Homemade Creamy Hummus Recipe
This Creamy Hummus Recipe is the best way to create dreamy homemade hummus. Follow our DIY hummus recipe to go from a can of chickpeas to a luxuriously smooth hummus with the perfect balance of lemon, garlic and sesame.
We love hummus around here. But like the song says, “There ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.”
Hummus may be a perfect food. It can be a party side dish, an appetizer, or used as a condiment to spread on your favorite sandwich or wrap. Plus, you can dip almost anything into hummus! It’s great on bread, veggies, meat or pita chips.
And it can contain a rainbow of different flavors, ingredients or seasonings. Look no further than the Sabra hummus shelf or that multi-flavored hummus wheel found in most grocery stores to prove my point. No matter whether it’s spicy, savory, herby or sweet, hummus is awesome…
That is… unless it’s not.
Make the Best Hummus Recipe at Home
Store-bought hummus is notoriously hit-or-miss, so do me a favor: reserve your final judgment about hummus until you’ve gone to a restaurant with Middle Eastern cuisine and tasted a fresh, genuine version of this magical dip.
Once you’ve experienced the subtle dance of flavor and texture that a real authentic hummus recipe can offer, it’s like seeing in color for the first time. You’ll never go back to those flat homogenized tubs of beige paste again.
Our goal with this Creamy Hummus Recipe is to bring that authentic experience home into your kitchen so you can make your own hummus whenever you like.
And while I wouldn’t exactly call this a quick and easy hummus recipe, it uses just a few simple ingredients and with a little time and effort, you can turn canned chickpeas into the best homemade hummus recipe you’ve ever tasted.
Ingredients for Our Creamy Hummus Recipe
- Canned Chickpeas – The foundational ingredient in hummus is chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans). They give hummus it’s color, texture, and subtle nutty flavor. Dried chickpeas usually have to be soaked overnight and then slowly sauteed. If you’re using dry chickpeas, follow this recipe. That all takes way too long for us, so we’re using canned chickpeas. (They’re more widely available in grocery stores anyways.) This is one shortcut that is totally allowed in this recipe.
- Tahini paste – Pureed and fermented sesame seeds doesn’t sound like something we have time to master, so we’re going with store-bought brand Soom tahini paste. If it’s good enough for Chef Michael Solomonov (his hummus wins awards), then it’s good enough for us. For nuanced authentic flavor, this sesame paste is a key ingredient to up your hummus game.
- Lemon juice – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds a bright citrus to this hummus and can easily be adjusted to your preference. We start with the juice of 1/2 lemon.
- Garlic cloves – Use fresh garlic cloves that aren’t green in the middle. They compliment the savory flavors in this hummus.
- Olive oil – This ingredient can make or break your hummus. We have a lot to say about oils, but our general advice for this recipe is:
- Firstly, don’t use old oil. While olive oil has a shelf life from 1-2 years, that’s in a sealed bottle. Once you open the seal, you want to use it within 2-4 weeks for best flavor.
- Second, store your olive oil in an airtight container in a dark dry place. I know those tall clear glass bottles with the flippy metal pour spouts and all the colorful herbs inside look nice, but there’s a reason olive oil is bottled in sealed dark green glass or opaque corked jars. Sunlight, heat, and contamination from other strong smells/ingredients and humidity in the air cause olive oil to degrade, and eventually go rancid. If it smells bad, or tastes sour or bitter, get rid of it.
- Third, taste test it first. Bolder oils will have a robust earthiness on your tongue, a “behind your teeth” acidity, or a peppery sharpness that you’ll either love or hate. Make sure the flavor of your oil will go with the other ingredients of this creamy hummus recipe by smelling them close together before you start. The olive oil you choose is a crucial component of this hummus since you’ll be drizzling it on top to serve and it will be the first thing that hits your taster, so pick an olive oil that you love. (If you have a local oil shop near you, go there and try samples. It’s fun, informative, and you’ll leave with some high quality ingredients.)
