This is an easy recipe for the best homemade hummus from scratch. Healthy and delicious, using just 5 key ingredients — chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini, and Olive oil. Homemade hummus is great as a spread for wraps and sandwiches and as a dip with crunchy vegetables or crackers!
It is so easy to make hummus at home that whenever I have guests over, I definitely put out a platter of hummus with chips and vegetable sticks. It is healthy, vegan, gluten-free and everybody loves it. And it is easy to store homemade hummus for long, you can even freeze it for months. Whenever I see a bottle of hummus in the store, I wonder why one would use hummus that was made months ago and then packed with preservatives, when wonderful fresh hummus can easily be made at home.
If you are a vegetarian (like me) and if you love traveling (like me!), chances are you would definitely have had a hummus wrap for one of your meals on travel. A flat wrap with a generous spread of hummus, warm falafel balls, and some raw salad. Complete with all nutrients — the wrap for carbs, hummus, and falafel for proteins, and salad for the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! It is perfect and it has saved me and my hungry stomach on more than one travel abroad.
Traditionally hummus is a Lebanese chickpea dip popular in cuisine all over the Middle East. These days the term “hummus” is used more for a spread that has a traditional hummus-like texture. I once had pea hummus in a restaurant which had no trace of chickpeas in it. While it was delicious, I would have rather called it a pea spread!
How to make the best homemade hummus?
Ingredients for basic homemade hummus
- Dried chickpeas: I prefer dried chickpeas over canned and processed chickpeas. They just need a bit of extra pre-prep of soaking but it is worth the fresh taste that canned chickpeas lack. See below for my tips on soaking chickpeas.
- Tahini:I make my tahini also at home. It is nothing but sesame seeds ground with some olive oil and a little salt to make a paste. I will share that recipe also in a later post.
- Olive oil
- Seasoning: Garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. I also add a little cumin and that is because I simply love sweet undertones of cumin in all chickpea dishes!
Tools you will need to make hummus at home
- Basic utensils (bowls, spoons, knife)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Colander (I love my collapsabe colander! It hardly takes any space)
- Pressure Cooker or use a deep sauce pan or insta-pot
- Food Processor
Why and How to soak dried chickpeas?
Dried chickpeas (and all dried beans and lentils) need to be soaked before they are cooked for two main reasons:
- Reduced cooking time: Soaking softens the chickpeas. Soaked chickpeas need lesser time and energy to cook.
- Easier Digestion: Soaking chickpea and other beans removes anti-nutrients present in the skins and makes them easier to digest.
The soaking time varies from bean to bean. For chickpeas, it is ideal to soak them in room temperature water overnight. But if you didn’t have enough time to plan, you can do a “quick soak” by soaking the chickpeas in hot water for 2-3 hours before cooking.
Make-ahead tip: You can freeze boiled chickpeas in small containers. Simply defrost in microwave and use in your favorite chickpea recipe.
Instructions
- Soak & boil chickpeas until soft. I cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker, but you can also cook them in a regular thick-bottomed closed pot or even instant-pot.
- Blend with other ingredients until smooth and done.
There are many flavor variations to the original recipe (Read recipe notes). Chickpeas are so neutral in taste that they will beautifully take on any flavor you add. My favorite is this basic hummus recipe. Just chickpeas, garlic, and tahini with a simple seasoning of lemon, salt, and pepper. Thick, creamy, and very smooth. Spread it, or dip your favorite crackers and vegetables in it.
If you like this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and/or leave your thoughts in comments. It will really encourage me to keep exploring, learning and improving.
Best Homemade Hummus
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 2 cups dry chickpeas , soaked for at least 2-3 hours or overnight
- 3 tbsp tahini
- ½ tbsp fresh squeezed Lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt , to taste
- Paprika powder ,to taste
- 2 tbsp Olive oil for spreading on top
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of room temperature water. Alternatively “quick soak” in hot water for 2-3 hours.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a pressure cooker, fill with water till it’s an inch above the chickpeas. Add salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Remove from heat and open the cooker only after the steam has escaped on its own.
- Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid as well as some boiled chickpeas aside.
- In a large processor, combine the boiled chickpeas, tahini, and garlic until almost smooth. Add a little of cooking liquid if the paste is very thick. Season with salt, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust.
- To serve, remove the hummus in a serving bowl, make a little depression in the center and add the reserved chickpeas. Sprinkle some paprika and drizzle olive oil.
Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Soak and cook the chickpeas, freeze in small container with some cooking liquid. When ready to make, defrost and simply follow step 4.
- Hummus variations: You can add some roasted capsicum for a roasted capsicum hummus, or add some beetroot chutney or simply roasted beetroot puree for beetroot hummus, some turmeric and you get a golden turmeric hummus.
- How to store homemade hummus: Store any extra hummus in an air-tight box in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Recipe is good for 10 people to use as a dip. Nutritional Info is the approximate value for 1 serving.
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Would love to start a conversation, share recipes, cooking experiences and food stories from India and around the world.
Super easy! Super yum! Superlike!
🙂
Super thanks! 🙂 So happy to see you here!