Homemade Hummus

Our homemade hummus recipe is simple, quick, easy, gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, classic, silky smooth, and creamy.

The secret to a great and easy homemade hummus is simply great quality tahini, chickpeas, freshly squeezed lemon juice and patience blending it in the food processor. It only takes 5 minutes to make; once you've tried our easy hummus recipe, you won't go back to store-bought. Our recipe is so delicious (we've been told that countless times), we would be shocked if you don’t end up making it several times in the first week.

If you’ve ever shopped for hummus at the grocery store, you know how many different brands and varieties there are. There are so many flavor combinations and options it’s a little overwhelming! Do you want to know a secret, though?

Hummus is actually really simple to make at home. We’re talking 5 minutes, a few ingredients, and just like that, you have the creamiest, dreamiest hummus ready for serving with your favorite pita, tacos, veggies, or crackers! Move over store-bought hummus, because our hummus dip is the best.

Watch Our Homemade Hummus Recipe Video

What is Hummus?

Hummus is a creamy Mediterranean dip made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans) pureed with tahini (sesame paste), lemon ( Freshly squeezed), salt, and garlic (optional). That's it! The word Hummus also means chickpeas in Hebrew as well as in Arabic.

Hummus Ingredients

• Chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas or soaked and cooked dried chickpeas.
• Tahini. This paste is made from ground sesame seeds and is similar in texture to peanut butter or nut butter.
• Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice.
• Salt.
• Aquafaba. Bean water. The liquid you find inside canned chickpeas or the liquid from cooking dry chickpeas. You can also use water.
• Garlic. This is optional (in our opinion). Garlic hummus is one of the more traditional flavors, but we prefer it without.
• For Garnish. Chopped fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil (good quality extra virgin olive oil), and a sprinkle of paprika, sumac, zaatar, seasoned chickpeas, or shawarma mushrooms.

How to Make Hummus

Simply combine your ingredients in a food processor and blend until it becomes smooth and creamy. This takes a few minutes, and you may need to add a tablespoon or two of aquafaba if you prefer your hummus thinner.

Tips on How to Make the Best Homemade Hummus

Once you have a homemade hummus process down, it’s super simple! There are a few tips to keep in mind for the best-tasting version. Here’s what we’ve learned after years of making our easy hummus recipe!

• Use good quality chickpeas. The best hummus recipe is made from dry chickpeas that have been soaked overnight and cooked on the stovetop or Instant Pot. You can also make an excellent hummus with canned chickpeas. Our favorite canned chickpea brand for hummus is GOYA. After trying other brands, their chickpeas always yield the best results. We are not getting paid to say that ( in case you were wondering) 😉
• Use great quality Tahini. Our favorite brands are Soom, Al Arz, Mighty Sesame, and 365 Brand. There's a common complaint that homemade hummus tastes bitter; that's probably because you must use a good-tasting, good-quality tahini.
• Fresh lemon juice: we can't emphasize enough the importance of using freshly squeezed lemon juice when making hummus at home. Please, please forget about the bottled stuff! The difference in flavor is palpable.  There is no comparison between bottled and fresh lemon juice, fresh lemon juice has it hands down!
• Aquafaba. Aquafaba is the water found in a can of chickpeas or the water remaining after cooking dried and soaked chickpeas. Add aquafaba or water to achieve the desired hummus consistency.
• Food Processor. If you are after a smooth and creamy hummus you must process all the hummus ingredients in the food processor for a few minutes until silky. Alternatively, you may use a mortar and pestle for a more rustic and chunkier hummus.

How to Plate Hummus

What to Serve with Homemade Hummus

Eat hummus as a delicious dip with pita bread, crackers, or raw veggies such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, etc. Add it to wraps, tacos, sandwiches, rice bowls, falafel, flatbread, and even pizza. I love to layer hummus, freshly diced tomatoes from the garden, feta, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze on a pita or wrap for lunch.

Variations

1. We used canned chickpeas. If you want to try soaking your own here's how: Soak dry chickpeas in water and baking soda overnight. The following day rinse and drain the chickpeas and cook them either in a pot of water or in an Instantpot (multicooker, electric high-pressure cooker). Once cooked follow the hummus recipe. The hummus comes out with a very creamy texture.
2. If you make the hummus while the chickpeas are still warm, you are in for a treat. Warm hummus is out of this world delicious, especially served with a warm pita.
3. Ground cumin can be added to the hummus.
4. Other options for garnish include toasted pine nuts, sumac, chickpeas, or spices such as cayenne or za'atar.
5. Non-traditional hummus recipes include red pepper hummus, which you can make by adding roasted red peppers to the food processor, Roasted Beet Hummus, or this chocolate hummus recipe.

FAQ

Other Middle Eastern Food Recipes

• Fattoush Salad
• Watermelon Feta salad
• Tabbouleh (Tabouli) Salad
• Deconstructed Hummus
• Cheese Sambusek
• Maamoul
• Semolina borekas
• Knafeh

Other Hummus Recipes

• Homemade Hummus
• Roasted Beet Hummus
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Cauliflower Hummus
• Hummus Toast
• Chocolate Hummus
• Hummus and Grilled Vegetable Pizza
• Red Pepper and Harissa Hummus
• Chipotle Hummus and Roasted Vegetable Tacos
• Warm Deconstructed Hummus
• Shawarma Mushroom Hummus Recipe

The Story Behind This Hummus Recipe

A few years back, our parents visited us and we went food shopping. Our dad was, as he usually likes to do, browsing the aisles, looking at every shelf and every product. As we get to the refrigerated section, he stops and stares at an entire wall of humus containers. He picks up a roasted red pepper one, looks at it, makes a face, and puts it down. He Picks up a black bean one and does the same. A couple of minutes later, he looked at me and said: “Why do they call this hummus? This isn’t hummus”. He shakes his head, turns around, and walks away.

Most of you probably think he was overreacting, right? Well, not really.

See, when it comes to food (especially food he grew up eating), our dad is a purist. He’s been making humus, by hand, since he was a kid. No fancy ingredients. Just chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and a mortar and pestle. That’s it. Anything other than that, as far as he’s concerned, is not called humus.

So to stay true to our roots, we are sharing with you the traditional hummus recipe which we grew up with. Purely unadulterated... minus the mortar and pestle!

• Shawarma Spiced Chickpeas
• Cauliflower Bowl with Harissa Roasted Chickpeas
• Homemade Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce
• 20-Minute Shakshuka
• Creamiest Homemade Hummus
• Mashed Butternut Squash with Spiced Chickpeas
• Easy Hummus Recipe with Shawarma Mushrooms
• Shawarma Chickpea Rice Bowl
• Braised Curried Kale with Spiced Chickpeas
• Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tempeh Bacon Bits
• Easy Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
• Fennel and Chickpea Stew
• Moroccan Harira Soup
• The Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger
• Easy Tomato and Chickpea Salad
• Chana Masala Over Celeriac Puree
• Cauliflower Chickpea Sheet Pan Dinner
• Wheat Berry and Chickpeas Soup
• Eggplant and Chickpea Curry
• Buddah Bowl
• Watermelon Steak Salad
• Cashew Ricotta Pizza
• Cauliflower Salad with Spiced Chickpeas
• Smashed Chickpea Salad
• Quinoa, Chickpea and Beet Burger
• Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas with Cheese Croutons
• Food Memories Salad
• Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous

If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.

Print