- Salt – Regular old table salt works fine for in the hummus (and is easier on your blender/food processor), but feel free to garnish yours with some larger fancier flakes or coarser sea salts for serving.
- Fresh parsley and paprika – Mostly for a finishing touch of color, and adding just a hint of flavor at the end.
Tips for the BEST Creamy Hummus
Homemade hummus is a labor of love and it pays to mind the details. To achieve the best results here’s some tips to follow:
Use high quality ingredients.
You don’t need to press your own olive oil, but other than the canned chickpeas and tahini, using fresh, quality ingredients makes a huge difference in this creamy hummus recipe.
Use the right equipment.
Unless you have the top performing high-powered blender on the market, we’d recommend using a food processor to make this creamy hummus recipe.
You might have no problem with a smoothie or an Orange Julius, but as shown in this blender review video, not all blenders have the motor power, blade speed, and jar design to handle the difficult task of producing nut butters with a smooth texture.
So, to avoid a hummus with a gritty texture (and possibly damaging your blender) make sure to use the right tool for the job.
Take your time.
Because this creamy hummus recipe only has about 7-8 simple ingredients, make sure to take your time measuring properly, scraping the blender bowl down frequently as you mix to ensure a uniformly smooth texture, and tasting samples as you go.
Also, I know you’ll hate me for recommending it, but Peel the Chickpea Skins.
How to Peel Chickpeas
Yes, it’s tedious, awkward, and time consuming, but trust me, IT WORKS, and it is worth it.
It took me about 20 minutes to remove the chickpea skins from the drained chickpeas.
There are two methods you could use for skinning the beans.
- Once you have rinsed and drained the canned chickpeas, pick up a bean and hold it between your thumb and pointer finger. Gently squeeze at one end until the skin slides off the bean. Repeat with the rest of the beans. Or…
- Warm the beans in the microwave or in a skillet for 2-3 minutes. Place them in a large bowl and fill it with cold ice water. Rub the beans between your hands, and the skins will fall off and float to the surface. You may have to repeat this 2-3 times to get all of them.
No other single variable in this creamy hummus recipe has such a profound effect on the final result than prepping your chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) by removing the chickpea skins.
How to Make Creamy Hummus
- Peel your chickpeas. (See above) Be sure to save some of the water from the can.
- Blitz the chickpeas in your food processor until they’re the consistency of sandy crumbles.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Blend and scrape the bowl frequently, slowly adding the canned chickpea water until the hummus is completely smooth.
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil, parsley, salt and paprika to taste.
The result is a silky smooth hummus with that authentic made from scratch smooth texture, and delicate balanced flavor that will run circles around the store-bought varieties.
Cover any leftover hummus with plastic wrap or seal in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
What to Serve with a Bowl of Hummus
Warm pita bread, fresh cut carrot sticks, melba toast, and cucumber coins are some of our favorites. But you can enjoy this healthy homemade hummus as the centerpiece of just about any pretzel assortment, cracker tray, charcuterie or vegetable platter.
If you want to hit an Eastern Mediterranean appetizer trifecta, serve this creamy hummus alongside our Spicy Turkish Ezme Salad, our classic Lebanese Tabbouleh or this fresh Israeli Salad. The colors and flavors go perfectly together!
We always have this creamy homemade hummus with our Ground Beef Kafta Kebabs, and if you like it with savory spiced meats, it would go great with our 30 minute Ground Beef Gyros, Gyro Bowls, or these Grilled Steak Kabobs as well.
Homemade Creamy Hummus Recipe
Words cannot express how lovely, dreamy, and utterly divine this homemade hummus is. It is smooth and luxurious with the perfect balance of lemon and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup tahini paste
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- Reserved chickpea water from the can
- Olive oil, parsley, paprika for serving
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving the juice in a small cup.
- Remove the skins from the chickpeas. I find the easiest way to do this is to pinch the chickpeas between your thumb and forefinger, with the pointy side facing your hand. Squeeze the chickpea and the skin should pop right off. Place the skinned chickpea in the blender, and the skins in the trash.
