Hummus is one of the dips we're always eager to order at our favored Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurants. It's so delectably flavorful and creamy with a hint of tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon and warm spices. Served as a zesty appetizer or even a scrumptious spread on fresh pita bread, we just can't get enough of it!
Hummus, a Flavorful Favorite Dip or Spread
The flavors found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine are truly some of my absolute favorites.
These cuisines rely heavily upon lemon, garlic, olive oil and spices—those bright, earthy and flavorful ingredients loaded with aroma and lots of health benefits—all of which I opt to use quite often in my own cooking.
So it was only natural that I fell head over heels utterly in love with hummus when I first tasted it many years ago. With its light and creamy texture and wonderfully warm, spicy notes, it was an absolute dream discovery for my young palate to enjoy as a tasty snack with warm pita wedges!
And even though I love the addition of savory flavors, hummus made in the traditional way has always been my favorite.
I find it's kind of tough to beat the “original”, filled to the brim with chickpeas, a hint of tahini, garlic, and lemon, plus a healthy drizzle of good quality olive oil and lemon.
And those finishing warm spices that get dusted over top, the fragrant cumin and paprika? Well, let me just say that those tie the whole hummus experience together in a bundle of perfect appetizer coziness!
Ingredients for Delicious, Homemade Hummus
Living in an area of Los Angeles where Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is very readily available (a major plus for me!), I've tasted my fair share of hummus. What I've found is that while there are basic ingredients that are typically included in a hummus recipe, the quantities seem to vary depending on taste.
Some hummus recipes are a bit heavier on the garlic, which I personally really enjoy, some have more tahini, maybe a bit more lemon, while others not so much of anything but the chickpeas.
But the basics are always going to be chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), tahini, garlic, lemon, olive oil and salt; and with the specific flavor profile pretty much guided by the palate of the one preparing it.
Then, as as finisher, there are almost always some fragrant spices such as cumin and paprika sprinkled over top, along with an extra drizzle of the silky olive oil, and perhaps even a few extra chickpeas for texture.
So delicious, the beauty of hummus is that it can easily be made to suit one's taste!
How to Make Hummus
Hummus only requires a handful of ingredients added into a food processor and whirled together until rich and creamy—it's super easy!
Here's a glance at my hummus recipe:
- First thing I do is drain and rinse the chickpeas, reserving some of their liquid (and for an extra creamy and smooth hummus, remove their skins by gently rubbing them)
- Once the chickpeas are prepped, I add them to the food processor along with their liquid and all the other ingredients.
- Next, I give things a whirl, slowly drizzling in the olive oil along the way. I continue to process until everything is smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- When done, I spoon the hummus out into a serving bowl and keep it chilled
- Once I'm ready to serve, I drizzle some extra olive oil over top and sprinkle on a generous pinch of spices and parsley.
(My full recipe is below...)
Tips & Tidbits for Hummus:
- For extra creamy hummus, remove chickpea skins: While this step is certainly not a mandatory step to making hummus, gently rubbing the skins off of the canned chickpeas makes for an extra light, fluffy and creamy hummus texture.
- Flavorful olive oil: Because you won't be cooking this recipe, choose an olive oil that is good for use as a flavorful finisher, or even in dressings. You want to avoid an oil that is too “grassy” or “green” tasting, as that may end up imparting some bitter flavor into your hummus.
- Tasty spices: The flavor of ground cumin and paprika offer hummus some warm, zesty notes; so sprinkling those over the finished hummus before serving is super tasty. The spices also offer some warm color!
- Dip-able goodies to serve: Simple pita bread gently warmed and cut into wedges is an option to serve with hummus, or even pita chips. Other tasty goodies are lavash cut or torn into sections, or even crackers, or cut veggies.
- What's tahini and where to find it: Tahini is similar in consistency to peanut butter, and is made from sesame seeds. It's pretty readily available these days and typically found near the nut butters in the market, or perhaps in the international foods section.
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Hummus
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Yield: Serves 12
Nutrition Info: 142 calories (¼ cup portion)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, ¼ cup of their liquid reserved, then drained and rinsed (skins removed, optional), a few reserved for garnish
• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• ⅓ cup olive oil, plus extra to drizzle over top as finishing touch
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• Chopped parsley, as garnish
• Pita bread wedges or pita chips (or combo of both), to serve alongside
-To the bowl of a food processor, add the chickpeas, the ¼ cup reserved liquid from chickpeas, the tahini, the lemon juice, the sea salt and the garlic cloves, and process for a couple of minutes to combine well, scraping down the sides as needed.
-Then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the ⅓ cup of olive oil and continue to process until the dip is creamy and completely smooth, about 4-5 minutes (you may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides a couple of times with a spatula to get all of the ingredients well processed).
