Hummus, the well-known chickpea dip, has become such a mainstream meal staple for Americans. It can also be rather pricey, if eaten daily. Homemade hummus is full of healthy, tasty ingredients and costs less than store-bought versions. The techniques and ingredients in this recipe provide a silky-smooth texture and lots of flavor.
Meaning of “Hummus”
“Hummus” is the Arabic word for “chickpeas”, which is the dip’s main ingredient. Hummus is basically just a bean dip using garbanzo beans (or chickpeas). It’s mixed with tahini (ground sesame seeds) and is often the dip’s special or unique ingredient.
Origination of “Hummus”
There are hummus recipes that date back to the 13th century. In fact, you can find reference to it in the reprint of the cookbook “Best of Delectable Food and Dishes from al-Andalus and al-Maghrib: A Cookbook by Thirteenth-Century Andalusi Scholar Ibn Razīn al-Tujībī (1227–1293)”. However, no one really knows exactly where it came from since countries in the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and in India have all been eating it for centuries.
My Hummus Version
I’m excited to share with you the basic hummus recipe I’ve been making and modifying for years. My husband and I eat hummus almost daily, so for us, it is a staple. This version is my favorite basic hummus recipe. It has the right amount of ingredients with lots of tips for that silky-smooth texture. I’ll be sharing other hummus recipes over the next couple of months using other beans and ingredients.
Hummus Ingredients
For the ingredients, you’ll need garlic cloves, lemon juice, garbanzo beans or chickpeas (same thing), bean liquid from the cans, extra-virgin olive oil, ground cumin, salt, water, and tahini (sesame paste).
Soak the Garlic in Lemon Juice
In a small bowl, add 3-4 minced garlic cloves and cover with ¼ cup of lemon juice. Let the garlic soak for ~10 minutes.
TIP: This step is optional BUT soaking the garlic in lemon juice cuts the bitterness of the garlic and adds garlic flavor to the juice without actually adding any of the garlic to the hummus.
Why Remove the Garbanzo Bean Skins?
Removing the bean skins is the secret to silky smooth hummus. If you’re in a hurry, you don’t have to remove the beans skins, however, the texture of your final product won’t be as smooth. I have made hummus many times with the bean skins on and the flavor is just as good. It really only adds 10 minutes to the prep time if you decide to remove the skins. The beans skins are clear but make the beans a little “matte” in color. You can actually see the beans with remaining skins; they look a little cloudy.
How to Remove the Garbanzo Bean Skins…
Drain (Reserve the Bean Liquid) & Rinse the Beans
Drain 2 cans (30 oz) of garbanzo beans reserving ½ cup of liquid (about 1 can) from which we’ll take some and add to the hummus. If you forget to reserve the liquid, known as aquafaba, just increase the water in the recipe. Rinse and drain the beans.
Remove the Bean Skins
In a large bowl, add the beans and stir in 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Heat the beans in the microwave or in a skillet over a stove for 1-2 minutes until the beans are hot. In a sink, cover the beans with cold water. Rub the beans between your hands agitating them to remove the skins. Pour off the water, with the bean skins floating, into a colander to catch any beans. Baking soda with water creates a alkaline solution that breaks down the cellulose in the skins making them easy to remove (like what lime solution does to corn kernels). Repeat rinsing, agitating, and draining another 3-4 times until most of the skins have been removed. No worries if some skins remain on the beans.
Process the Ingredients for the Hummus
Add Most of the Ingredients
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the rinsed and drained beans; you can leave a few out for decoration on top. Pour in ¼ cup of oil. If you choose not to, just add more water and/or bean liquid. Add 1½ teaspoons of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of water, and 2 tablespoons of garbanzo bean liquid (or aquafaba).
TIP: Olive oil is not necessary in hummus, but it provides additional silkiness, so I like to add it.
Strain & Add Garlic-Flavored Lemon Juice
Use a small strainer and strain the garlic from the lemon juice into the food processor, discard any remaining garlic.
TIP: Straining the garlic eliminates the bitterness entirely while adding garlic flavor to the hummus. You can certainly add the garlic if you don’t mind that bit of a garlic bite. For hummus, though, I usually discard it or use it another recipe.
Add Tahini, Taste, & Check Consistency
Process for 30 seconds or so until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Finally, add ¼ cup tahini paste.
TIP: I like to add tahini near the end because tahini absorbs liquid. We want the liquid to thin out the beans and not be soaked into the tahini right away.
Process again for another 30 seconds or so. Taste and check consistency. Add additional tahini, water, oil, &/or aquafaba (the bean liquid) depending on preferred consistency and flavor. Season with additional salt, as needed. Process for another 30 seconds or so until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Plate & Serve Hummus
Scoop the hummus into a bowl or on a serving platter. You can decorate the hummus by adding a swirl with a spoon. Drizzle on additional olive oil. Place the reserved chickpeas or pine nuts on top. Dust on some paprika. Serve and enjoy.
Close-Ups of the Silky-Smooth Hummus
Storing
Cover and store homemade hummus in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, you can actually freeze it before decorating it. Scoop it in a freezer bag or airtight container. Store it in the freezer for up to a couple of months. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge. Scoop out, decorate, serve, and enjoy! It tastes just as good and maintains its creamy consistency.