- Once all the chickpeas are skinned and in the blender (or food processor), pulse until the chickpeas are in sandy looking crumbles. You may need to stop and shake the blender and/or scrape down the sides a few time.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and blend until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Slowly add the chickpea water to the mix until the mixture can blend without catching and is completely smooth. I usually use nearly all of the reserved water.
- I like to chill the hummus for an hour or so. To serve, top with olive oil, parsley, and sprinkle with paprika.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 356mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.
hi,
skinning beans is so easy, just dump cooked beans or from can into a pot of water, and like you say just gently pinch the beans between your fingers. The skins rise to the top and then skim them off and you are ready. I do this with all beans including navy beans for bean soup. It is my understanding this helps to reduce flatulence as well 😉
I love your sense of humor! I laughed out loud! I’ll try the recipe because I love Hummus. Thank you ❤️
Oh thank you! I’m glad you got a kick out of it. I hope you love the hummus!
Hi 🙂
just tried your recipe, and thank you sooooo much! Just by adding the aquafaba (water of the chickpeas) made such a huuuuge difference! the hummus is so creamy I have to stop myself eating all of it!
This was probably the most amazing hummus I’ve ever made. I’ve tried SO many times – even peeled the skins before on each chickpea on a previous recipe, but this was 100000x better. It was extremely tedious, but definitely worth it. Better than store bought. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
I absolutely love to hear that. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. I wish you many more delicious batches of hummus in the future!
I just made this in my Vitamix, and it was AH-MAZE-ING! I took the time to peel them individually, and it definitely made a difference from other recipes I’ve tried. Next time, I think Ill try out the towel method, and see if it saves some time. I guess it doesn’t help that I doubled the recipe. I don’t think it would have done well in the blender with just 1 can of chickpeas. I also love that it’s oil-free. I didn’t have any lemon juice, either, so I used a lemon and herb club house spice mix, and it worked out. Thanks so much for the recipe, it’s simple, but effective. I’m not a fan of buying 6$ containers of hummus that last one sitting. <3
This hummus was spectacular! We ran the chick peas under cold water and the skin came right off. I would maybe use a little less tahini paste next time but the texture was silky smooth. Thank you!
I actually made homemade Hummus yesterday. I removed all the skins from the beans and even roasted the garlic in the oven so it would be soft…. I uses a small food processor but, it still came out grainy. I believe after speaking to a few friends that using an actual blender (with peeled beans) is the way to go.
The food processor isn’t able to get all the small pieces blended into a smooth paste. I’ll try again but unlike you, I’m not gonna wait years to find my smoothness… lols
I agree that removing the skins definitely improves hummus but I’m just so lazy that most of the time I get halfway through and quit hahaha.
We were doing that it got it 90% there. Then I got on of the “lower price ” vitamix blenders it did it 99% WITH then skin! Any restaurant quality one would probably do.
Holy Moly! It did take a little time, but hot diggitty!!!!! This is hands down the best hummus I’ve ever made. The creamy texture is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for the tip. Even my husband is impressed.
For creamy hummus minus the insanity of peeling beans, use chicken broth in blender/food processor, until you have the desired viscosity. Use vegetable broth if you’re a vegetarian.
Sorry, I posted my previous comment in the wrong section 😛
Dear,
Also, you do not use canned chick peas. Take dried chick peas, soak them overnight and cook them until soft. Humus is actually served best when still a little warm, garnished with whole peas form the same batch that were set aside before putting the rest into the blender.
This post should be named “How to make houmous like a Pro” !
I ended here like many others searching for a perfect houmous recipe. I tried many many times to do it at home but never came as the one you buy in supermarkets. The main problem was that my houmous tasted “nutty”. I’m grateful that I found the solution to this problem reading the comments on this post.
Never ever I’ve read anything about removing the “skin” ! What a change! Can’t tell you how excited I am about the new finding…the texture comes incredibly smooth and the taste is sooo good.
Thank you so much for sharing this tip with us.
Many greetings from United Kingdom xx
I am so glad this tip worked out so well for you. It really is a game changer. Thank you for coming back to let me know! It always makes my day!
