If you haven’t started making your own hummus at home, you’re totally missing out.
It takes about five minutes, you can adjust the taste to be just the way you like it, and you can make a different flavor every week so that it never gets old!
I promise, once you make your first batch of homemade hummus, you’ll never go back to store-bought.
If you’re unfamiliar with hummus, it is a spread/dip made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans), olive oil, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon, and garlic.
There are a million different things you can add to hummus and I have posted the basic recipe plus three variations here (Jalapeño Cilantro, Roasted Red Pepper, and Parsley Scallion).
I also garnished my “original” flavor with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of paprika, and a few whole chickpeas. All of that is completely optional.
Hummus is great to keep in your fridge to eat as a snack with some pita, vegetables, or chips but it also makes a great spread for sandwiches and wraps.
It has a really great richness and adds moisture so I find that it makes a great substitute for mayo or cheese if you’re trying to watch your saturated fat.
This recipe comes together in about 5 minutes, requires no cooking, and all you need is a food processor. EASY!
[bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-file”] NOTE: While you can make this with some of the more powerful blenders available on the market, it might be too thick for many blenders to handle.
You don’t need a heavy-duty, expensive food processor, though.
Homemade Hummus Recipe:
| Rating: ★★★★★ |
| Prep Time: 5 minutes |
| Total Time: 5 minutes |
Ingredients
| • 15oz. can chickpeas* |
| • 2 Tbsp olive oil |
| • ¼ cup lemon juice |
| • ¼ cup tahini |
| • 1 clove of garlic |
| • ½ tsp salt |
| • ¼ tsp cumin |
Instructions
1. Drain the chickpeas. Place the drained chickpeas in a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, and cumin.
2. Pulse the mixture until it is fairly smooth. If the mixture is too dry to process smoothly, add a couple of tablespoons of water, extra olive oil, or liquid from the canned chickpeas.
3. Taste the hummus and adjust the salt, cumin, lemon, or garlic to your liking.
[bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-file”] NOTE: *About 1.75-2 cups chickpeas
Step by Step
Let’s start by taking a closer look at tahini. Tahini is like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. It even has a similar texture to natural-style peanut butter, but a very different flavor.
A flavor that is critical, IMHO, to getting authentic hummus. Tahini has a slightly nutty, slightly bitter flavor that is totally unique.
Some people use peanut butter in its place, but I find their flavors to be vastly different.
Tahini is about twice the price of peanut butter, but you’ll only need a small amount at a time and it stays fresh in the refrigerator for quite some time (it may need an occasional stir).
You can find tahini in grocery stores either near the peanut butter, near Mediterranean ingredients like olives and artichokes, or in the natural foods aisle.
Drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas and add them to a food processor along with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup tahini, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp cumin.
Pulse the ingredients until they become smooth. If the mixture is too dry to properly purée, add a couple of tablespoons of water, olive oil, or even the drained juice from the canned chickpeas.
Taste the hummus and adjust the salt, lemon, garlic, or cumin to your liking. And that’s it! That’s all it takes. You can garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac or paprika.
Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus
To make Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus, remove the stem from one jalapeño, slice it lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
Add the seeded jalapeño and about 1 cup of fresh cilantro leaves to the food processor with your basic hummus and process until smooth. This hummus tastes great with a little extra cumin!
You can also try roasting the jalapeños in the oven until soft and blistered for a more subtle flavor (don’t forget to remove the seeds).
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
To make Roasted Red Pepper flavored hummus, simply add one to two roasted red pepper to a batch of plain Homemade Hummus and process until smooth.
Make sure most of the liquid from the jar is drained from the pepper before adding it to the processor to avoid thinning out the hummus too much.
This hummus tastes great with little-smoked paprika added to the mix!
Parsley Scallion Hummus
For Parsley Scallion Hummus, thinly slice three to four scallions (green onions) and pull about 1/2 cup of parsley leaves from their stems.
Add the parsley and scallions to a food processor with a batch of plain hummus and process until smooth. This hummus is great with vegetables, as a sandwich spread, or even as a vegan pasta sauce!
What is your favorite flavor of Hummus?