home. But you might ask, why go to this effort when I can just buy hummus at the store? Well, the benefits of homemade hummus are plenty. For starters, homemade hummus skips the soybean oil often found in store-bought varieties, staying true to traditional olive oil, and it swaps the artificial tang of citric acid with fresh, vibrant lemon juice. Also, no preservatives. Not only is homemade hummus healthier, but it also delivers a flavor that is heads and shoulders above store-bought varieties. And the best part is, it requires hardly any effort from you at all!
What You’ll Need To Make Hummus
- Chickpeas are the main ingredient in hummus. I use canned, which may come as a surprise since many hummus aficionados insist on using dried chickpeas. I assure you, it’s not necessary. I’ve made it both ways and there’s virtually no difference. I have also seen recipes that call for peeling the chickpeas. Supposedly, the skins prevent the hummus from getting super creamy. Again, I tried it — it took forever and I could not tell the difference. Keep it simple!
- The other key ingredient in hummus is tahini, a condiment made from toasted ground sesame seeds. Frequently used in Middle East cooking, tahini is also used in baba ghanoush and halva. You can find it in most supermarkets near the other nut butters.
- When you open a can of tahini, you will notice that the solids settle in the bottom the can, similar to natural peanut butter. It is very difficult to stir tahini in the can (the solids on the bottom are quite stiff) so I suggest scraping the entire contents of the can into a bowl, then using a whisk or hand-held electric mixer to blend. Place whatever tahini you don’t use back in the can and refrigerate until needed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by draining the chickpeas in a colander (no need to rinse them). You’ll need to save the canning liquid for the recipe and set aside a few whole chickpeas for serving.
Next, combine the drained chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, spices and 1/3 cup of the canning liquid in the bowl of a food processor.
Blitz for a few minutes until smooth and creamy, adding more of the reserved liquid to thin the hummus if desired. The hummus should just hold its shape when you drag a spoon through it.
Transfer the dip to a bowl and use a spoon to form a shallow well in the center. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the well, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and top with the reserved whole chick peas. Serve with pita wedges, pita chips or crudités. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Hummus
Say goodbye to mediocre store-bought hummus — with this simple recipe, superior hummus is easy to whip up at home!
Ingredients
- 2 (15½ oz.) cans chickpeas
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- ¼ cup sesame tahini, well stirred (preferably Joyva Sesame Tahini)
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
- Paprika, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Reserving the liquid from the cans, drain the chickpeas in a colander (no need to rinse them). Set a few chickpeas aside for garnishing the hummus.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, olive oil, and ⅓ cup of the reserved canning liquid. Process for several minutes until smooth and creamy. The hummus should hold its shape when you drag a spoon through it; add more liquid and process again if it seems too thick. Taste and add adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl. Use the back of a spoon to swirl a shallow well in the center. Drizzle a little olive oil in the well; sprinkle with parsley and paprika, then garnish with the reserved chickpeas. Serve at room temperature with pita bread, pita chips or crudités.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Hummus can be made and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to two days ahead of time. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 98
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 0
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 225 mg
- Cholesterol: 0
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Only hummus recipe you will ever need! Spices are on point. So much tastier than store-bought. Thank you!
So good! I’m not a big fan of chickpeas so this is a perfect way for me to get them into my diet. This recipe is so fast and easy, less than 5 minutes to make. I’ll be making this again. Thank you!!
Hi Jenn, I can’t wait to try this recipe, but I don’t like the taste of cumin at all! Is there a substitute you recommend? Thank you for all of your delicious recipes!
Hi Mimi, It’s perfectly fine to just leave it out. Enjoy!
This hummus is FANTASTIC–the best I have ever had–and also ridiculously easy to make. No more store-bought hummus for me!
I am going to make it again but this time would like to add roasted garlic for a change. Jenn, any recommendations how much I should add?
Glad you like it! I’d add 2 to 3 roasted garlic cloves. I may suggest starting with 2 and you can always make it with 3 the next time if you’d like more of that garlicky flavor. 😊
We love this recipe and use it to make hummus regularly.
Recently I started buying garbonzo beans from the Palouse Brand website. It is a farm in Washington state. The taste is much better than any canned beans.
You have the best website on the internet and we recommend it frequently.
This hummus is the absolute best! I’ve made humus for 10 years all different ways and this recipe is the only one I follow now. It is perfect !
Delicious, never thought to keep the liquid from the Chick Peas before – worked well! I added one of my Hungarian Peppers and some parsley. Absolutely perfect. Served with a tomato/cucumber salad and grilled chicken. Sooooo good.
Nice recipe! I am on the fence about the chick pea skins: I usually drain the can, then pour the chickpeas onto a dish cloth, fold over and gently rub. Any skins that are loose, I pick out but don’t worry about the rest.
Yum! It freezes well, too. Thank you, Jenn.
This is very good. I’ve tried all kinds of hummus recipes, from using dried chickpeas soaking, not soaking, instant pot, boiling, and of course canned. Some say peel the skins, I agree with Jenn that it’s pointless (and labor intensive).