Dear,
Humus is indeed one of the greatest foods if it is done right.
Yet, humus is not made of beans. It is made of chick peas (garbanzas indeed in Spanish). But peas. Not beans!
Best,
Heike
Yay! So creamy, thank u! I doubled the garlic, a bit more salt and added 1/4 tsp cumin & 2 tbsp olive oil to the mix… then doubled the entire recipe bc I didn’t think I’d have enough…I was wrong! lol makes a TON! Perfect, creamy hummos. *joy*
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
BTW: Commercially prepared garbanzos are made for a variety of recipes, most of which call for the stiffer product, which is not hummus ready. If you boil them, not only will you need to add significant water, you’ll also be concentrating whatever additives are in that jar (ewwww); hence my suggestion to boil from scratch.
First off, do you realize how annoying it is to try to read your blog with share buttons sitting atop the left margin? EXTREMELY annoying.
Second of all, you don’t have to peel the hummus. You don’t have to peel any of it—it that were the secret, there’d be an appliance or a machine for it. And don’t use garbanzo flour either—it’ll be smooth, but it will also have a gelatinous character hummus doesn’t have.
The secret to smooth, creamy hummus is in the boiling. I start from scratch with 8oz of dried garbanzos (Which when soaked/cooked equals the 15oz jar called for in most recipes) soaked in a 32oz yogurt container or equivalent, filled with water, over night (It shortens the boiling time). The beans AND soaking water go into a 4qt/1gallon sauce pan (or equivalent) and I fill that to 1/2″ from the brim. I then bring the pot to a boil with or without a lid—be careful as this happens as garbanzos create a very thick, very STRONG white foam which will push the lid off and climb out of the pan and make a mess on your stove. Spoon this out of the pan as it forms, a five minute task and then you’re done. Once it boils lower to a vigorous simmer for at least two, often close to 3 hours. (if you keep the lid on and lower the heat to compensate, you’ll save more of the bean liquor).
What you want is the beans cooked to the point where some are falling apart, and those that haven’t are so soft you almost smash them trying to pick them up off the spoon. THIS is your smooth hummus.
So Much Time, you wail. No. Guess when you think you’ll want to make hummus. Set the beans to soak the night before. Too tired? Gotta handsome date? Put the soaked beans in the fridge for a day or two, or three. Then buil them. Ok, so handsome guy calls mid-boil, as you fly out the door, turn the pan off but leave on the stove. If they’re still not soft when you get back, boil them some more. Once they’re done—Another guy? Ok, once they’re done, put them in the fridge for a day, or two, or three… then roast some garlic, and make that hummus. It’s easy, it’s flexible. I can’t say this will work for you if you live in a bungalow in Florida or Texas, without air conditioning—-I live in SF where it almost never gets hot.
OH, I almost forgot: Save about 1/2 cup liquid to add to the hummus as you make it, as necessary. Save ALL of the left over liquor for soup or stock as it has a most delicious flavor that makes a much better starting point for almost everything, than using the same amount of water—-and you can freeze it, for when you need it.
There. Don’t be wasting so much time shucking garbanzos, Such a waste!
So you go to all the trouble of removing the skin… but you use CANNED chickpeas? People! If you’re really looking for the best hummus ever, start by cooking your own garbanzos. Now this cooking liquid is where it’s at!
A big thank you! Its the best and velvet smooth. Did curse shelling but it went fast. Added the grated zest of the 1/2 lemon, then the juice as the zest was too nice to loose. Also added 2 tbls of middle eastern yogurt after the chickpea liquid.
Thanks Chris! The shelling feels so futile when you’re in the midst of it, but I’m glad it was wroth it in the end!
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. This is the best hummus recipe ever. It taste just like the hummus at the restaurant i go to. Im so glad now i can make my own. Thanks so much
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! It’s always wonderful to be able to recreate a restaurant favorite!
Yes it is, and it was spot on. I will be making this often. You are a genius. Thanks
I have to be honest.. I was cursing this recipe while I was shelling all those chickpeas, however it honestly is the best hummus ever. Thank you for this recipe!
