From-scratch Hummus

What stands out: With this straightforward recipe you can make your own creamy hummus. From-scratch hummus is rich and much more economical. Make it just the way you like it!

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: food processor, rubber spatula
Servings: 16 (2 tablespoons per serving)

From-scratch Hummus

Hummus is just so rich! It’s creamy, smooth, rich and satisfying. Enjoy it as a guilt-free dip for vegetables or pita wedges, or spread it on sandwiches as a tasty alternative to mayonnaise.

Hummus is a lighter food. Hummus is packed with vitamins and minerals. Healthline informs us that eating hummus has impressive health benefits, including fighting inflammation, controlling blood sugar, aiding digestion and weight loss, and reducing heart disease. Isn’t it great that you can eat a lighter snack full of protein without feeling guilty about it?

Hummus is straightforward to mix, with only five ingredients (not counting water, salt, and pepper). For smooth hummus, you’ll need a food processor. You can whip this hummus recipe up in just five minutes. Five minutes! Isn’t that kind of crazy? You’re just a few minutes away from all that deliciousness and lighter eating.

You can make it without tahini. This recipe is a staple in our house. It’s made with tahini but because of our family’s severe sesame allergies, tahini is a no-no. We love that we can “make it our own” and leave the tahini out. Many people don’t realize that tahini is sesame seed paste which is deadly for our children. We would never consider buying pre-made hummus because it isn’t worth the risk. When you make from-scratch hummus, there are no worries.

Need a Food Processor?

Ninja is a great brand for food processors and blenders. This food processor is a quality piece of equipment, but still fairly inexpensive.

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What goes in

This is a speedy overview to show you how straightforward it is to make from-scratch hummus. Be sure to check the recipe card below for measurements and instructions.

• Canned chickpeas: aka, garbanzo beans. Full of plant protein and fiber, chickpeas are economical and flavorful. Some recipes call for removing the skins but we've found that the food processor pretty much takes care of any coarseness. If you feel strongly about it, check out this method by Cooks Illustrated.
• Tahini: This smooth sesame seed paste adds creaminess and flavor. Like we mention above, this hummus can be made without tahini but if allergies aren’t an issue in your household, we would definitely add it. If you have tahini left over, try our from-scratch tahini sauce with lemon and garlic.
• Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for a nice tart flavor.
• Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil lends its fruity pungent flavor to the hummus, along with velvety smoothness. Try drizzling a bit more on the hummus before serving, particularly if you’re serving it as a dip.
• Fresh Garlic: Add a clove of garlic to the hummus for classic flavor. If you don’t care for garlic, go ahead and leave it out. It’s your hummus! We often omit the garlic because our husband isn’t a huge fan.
• Salt and Pepper: All the seasoning you need for classic hummus.
• Water: Use plain tap water or reserve some of the liquid from the canned chickpeas (called aquafaba) and use that instead of water.

How it comes together

Add tahini, lemon juice, and water to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse for about thirty seconds until the mixture is light and whipped. If you’re making a tahini-free version, just skip this step and add the lemon juice and water to the chickpeas.

Next, add the drained chickpeas and garlic to the bowl and pulse a few more times. The chickpeas will be coarsely ground.

Okay, final step! With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil, processing until your hummus is smooth and creamy. If it seems too thick, add a bit more water or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and your hummus is ready to enjoy.

Garnishes

If you want, you can fancy it up. Don’t you love how store bought hummus often has a nice little garnish on top? Toasted pine nuts are our favorite garnish. We could eat those by the handful! Roasted red pepper strips, a sprinkle of chopped paprika, parsley, olives, pickled red onions, or pickled sweet peppadew peppers make nice toppers, too. Bright pink strips of pickled turnips are a classic topping for hummus.

Before you start

Ways to change it

• Omit or increase the garlic. One of a standby aspects of from-scratch hummus is that you can make it exactly how you like. There’s no need to add garlic if you don’t want garlic breath the rest of the day. Or maybe you love garlic so much that you want to add two or three cloves, instead of one. Totally fine! Try roasting the garlic before adding it to the hummus.
• Add spices or herbs. Ground cumin is commonly added to hummus. Start with a half teaspoon, unless you love cumin. Experiment with other spices, if you like. Add a dash of cayenne to give it a little heat. Add a teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary.
• Make roasted red pepper hummus. Add ¾ cup chopped roasted red peppers to the food processor.
• Make chocolate hummus. It’s good with pretzels, graham crackers, or fruit dippers.
• Sesame-free options: See the FAQ above for tahini substititutes. Parsley hummus is the most beautiful shade of green. Edamame dip is sort of a hummus but made with frozen, shelled edamame instead of chickpeas.
• Love chickpeas but not crazy about hummus? Try roasting the chickpeas for a crispy snack. Here’s a few recipes: roasted chickpeas (in the oven), air fryer chickpeas, or cinnamon roasted chickpeas.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Hummus is a greatmake-ahead dip. It keeps well in the fridge for up to five days.

Freeze: You can even freeze hummus! For a lighter lunchbox treat, simply put hummus into individual size storage containers and freeze. It will keep for up to six months in the freezer. It may separate slightly when thawed but just give it a little stir and it will be fine. If you freeze a larger sized container, for best results, thaw it overnight in your fridge.

Dips don’t have to be a splurge or guilty pleasure. We already mentioned our edamame dip and parsley hummus but here are more dip recipes you may enjoy.

• Yield: 16 servings
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounce) chickpeas rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ground black pepper more to taste

Method

1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pulse until combined — about 1 minute.
2. With the food processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue processing until the hummus is smooth and creamy. The longer you process, the smoother it will be.
3. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Makes about 2 cups of hummus.

If you prefer, omit the tahini. Just skip step 1, directly adding the water and lemon juice to the chickpeas and garlic, and processing. Consistency of hummus won’t be quite as smooth and rich without tahini. Or substitute cashew, almond or sunflower butter, or Greek yogurt.

Hummus can be frozen for up to 6 months.

For extra creamy hummus, remove the peels from the chickpeas prior to adding to food processor.