Description
Learning how to make hummus will save you time and money, not to mention it tastes better than anything store-bought. If you love it, please leave a star rating in the comments below to help other readers in our community (thanks!).
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 small clove garlic*
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (OR 1.5 cups cooked from scratch chickpeas)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use 3 or 4 tablespoons if you like it extra lemony)
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste (stir it in the jar before using), more or less to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt)
- about 2–3 tablespoons of cold water if needed to make the hummus smoother
To garnish: a sprinkle of paprika (and or parsley) and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Sesame seeds, feta cheese, olives, and/or a sprinkle of fresh herbs also make a great garnish.
Instructions
Food Processor Method (we find this is the best way):
- Put the whole peeled garlic clove in the food processor alone and run for about 20 seconds to finely chop the garlic.
- Add the tahini paste & lemon juice and process about 30 seconds.
- Add the chickpeas, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt (and cumin if using—I recommend it but leave out if you don’t love it). Process about 30-45 seconds, then scrape down the sides. (Note: If you plan to garnish your hummus, save about 10 chickpeas out to sprinkle on top at the end.)
- Put the lid back on and turn the food processor on, then add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time (usually 2-3 tablespoons total) through the top of the food processor until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. If your food processor doesn’t have a hole on top, add the water in before putting the lid on.Optional: At this point, you can also add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and/or lemon juice (if you like it extra lemony!) to help make it even more creamy.
- Garnish: To serve right away, add your hummus to a small bowl and use the back of a spoon to make a swoosh on top. Sprinkle a few whole chickpeas and about 1-2 tablespoons more of extra-virgin olive oil on top to make it pretty. Add a dash of paprika (not smoked paprika, unless you’re into it) on top for a traditional finish. A big sprinkle of flakey sea salt makes a great garnish, too.
- Homemade hummus will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Blender Method:
Since it’s easy for the ingredients to get stuck in the blade and not blend, use more liquid at the beginning (bottom of the blender) to help the process along. Avoid a blender with a very wide base (such as a 64oz container) as the blades won’t be long enough to catch all of the ingredients. A narrow base will help you.
- Finely chop the garlic and set aside.
- Add the lemon juice, tahini, and 2 tablespoons of cold water to the blender and blend on medium or high until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high until smooth, adding 1-2 more tablespoons of cold water to blend.
- You can also add more extra-virgin olive oil and/or lemon juice to help make it blend if needed. Garnish and serve as noted above.
Notes
- * Chopped garlic becomes stronger the longer it sits. If you want to eat this right away and want it to be extra garlicky, then add another clove. If you plan to store it in the fridge, remember that the garlic flavor will become stronger by the hour.
- White beans (e.g. cannellini beans) make a great substitution for chickpeas if you want to mix things up.
