Homemade Hummus

Homemade Hummus is easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients, it comes together in minutes, is SUPER creamy, fresh, & delicious!

I’ve been on a ‘don’t turn on the oven’ kick recently with this summertime heat! Enter all the cheeseboards and mezze platters and you’ve got yourself an easy lunch! Buy canned chickpeas if it’s easier, but I challenge you to make your chickpeas homemade (if you can)! Easily the hardest part is remembering to soak the chickpeas overnight, however, in a pinch you could skip that step and cook them a tad longer. Chickpeas made ahead of time leads to all the different salads you can make: Simple Marinated Chickpeas, my Salad in a Jar, and now this homemade hummus!

Having a few store bought items to use as a shortcut is important. However, recently the hummus brands I’ve been buying have been either too salty or just not that flavorful. Until that is I started making my own! Hear me out, because once you make hummus homemade, you’ll probably never buy store bought again! It’s legit so easy to make and easily customizable! This version I made is ‘my original’ but you can easily add in other ingredients to make different flavors: roasted red pepper, beets, sun-dried tomato. The sky is the limit!

Ingredients: Homemade Hummus

1. Chickpeas – Make them homemade, this is my go-to recipe. Buying canned chickpeas? Buy ones that are low-sodium and/or no added-salt. This way you have the ability to add in/adjust to your taste buds. What’s non-negotiable? Taking the skin off. You heard me right. Peel the skin off – this helps create the smoothest, creamiest hummus in town!
2. Tahini – All tahini is not created equal. Chickpeas might be the star of this recipe, but I’d challenge that and say the tahini is just as important. Many store bought ones leave tahini out since it’s an expensive ingredient. I used a smaller amount in my recipe, however, you can add a up to 1/4 cup more. Start with less and add in more, tahini is a nutty flavor and can be quite strong. One more reason why you need a good tahini! Two brands I recommend (their original): Soom and Seed and Mill. With none on hand, I used Trader Joe’s brand today and it also turned out quite well!
3. Ice-Cold Water and/or Chickpeas Liquid (aka Aquafaba) – Not sure of the exact scientific reason behind this, but what I know is that when you add this for a liquid to help the beans and tahini emulsify it helps make it lighter and fluffier in color. If you’re using canned beans, use the extra liquid in the can, and if you’re using homemade, simply use cold water.
4. Garlic – Fresh garlic can be quite harsh in flavor, somewhat overpowering at times. Mixing the garlic and lemon juice help mellow the flavor out. Here’s a great explanation by Serious Eats.
5. Lemon Juice – Fresh is best vs the store-bought ones. My theory is always to use less add more later. It’s easier to change that way. As if the case with the lemon juice, I used just 2 tablespoons. You can use up to 2 tablespoons more. Remember, start with less and add more if you feel it needs it.
6. Salt – My beans had minimal salt when cooking. Using a small amount here helps bring all the flavors together.

How To Make Homemade Hummus

Hummus is Levantine and Egyptian in origin, however, pureeing chickpeas and sesame is common all over the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. The flavor and relative ratio of ingredients will wildly from region to region. This is my own interpretation for a homemade hummus. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

1. Cook/Peel the Chickpeas – 1st things first. Either grab a can of low-sodium and/or no-added salt chickpeas. OR make them homemade using my recipe/foolproof method. Remember to save the liquid (aquafaba) from the can or grab 1/4 cup cold water. Peel your chickpeas – hold a chickpea between your two fingers and the peel just pops right off.
2. Mince the garlic – Mince your garlic and let it soak in the lemon juice for a few minutes.
3. Blend the chickpeas – start first with blending/pureeing your chickpeas until they form a dust, about 1 minute.
4. Continue to blend – Add in your tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Blend until pureed.
5. Add in the liquid – As your blender is running, add in the cold water or aquafaba 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a creamy and smooth mixture. I used right around 4 tablespoons. Amounts may vary, add in a tablespoon at a time.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings – add in a dash more salt, more lemon juice if you like it a tad more bright. Let the hummus sit for awhile before deciding to add in any more garlic.
7. Allow it to rest – Allow the hummus to sit and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes (or longer). Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with sumac and/or za’atar. Serve with pita wedges or cut veggies.

OTHER SNACKS/DIPS

• Guacamole
• Marinated Chickpeas
• How To Make A Mezze Platter
• Buttermilk Ranch Dip

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