Homemade hummus is luxuriously creamy, smooth, and rich. Use it as a spread, dip, or maze, and it is very easy to make. It deserves its reputation as a versatile, clean and healthy food.

Close view of creamy hummus showing a little olive oil, few whole chickpeas as garnish with pita bites.

What is Hummus

Hummus is a versatile middle eastern dish that can be had as a spread, dip, or savory dish. For a long time, hummus has been consumed as a staple food and made from readily available everyday ingredients. Its ease of making and nutritional profile has made it a household dish in every breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Hummus tastes creamy, savory, and garlicky. The name of hummus comes from the fuller name ‘Chickpeas with tahini.’ It is made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Paprika and parsley are used as a garnish in this recipe.

Hummus is commonly eaten with pita bread. It can also be used as a spread to make shawarma like in this recipe of mine – Street-style Chicken Shawarma.

Tahini is again another middle eastern condiment. Ground sesame paste is used as a dip, spread, or a significant ingredient in other dishes like hummus, baba ghanoush, or halva.

Hummus is really good for you. Hummus has a good proportion of fiber, proteins, and nutrients from chickpeas. A good amount of healthy fat in hummus comes from tahini and olive oil. Care for a healthy spread; hummus would be your best choice.

As a healthy substitute, nutritionists recommend hummus instead of other spreads since chickpeas are packed with protein and it has so many nutritional benefits. It also has fewer calories than other dip options. It keeps you full for a long time and avoids unnecessary snacking.

Checkout my other hummus recipe with a twist here – Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus.

Hummus made from scratch

There are many brands selling hummus in stores. While few store-bought ones taste good, I would go for homemade hummus. Not only do I control the quality and freshness of the ingredients, but I can also modify them to my taste.

Why go for store-bought ones with preservatives when something is so easy to make at home? Hummus can be easily made from a few simple ingredients using a food processor. What’s better is hummus can also store in the refrigerator without adding any additives or preservatives.

Follow this recipe for the best and easy homemade hummus and you will have it ready in no time.

People may prefer to get store-bought tahini, but this too is a straightforward paste to make at home. Tahini is just a ground paste of sesame seeds.

The flavor that hits you while you make tahini and hummus at home will make you happy, and the texture comes out so wonderfully creamy and soft.

Picture showing Creamy and healthy hummus served on a black plate with chickpeas and olive oil as garnish along with pita bites.

Ingredients

Hummus is made from local and everyday ingredients. These ingredients were available in every garden, farm, shop, or market in the Middle East and Mediterranean region. These are also readily available in most nearby stores in most parts of the world. You can make tahini at home or buy packed tahini from the market.

Chickpeas – A rich source of proteins, chickpeas have been a key ingredient in Mediterranean and middle eastern cuisines for thousands of years.
Tahini – Rich in calcium from sesame seeds, tahini is made by grounding sesame seeds into a paste.
Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice gives the zest and acidity to the creamy dish. Moreover the acid in the lemon helps break the protein in chickpeas to make a soft and creamy texture.
Garlic – Used to add flavor to the spread. You can roast garlic before adding it.
Paprika – Used as spices especially as garnish. Gives a nice red color to the dish.
Parsley – A herb used to garnish and enhance flavor.
Olive oil – Another source of healthy fat used to garnish over hummus.
Ice cubes – Help in improving the texture to keep it fluffy.

How to make

The method is quite simple. Use a food processor or grinder by taking the correct measurements of the above ingredients.

It would be best if you used boiled chickpeas. You may cook the chickpeas first and keep them aside while making tahini yourself. If you are using store-bought chickpeas or tahini, these steps do not matter.

Do not discard the cooking water from the chickpeas. It may be helpful if you want to water down the hummus. You can chill the cooking water and use it instead of ice cubes later.

The next step is to add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and ice cubes to a food processor. Process it for a couple of minutes. Scoop the paste properly in the jar.

Add the lemon juice now. Check the consistency of the paste now. If you feel it is too thick, add the cooking water from the chickpeas. Make sure to add a little, process it, and add some more cooking water if needed.

After adding the lemon juice, you need to process it for two more minutes.

I would recommend using ice cubes as while you make them in the food processor, the processor will generate heat to ground the chickpeas. Ice cubes help maintain the temperature cool, making the hummus light and fluffy.

Instead of ice cubes, you may use chilled water or cooking water, which should work well.

In the end, put out the hummus in a bowl and garnish it with Olive oil, whole chickpeas, paprika, and parsley.

Store

Hummus has garlic and oil content from tahini and has to be used within 4-5 days if stored in the refrigerator. It has to be maintained at a chilled temperature at all times, and you should not keep it out in the open for long. Take as much as required from the refrigerator.

You may also keep them in separate small containers so it would be quick to freeze and thaw them.

You can freeze Hummus up to 3 months. Store them in air-tight containers and remove the entire container to thaw before using.