Serving Suggestions
Serve as a dip with pita chips, crackers, a crudité plate (w/ carrots, celery, and radishes), naan or pita. It also makes a great spread on sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.
Hummus Final Thoughts
Homemade hummus is an easy dip to make. If you skip the garlic soaking and bean skin removal, you can make this dip in 10-12 minutes. Adding toppings creates elegance, adds flavor, and allows guests to see what’s on the inside. Making your own hummus allows you to control the amount of salt and fat that is mixed in. For the easiest hummus, process the drained and rinsed garbanzo beans in a blender or food processor with a little water and you’re done!
Baker’s Perspective
This is one of the easiest dips to make. Other than the tahini, you likely already have the ingredients in your pantry. If you don’t have tahini, you could skip it, but the flavor would be a little different. In past versions, I have included sesame oil and that adds a nice flavor, just don’t overdo it. I highly recommend taking the time to soak the garlic and remove the bean skins; you can remove the bean skins while the garlic is soaking so it goes by quickly. The two steps add a few more minutes, but the final product is truly worth it.
Taster’s Perspective
We really love homemade hummus! I have bought hummus on occasion, but it’s expensive and the flavors, in my opinion, aren’t as “clean”. Every time I buy hummus and then I make it, both Scott and I say… “Oh, homemade hummus is so much better.” I’m to the point now that I just can’t justify buying it anymore since it’s easy to make and tastes better. This recipe produces a well-balanced hummus with nothing too strong. The strained garlic gives the hummus the right amount of garlic flavor, not overpowering. The olive oil and bean liquid have the viscosity to really smooth out the beans. The tahini adds a slight nutty flavor. The cumin provides the Middle Eastern flare. Overall, it’s just a good recipe. I really hope you give homemade hummus a try. Hands down, we prefer it over any store-bought version.
Check out my YouTube video on the visuals of making this hummus. “Silky, Smooth Middle Eastern Hummus: Better Than Store-Bought Versions!“
Silky Smooth Middle Eastern Hummus
Ingredients
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice 3/4 large lemon or 1 whole small lemon
- 2 cans (30 oz) garbanzo beans/chickpeas save ~2 tbsp of beans to add to the top when serving
- 1 tbsp baking soda to remove chickpea skins only
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp garbanzo bean liquid (aka aquafaba) reserved from the cans
- ¼ cup tahini paste
Optional Toppings:
- 2 tbsp reserved garbanzo beans optional
- ¼ cup chopped pine nuts optional
- dust paprika over the olive oil on the top when serving optional
Instructions
Soak the Garlic (Optional): Cuts the garlic bitterness
- In a small bowl, add minced garlic cloves and cover with lemon juice. Set aside to soak for ~10 minutes.TIP: Soaking garlic in lemon juice cuts the bitterness of the garlic and adds garlic flavor to the juice. Straining the garlic eliminates the bitterness entirely while adding garlic flavor to the hummus. You can certainly add the garlic if you don’t mind that bit of a bite.
Remove Bean Skins (Optional): Creates a SMOOTH hummus
- Drain 2 cans of garbanzo beans reserving ½ cup of liquid (1 can) to add to the hummus. Rinse and drain the beans. In a large bowl, add the beans and stir in baking soda. Heat in the microwave or in a skillet over a stove for 2 minutes until the beans are hot.
- In the sink, cover the beans in the bowl with cold water. Rub the beans between your hands to agitating them to remove the skins. Pour off the water (with bean skins floating) from the beans into a colander to catch any beans. The baking soda helps to remove the skins from the garbanzo beans. Repeat another 3-4 times until most of the skins have been removed.TIP: Don't worry if some bean skins remain. If most of them have been removed the hummus will still be smooth.
Blend ALL the Ingredients
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add drained & rinsed beans, oil, cumin, salt, water, and garbanzo bean juice. Use a small strainer and strain the lemon juice with garlic into the food processor, discard any remaining garlic.TIPS: Olive oil is actually not necessary in hummus, but it provides additional silkiness. If you choose not to, just add more water and/or bean liquid. If you forget to reserve the bean liquid, just sub with more water.
- Process until smooth 30 seconds or so. Scrape down sides as needed and add ¼ cup tahini. TIP: Add tahini near the end of the processing because tahini absorbs water. Water should thin out the beans and not be soaked into the tahini right away.
- Process again for another 30 seconds or so until smooth. Taste and check consistency. Add additional tahini, water, oil, &/or bean liquid depending on preferred consistency and flavor. Season with additional salt, as needed. Process for another minute or so until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Scoop in a bowl or on a serving platter. Drizzle additional olive oil and other optional toppings over the hummus and serve.
Video
Notes
Interested in Other Simple Recipes? Check These Out.
Colombian Pandebono Gluten-Free Cheese Rolls (30 minutes!)
Dulce de Leche (4 Preparations)
Granola Bars (Chocolate Chip & Almond Strawberry)
Hazelnut Spread (Nutella Alternative)
Nut Butter (3 Nuts & 3 Recipes)
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