Growing up, hummus wasn’t a thing. It was a strange thing that was just never brought into our house. On top of that, hummus hadn’t really had it’s moment in the spotlight like it’s having now. The first time I tried hummus was sometime in college. To be honest, I don’t remember the first time I had hummus, all I know is it came out of nowhere and became literally my favorite snack basically overnight.
The flavors. The spices. The things to dip in it. The ways to cook with it. Everything about hummus had my attention. I’ve always been a fan of salsa, guacamole, spinach dip, french onion dip, I have a love of dips as snacks. They just add so much flavor to things like celery when I’m trying to be healthy. Hummus was this whole new thought to me. It was a dip, like french onion dip (from a packet. Super unhealthy.), but it was healthy. It was clean. It was in every flavor I loved. I could dip anything in it. What was there not to love!?
So I set out on a mission. I wanted to learn to make traditional hummus at home. I loved my go-to brands of hummus, but who wants to spend $5 per little tub of hummus when you could spend $10 and make like 7 tubs of hummus? To be honest, I made some really good hummus on the first try, but the texture stumped me. There was just something that was close, but just not quite it. So I made hummus again, and again, and again, and again. Then, I finally had an opportunity to ask a chef how he was getting his hummus so smooth. The answer was so surprisingly simple, I almost couldn’t believe it. He uses and immersion blender. That was the secret.
Now, I don’t have an immersion blender, so I’ve had to learn a few tips and tricks that sort of cheat the hummus making system. These are my best tips and tricks, and three different flavors, to making perfect hummus!
The first tip has to do with not having an immersion blender. I don’t have one. I do have a mini food processor. To be completely honest, they don’t do the same thing. However, if you set your mini food processor on puree and basically just stand there holding the button until you count to a million, you’ll still come up with really very smooth hummus. The last time I made hummus, it took about 3-5 minutes of pureeing in order to get a pretty properly smooth hummus.
Next, there’s a debate about shelling the chickpeas. I don’t. It takes so long and after testing both versions, doesn’t make a big enough difference for me to spend that time shelling; especially if you follow the tip about pureeing into infinity.
Let’s talk about tahini. I’ve tried the recipes that don’t use tahini, but I wouldn’t recommend them. Unless you have a sesame allergy and cannot use tahini, I highly recommend using the full 1/4 cup of tahini.
A follow up on tahini: when you begin making your hummus, you’ll notice that the first directions are to puree the tahini with the lemon juice. This is crucial in order to get that smooth texture that hummus is known for. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the easiest way to ensure that you’ll get the best hummus possible.
Another important ingredient in hummus is olive oil. When you select your olive oil, know that I have made this hummus with Walmart brand olive oil and it has come out just fine. Don’t go too crazy over your olive oil; however, please note that you do notice a flavor difference when you use a different type of olive oil. There are studies upon studies about where the best olive oils come from, how to tell which are the highest quality, what temperature to keep your olive oil at and for how long you should keep it. I’m not going to take an ounce of credit away from those, but I will say, we noticed a flavor difference between Walmart’s $5 olive oil, and a specialty store’s $20 bottle of olive oil. Personally, I really liked it. My secret to making the most of the $20 bottle is using the $5 bottle to make the hummus and using just a bit of the $20 bottle to drizzle on top of the finished hummus. Seeing as the drizzle is not mixed in, you’ll taste the difference the most. To be fair, you can simply use Walmart’s $5 bottle for the whole thing and I guarantee you’ll still get a delicious hummus.
Last tip: toppings. I LOVE hummus with some toppings on it. It just makes it feel like this fancy dip that I could just make a full meal from. In the recipes below, I mention that a sprinkle of paprika on top of each and a drizzle of olive oil is definitely enough if you want to stop there. However, I love saving about a tablespoon of diced roasted red peppers to place on top of the red pepper hummus, or roasting an extra garlic clove to dice and place on top of the garlic hummus. If we make an Everything Bagel hummus, I recommend adding about a teaspoon of Everything Bagel seasoning to the top. Just take a little of whatever flavor you’re using and place a little extra on top and it will just help bring out the flavor in the hummus.
Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for….
Plain Hummus
Prep Time: approx. 15 min
Ingredients
1 can, drained Chickpeas (AKA Garbanzo Beans)
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Tahini
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (plus 1 Tablespoon for topping)
2-3 Tablespoons Water
Salt
Paprika for topping
Directions In your mini food processor (or a bowl that you feel comfortable using your immersion blender in), add tahini and lemon juice. Puree for about 30 seconds. Add Chickpeas. Puree about 1 minute. Add olive oil, water, and salt. Puree for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Taste hummus, adjust salt/olive oil/water if necessary. Place hummus in serving dish. Drizzle extra tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle paprika on top. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator for snacking, up to 1 week. Roasted Garlic Hummus
Prep Time: approx. 15 min | Cook Time: approx. 20 min
Ingredients
4 cloves Garlic
1 can, drained Chickpeas (AKA Garbanzo Beans)
1/4 cup Tahini
1/4 fresh Lemon Juice
4 tablespoons Olive Oil (1 for garlic, 2 for hummus, 1 for topping)
2-3 tablespoons Water
Salt
Directions Preheat oven to 350F Loosely wrap garlic in aluminum foil with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for approximately 20 min. Until fragrant and soft. (you’re looking for it be basically mushy) Allow garlic to cool while you make hummus base. In your mini food processor, puree tahini and lemon juice for approximately 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt. Puree for at least 1 minute. Once cooled slightly, add 3 cloves of garlic. Puree for 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Dice last clove of garlic finely. Taste hummus, adjust salt/olive oil/water if necessary. Place hummus in serving bowl, drizzle with last tablespoon of olive oil, top with finely diced garlic. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Prep Time: approx. 15 min | Cook Time: approx. 20 min
Ingredients
1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced in half
1 can, drained Chickpeas (AKA Garbanzo Beans)
1/4 cup Tahini
1/4 fresh Lemon Juice
4 tablespoons Olive Oil (1 for red pepper, 2 for hummus, 1 for topping)
2-3 tablespoons Water
Salt
Directions Preheat oven to 350F Place red pepper on baking sheet, drizzle on tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Roast for approximately 20 min. Until fragrant and soft. (you’re looking for it be just soft) Allow garlic to cool while you make hummus base. In your mini food processor, puree tahini and lemon juice for approximately 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt. Puree for at least 1 minute. Once cooled slightly, add 3/4 of your roasted red pepper. Puree for 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Dice last bit of red pepper finely. Taste hummus, adjust salt/olive oil/water if necessary. Place hummus in serving bowl, drizzle with last tablespoon of olive oil, top with finely diced red pepper. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