Haha! I know exactly how you feel. I’m glad it was worth the work. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Try draining the chickpeas then heating them in a pan with a tsp of baking soda. You only leave them over the heat until heated though. Then agitate well between your hands in a bowl of warm water. most of the skins will come right off and float to the top. it’s much easier than doing it by hand. Also, if you use dried (my preference) add baking soda to the soaking liquid and the skins dissolve while cooking.
Thanks for the recipe!
Do you have to use the canned chickpeas? Every recipe I have found all say canned chickpeas. I buy the dried bagged ones and the one fine I made hummus it wasn’t very good. Could also be because I quick soaked them instead of soaking them overnight.
Hi Kayla, I’m really not sure about using dried chickpeas. I would think it would work just fine if you soaked them overnight and then peeled them and followed the recipe, but I’ve never tried it so I can only guess.
Just wanted to chime in … thank you for the tip to getting creamy hummus.
Me and my family are eating this stuff by the bucketloads and every time I try it at home I seem to get the flavors right but the consistency was always what made it taste “home-made” and not what you’d get at the restaurant.
Since I like to optimize things and can’t be bothered peeling every single pea, I decided to try the Fruit and Vegetable Strainer attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. It’s a little coarse, meaning it will strain out quite a bit of the peas but if you put it back and let it strain 2 or 3 times, you’ll end up with not that much waste.
And it’s super smooth afterwards.
Thanks so much for sharing! I love hearing how people have found work arounds for skinning all the chickpeas individually.
I remember reading a while ago the secret to perfect hummus was skinned chick peas . I thought it can’t be that good, right ??
WRONG !
Your recipe is phenomenal!! So perfect ! This will be the only hummus recipe I make from now on !
Hey Girl Hey! I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know how much I love this recipe. I’m just finishing my 7th (!) batch of this and I’m telling you I will never use another Hummus recipe. Without fail, every time I make it, someone asks for the recipe (after they’ve gotten over their shock that it’s not fancy, restaurant hummus). It’s gotten to the point where I absolutely LOVE sitting in front of an episode of Real Housewives of (fill in the blank) and skinning those Chickpeas. Such immediate gratification – SO satisfying! Thanks a million for this keeper!
Thanks you so much Nancie! This makes me so happy. Skinning the chickpeas is kind of therapeutic, isn’t it? I’m so glad this has been such a hit for you and your friends!
I have made the recipe twice! I had given up on making smooth, buttery hummus, until I found this site, when I was longing for the food of Israel. Thank you for sharing. It make me feel like I am back in Israel again.
This comment made my day! Thanks so much, and I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
This is a most delicious recipe and this is the first time attempting to make my own hummus. Has anyone attempted to figure out the nutritional details of this delicioiusness?
Hi, made the recipe and was really disappointed that it turned out too “peanut buttery” tasting. I bought Hulled Tahini (there was unhulled in the store too), and used 1/2 a cup and it tasted like bad peanut butter! What can I do to remedy this? Is my Tahini too strong? I read the comments below and no one else has this problem, so I’m assuming I need to alter something… (First time Tahini user BTW).
Hmmm…all tahini tastes a bit different, and since it is ground seeds it can have a similar taste to peanut butter, but your hummus definitely shouldn’t taste like peanut butter. I have noticed if I keep tahini around for too long the oil can go a bit rancid and make it taste off. Here is a link to the tahini I buy, if that’s helpful at all- http://www.simpletruth.com/products/condiments-spreads/condiments/tahini/
Hi. I made this today and was thrilled with how creamy it is. However mine also tastes like peanut butter. CheriNZ did you figure out why?
Hi Jessica, Just curious, did you taste the tahini before mixing it in? If the tahini tastes peanut buttery that would be the culprit.
Made your recipe and it came out ultra creamy. I always use a food processor and no way it it this creamy unless you remove the skins. I had super creamy hummus at a Lebanese restaurant and I could not imagine how they got it that way. Removing the skins is the answer. Thanks so much. This is a keeper.