-Once the hummus is smooth and creamy, spoon it out into a serving dish and keep either at room temp or chilled.
-When ready to serve, use a spoon to make pretty swirls, sprinkle over the cumin and the paprika, and drizzle over some additional olive oil; drop in a few chickpeas as garnish, then sprinkle over chopped parsley, and serve with your choice of accompaniments.
Craving some more dip ideas? Check out this Spinach Dip, this White Bean Dip, this Guacamole, or this Roasted Garlic Hummus!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2012, and has been updated with even more love!
Monsterscircus
What a beautiful hummus, it's almost as if I can taste it! Bookmarked! Have a wonderful evening!
thecozyapron
Thanks, you too!
Villy @ For the love of Feeding
It looks perfect! I adore hummus!
brittany powell
I always feel so guilty buying store-bought hummus. I think I'll have to try this--your photos look so good.
Tasha Zee
Loving this hummus, I always want to make this but I never have tahini on hand.. this recipe is perfect. Thank you!
Mary
You can make Tahini very easily! Just brown some sesame seeds and grind them up with some olive oil in a food processor 🙂
Anna Victoria
Thank you for the recipe, I've been trying to find a great one for ages! Pinned!
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up
I LOVE hummus! This looks really good. I love homeade hummus.. nothing beats it. Thanks for the tip about the Tahini.
The Cozy Apron
Thanks Bernadette! Homemade hummus is the best - I agree!
Karen Valladares
This is the best hummus I have made!!! Totally a keeper! Usually I make one they are too garlicy or just not good enough for a dip! And this one I eat like crazy with cucumbers! Oh so good! Thanks!!!!!
The Cozy Apron
Karen, I love it! So excited to read that. Thanks for taking a moment to share your comments with me, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this simple recipe with some healthy veggies!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kaitlyn, I don't use a specific kind or type; I just purchase whatever kind the store has. You can typically find pita bread in the bread isle of your grocery store; if you have problems finding it, just ask for assistance. (They're round and usually come 6 or so to a package.)
Leslie
This was perfect! I made it to go with a veggie platter at Thanksgiving but I will definitely be making this again just to enjoy even for myself. I had all the ingredients on hand and it was very easy to make and so delicious!
The Cozy Apron
Leslie, so glad this turned out to be a tasty side for you for T-Day! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, and I'm excited you'll be making this again for yourself!
Nicole
This hummus looks amazing!! About how long will it keep in the fridge? Can't wait to try it 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Hey Nicole! You know, hummus stays freshest for the first couple of days. And that means that the flavors are just at their most intense at that point. But I've often kept hummus in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days, and it's just fine. (It's not that it goes "bad", it's just that you'd obviously want to enjoy it while the flavors are strongest, so the sooner you enjoy it after preparing it, the better.)
Nicole
I made this yesterday and it was AMAZING!!! My husband, who has always frowned at a hummus platter just kept on diving in. This is a definite keeper!!!
The Cozy Apron
Haha! 😉 I love it, Nicole! So glad you BOTH enjoyed!
Roxy
Hi thank you for the recipe! I'm going to make this now but I'm a little confused. Is it 15 ounces beans or 2 cans of 15 ounces? Also, how many ounces of dried beans would that be? Pleeeaseeee respond! 😀 Thanks!!! (BTW I'm new to cooking)
The Cozy Apron
Hi Roxy, it is 2 cans of chickpeas, and each of them are 15 ounces. Hope that helps.
Mary
Excellent!!! Thanks for the tip on tahini
The Cozy Apron
Hi Mary, so glad you enjoyed!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Vicky, these are at their crispiest and best the day they're prepared. They're still crisp the next day, but you can tell that the air causes them to lose a touch of that crunch.
(The perils of "homemade"!) 😉
Ruth
Delicious! Even freshly made the flavours are great; I can't wait to see how it tastes after a day or two in the fridge when the flavours have had time to consolidate, I wonder if there will be any left by then?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Ruth, thanks so much for sharing your experience! Glad you enjoyed the hummus, and yes—the flavor does get a little deeper after a couple of days. That is, if there's any left. 😉
Linda Betz
Oh, Ingrid, this tastes wonderful. I am making a number of your dishes for the holiday. I know the rest will be excellent, too. Hope you are all well on that side of the country. Thanks for giving us love and goodness in your recipes. They are the best.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing with me! What a sweetheart you are!
This recipe happens to be a favorite dip of mine, and I am thrilled you're enjoying it as well. I hope your holiday spread went off without a hitch, and was a mouthwatering hit for you! Sending my love!