Jenn’s recipe has the right balance of all the flavorings. 1/4c of FRESH lemon juice is really key in this, and the only adjustment was I used closer to 1/2 cup of tahini based on other recipes that hailed it as a must for really tasty and smooth hummus.
I tried using roasted garlic (so good) which I thought was quite good.
The texture is fantastic and I really liked it.
Other recipes try things like whipping the lemon juice, tahini and aquafava together, so I tried that in the food processor before adding the chickpeas. Not sure if that made a difference or not but I tried it. I needed to add a little more liquid so I tried another tip from other recipes by adding ice cubes instead of water. Again, not sure if that did anything but the end result was definitely a hit.
This will be my go-to recipe, and buh-bye to dealing with dried beans and the instant pot!
Like other reviewers, this is now my go-to hummus recipe. It is flavorful and smooth. I may swap out one of the cans of chickpeas for a lower sodium can to cut back on the sodium a bit. Otherwise, perfecto!
Delicious! My husband is not a fan of garlic so I left out the garlic and put in 1T chopped chives instead. I also used a total of 1/2t cumin. Thank you! I love your recipes. You are my first go-to for a recipe!
I made this and it is by far the best I have ever made! I usually try to keep the fat levels down, but the taste suffers too much and the result is often just left in the fridge uneaten. But this recipe was fantastic, as have been all the others I have made from this wonderful site. The caesar salad dressing is stunning by the way!
This is the best Hummus I’ve ever made!
My friends love when I make it and my kids, who never really liked Hummus, ask for it!
Must say I have it with toasted naan for a light dinner.
👍🙌❤️
Sharon Gilmore
I live in a place where tahini paste is not easily found… so I substitute Chinese sesame oil. Same flavor experience!
This is the best. Thank you again for another great recipe.
Wow, delicious! On par with restaurant quality. I don’t think it’s necessary to take the tahini out to whisk and place in another container– I placed the jar upside down in the cabinet (similar to peanut butter), and since it’s being blended in a food processor anyway, found skipping that step to be just fine!
Jenn,
Just made this. Best Hummus I have made. Thank you. David K
AGAIN!!! Another fabulous recipe and so easy to make. This is for company on XMas Eve and I know everyone will be impressed. You never disappoint. 😉
Another Delicious recipe!
This is a fabulous recipe. Seriously, who the heck wants to peel chickpeas? I cannot be bothered with cooking in baking soda, either. I followed the recipe except I accidentally used 1/2 cup of tahini. Also 2 lemons gave me more than a 1/4 cup and I just used it all. It was terrific. I’ll use this recipe from now on. It’s delicious. Thanks!!
Hi Jenn! I absolutely love your recipes, thank you so much. I am half Lebanese and a huge fan of your hummus. My 2 year old however is allergic to sesame (so sad). Do you have any suggestions as a sub for the tahini? I know it won’t be the same, but I’m interested in getting a professional’s recommendation. Thank-you!
So glad you like the recipes, Meredith! Though I haven’t tried it, I think you could replace the tahini with cashew or almond butter. Please LMK how it turns out if you use one of these alternatives!
Sadly, she’s also allergic to treenuts! 🙁
Oops — If she is able to eat sunflower seeds, you could try it with sunflower butter. If not, I’d just omit that ingredient. It won’t taste quite like hummus but should still be good.
Sometimes I don’t have tahini so I just use extra garlic & liquid from chickpeas can. Turns out great😋
Holy moley! I will never use another recipe again for hummus – smooth, fluffy, so flavourful and easy – thank you for once again providing an amazing recipe. 🙂 The tip on smoothing out the tahini was spot on as well.
Once again, Jenn, you have an amazing recipe. The BEST hummus I’ve ever had. And so easy. I can’t wait to impress all of my friends at our next get together.
Great recipe! I have made hummus recipes in the past that were good but this recipe is very good and easier to make! I did use dried chickpeas in the insta pot–50 min with natural release resulted in a nice soft chickpea. Love the balanced flavor—don’t hesitate to run the food processor for several minutes– great fluffy texture—thanks again Jenn!
I never thought hummus could be this easy and delicious at home. Wow, it was terrific. Hubby fought me to lick the bowl clean. Going to make sure I keep two cans of chick peas and tahini on hand at all times so I can make this when the mood strikes. Another one out of the park, Jenn! Thank you!
My husband is the hummus maker in our house so when he asked me to make it i froze…..Then I thought once upon a chef would surely have a recipe, so I found it and made it and YAY…It was wonderful….Creamy, so tasty and wonderful. I’ll never be afraid to make hummus again,,,,Thank You…Thank You…
Honestly, this is the best hummus I’ve ever made!
This is on frequent rotation at our house and gets five-star reviews wherever I make it. In fact, I brought it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving last week at a good friend’s house. Her husband raved about it nonstop while she was putting the finishing touches on dinner, then finally realized he had better distribute the kudos a little bit more – ahem – evenly lol. He quickly blurted out a sheepish “And dinner smells great, honey!” This recipe even gets two thumbs up from my Lebanese coworker, who has his own recipe and is notoriously picky about the authenticity of Middle Eastern recipes!
LOVE this recipe. Made this many times and all enjoy it ! Simple. Thank you