Great Wendy! I’m so glad it turned out for you. I can’t believe what a difference removing the skins makes!
Agitate the chickpeas with your hands in a bowl of water. Many, but not all, of the skins will float to the top.
Hi Courtney, I have never heard of humus till a few weeks ago from a friend. I bought some from a health food store. I thought it was ok since I never tasting it before. And not liking garbonzo beans. Well, my sister from New York was over and I was so excited for her to taste this roasted garlic hummus. Her face turned weird and she said “that is the worst hummus I have ever tasted.” Hmmm. So, after she left I went googlein’ (lol) and found some recipes. I made some. Oh my goodness it taste so good. So today I’m searching to make sure I find the best I know for my picky sister for the super bowl party. I live in Spokane, Wa so Go Seahawks! Anyway, I crossed your page and read it all and got a few chuckles as you talked. All this to say thank you for posting to peal the beans. Now I am excited to make my sisters day. May God Bless you.
What a great story! I’m so glad you’ve been converted to enjoy hummus! I hope this recipe is a huge hit with you and your sister!
How long will this last in the fridge? Granted, that might not be an issue, but it’d be good to know 🙂
Hey Val! It should last up to a week in the fridge!
Adding roasted garlic, or caramelized onion or grilled and skinned red pepper… Or all three turns this already excellent dish into an unimaginable culinary delight.
I love the idea of caramelized onions! That sounds dreamy.
I love flavored hummus, not so keen on plain; I cook my own garbanzos, no cans. When they are cool, I fill the pan with cool water and gently swish the beans.let it settle down, skim the skins off the top. the skins float to the top. I keep this up till I have most of the skins. works great
I use garbanzo bean flour and olive oil. No skinning or food processor needed and I get tons of people asking me how I get it so smooth.
I de skinned mine fast by taking a small handful and rolling between my palms (canned beans). The skins come off fast. If you buy yours raw (bulk, hard as rocks), soak, sprout, and cook in pot of water until just softened (20-30 min). After cookkng, drain and rinse em and the skins are mostly off
I love your serving dish! I think my grandmother had that pattern.
That’s so neat! I found the dish at an auction, so I only have one plate with that pattern, but I love it!
A trick we used in the restaurant biz is too roll them around on a cutting board and the skins separate. Much easier 😉
What a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
well you just single-handedly solved my hummus “issues” !!! I’m going to join the ranks of SLOW bean skinnerz – maybe there will be a post popping up soon about speeding up your bean skinnin’ skillz! : ) LOL! Thanks for sharing!
Yes! I’m still waiting on the post that will make me a speedy skinner! Ha!
You should really try Yotam Ottholenghi’s hummus from the book Jerusalem. It’s great, you will never make hummus with chickpea’s from a can again.
I have to tell you, a QUALITY foods processor is the real key. Skins? What skins? They vanish if you blend it long enough. Sumac substitutes for salt beautifully, whilst giving it more flavor, and blending it WITH the olive oil made it nice and creamy rich. Your recipe is good, though, it uses the right proportions, and your photos are spectacular in regards to the presentation. Try it with a little parsley, & the real winner for me, a few roasted red peppers. Yummers! While I disagree with the main point of this article (and by the way I tried it and saw NO difference using the skinned beans), thanks for getting me on track to discover the true secret to awesome, better than store bought hummus!
Thanks for sharing these tips Stephen. I also love adding roasted red pepper. I’m glad you’ve discovered your secret to the best hummus! I hope a quality food processor is going to be joining my life sometime soon. Until then, I’ll be stuck here skinning beans. 🙂
Haha, indeed. I’ll tell you this, though, if time is money, you can’t afford NOT to buy one 🙂
I’m too lazy. What I’ve discovered is using half chick peas and half northern beans makes it much smoother, and adding a little water last in the blending stage makes a very storebought style hummus. Northern bean hummus is popular in low carb circles because of it’s high fiber.
I really like Northern Beans so I think I would enjoy that version!
So, just judging by the picture alone, I thought, I NEED that hummus. My recipe is pretty darn good, but it doesn’t look anything like that creamy mass of goodness I see in that picture. I went ahead and did a head to head combat: your recipe vs mine. Well, to be honest, I did skin my chickpeas first, which I don’t normally do. Man oh man, it made all the difference in the world. I was licking the bowl and my fingers like a savage beast, moaning and saying, “This is sooo good.” My kids thought I was a little whacko…
I’ve made it a few times now and I did end up tweaking your recipe a little, after I made it as per the instructions. This is what I did, if anyone is interested… I boiled the chickpeas, with the juice and about 1/2 cup water, for about 10ish minutes until the beans are slightly darkened. Let them cool in the pan with the liquid, for about 15 minutes, then skin them… (I love how you refer to their exoskeletons.) It was slightly easier to skin them after boiling, as opposed to skinning them raw, but it didn’t make a significant difference. I just prefer the texture of the finished hummus when the beans are boiled first.
Blend the beans in a food processor until crumbly. Add the juice of 1 1/2 small lemons, 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2-3 medium cloves of garlic, minced, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Blend until creamy, then add the chickpea water to the consistency desired. SO CRAZY GOOD!!
Next time I’m going to roast the garlic first and see how that goes. Thank you for sharing this yummy bit of goodness with the rest of us foodies.
I love this! Thanks so much for coming back to share. I haven’t found anything that produces the same creaminess, even using a food processor. I’ll definitely have to try boiling the chickpeas and adding some cumin next time. Thanks for all the feedback. I’m glad this was “savage beast” good. 🙂
This looks so inviting!! I saw the photo when I was commenting on your #SS post just now, and had to check it out. I made hummus for today’s post – my first ever – and I’m trying to pick up different ideas around making it now. I’d never thought of skinning them!
As you can see, there are tons of tips even right here in the comments! It seems everyone has a favorite way of making hummus. To me, this is still the smoothest I have ever been able to get. It takes a little more work, but it’s always been worth it for me.
Well, I have to say that I peeled a can of chick peas and followed the directions (a little extra lemon) and it was fabulous, and totally worth the 10 or so minutes it took to pop the skins off. I will try other ways of getting the skins off, but I’ve had (so called great hummus) that was not smooth like it is when the skins are removed. Thanks for the tip!
I’m glad it worked for you! It’s definitely been the most reliable technique for ultra smooth hummus I’ve ever used. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
I’m from the UK and have no idea what 1/2 cup is in real measurements! What is that in grams?
There are about 120 grams in 1/2 cup of tahini. Hope that helps!
Can we please, please get the other indigents in grams as well? 🙂 As i understand the proportions are of grate importance… This recipe just looks so good, i want to try it!
15 ounces of chickpeas is about 425 grams. As far as the water goes, you just add enough for the mixture to blend. Hope this helps!
Leanne: I’m from the U.S. and I STILL don’t know conversions! Your metric system is so much easier.
Just par boil them and then roll a few at a time in your palms like dice and the skins come right off!
I’m with Janet. I always use a food processor without skinning the beans and it comes out great every time. Of course I’ve moved on to experimenting with different spices but food processor is the key to quick an easy hummus.
I would SO use this method if I had a food processor. Unfortunately, I’m still food processor-less so for now, this is what works for me!
Oh man, you may have convinced me. The hummus experience you just described? The failed, chunky, lumpy hummus followed by the amazing hummus? That’s happened to me in the last two days. I’ll explain:
Yesterday, I made my first batch of homemade hummus ever (because I’m with you, the store-bought stuff is pretty tasty). I didn’t really measure the ingredients properly, and it was terrible. Thick and gloppy. Ugh.
Today, I used a trusted recipe and actually measured. But I didn’t skin the beans. The thing that made it super creamy and smooth for me was that I blended in a few tablespoons of ice water at the end. Sounds weird, but totally worked. Plus, I just blended the crap out of it since I didn’t skin the beans…
I am loving hearing all these different techniques! It’s interesting because someone else suggested using boiling water…now ice water. I think some further testing is definitely still needed!
Your post cracked me up! I have had issues with homemade hummus before…will definitely try this method (even if it is tedious!). Sounds like it’s worth the extra work.
Thanks Gloria! 🙂 It definitely delivers the creamiest hummus I’ve ever had!
I dump all the chickpeas in a bowl full of water and rub the beans in my hands. This will skin the beans, then let the skins float to the top of the water and scoop out. Repeat a few times and your done!
Great tip! I’ll definitely be trying that next time!
Yep. I do the same thing.
Great tip and I totally love your writing style. Cooking blogs aren’t always known for being all that humorous, but I got a good chuckle out of this post. 🙂
“Dreaming of all the things you’ll dip in this perfectly creamy hummus […] *your face*…)”
lol!
Thanks so much. That means a lot! I always appreciate when I blog post can make me laugh. 🙂
Saw this recipe a while back on FG and tried it out (I used canned chickpeas) and it worked perfectly. Might save you some time!
http://food52.com/blog/7305-yotam-ottolenghi-sami-tamimi-s-basic-hummus
I love hummus but have yet to find good storebought hummus (each brand I buy ends up in the garbage. It’s never as good as homemade or that served in a restaurant). Nor have I tried making it myself. I’ll definitely try your version, and reading through the comments here is super helpful too. We should do a hummus challenge and find out which technique reigns supreme!
Indeed! I sense another battle coming on!
I’ve never made Hummus without Cumin, it makes a huge difference!
Interesting. I’ll have to try that sometime. Though I really love the taste of straight up classic hummus! (with a little garlic of course. 🙂
Your writing is amazing, C! Keep it up!
Thanks Melanie. 🙂 You’re the best!
Looks gorgeous, but I can’t imagine skinning all those chickpeas! I make sure the water is boiling hot while adding – this makes it lighter and creamier (although maybe not as creamy as yours!)
Haha! I thought it sounded crazy too, but the time actually went past pretty quickly. You kinda get into a rhythm. I may have to try the boiling water trick and see how it compares!
This looks incredibly smooth and creamy!
I recently tried the recipe for hummus given in Jerusalem, and it is incredibly creamy without skinning the beans. Instead, they have you cook the dried beans in a bit of baking soda, which weakens the skins considerably and makes them blend up easily. Maybe give it a try to save time? I couldn’t imagine skinning all those beans.
I have been wanting to try to do hummus from dried beans. Sounds like a good place to start.
You don’t need to skin the chickpeas — Cooks Illustrated has a recipe and technique using a food processor that produces incredibly smooth and creamy hummus. You add the lemon juice and water, and the tahini and olive oil in separate batches.
very interesting tip! I used to push my hummus through a tamis after it’s blended to give it extra creamy texture. I’ll try peeling the skins next time!
I’d love to hear how the methods compare. I’m always up for a new trick. 🙂
Is it possible that the skins also change the flavor a bit and maybe by removing them you eliminate a slight but undesirable flavor in addition to that texture? I was on the same path as you. Tried recipes and they were never right. In addition to the coarse texture they seemed to have a vague overly earthy flavor. But we also devour mass quantities of Sabra. But then I saw this article, so here I go to skin beans.
I definitely think that’s possible! I love the flavor with the skinned beans and I still think it’s different than even a great food processor version with the skins on. We love Sabra as well, but I actually think this homemade version is better! I’m excited to hear what you think!
Ah Ha! Alas! I will join the slow bean skinning club! Didn’t think anything would ever compare to Sabre. Your pictures are so pretty! What’s your trick? Food photography can be so tough. What do you use for that perfect white background?
Glad to have you in the club! As far as the pictures go, the only trick I have is practice. 🙂 It’s taken me a long time to get this far, and sometimes I’m still frustrated with my photos, but I keep plugging away. I look at other pictures I like a lot, and just take a ton of photos. The more I practice, the easier it gets! I use thick white poster board or foam core for my backgrounds and reflectors!
I made this!!!!! Taste just as good as my favorite Mediterranean restaurant makes it. Thank you!!!!! I used roasted garlic tahini. Awesome!