Everyone needs a great hummus recipe! Creamy, earthy, utterly addictive.
Made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, olive oil and garlic, it’s a great standby pantry dip for unexpected guests or midnight munchies! Creamy and smooth, it’s completely incomparable to the thick, sour store bought hummus.
Hummus recipe
Whenever I’m planning gatherings, I like to keep the stress levels down by using a combination of some store bought things and some homemade things for pre dinner nibble platters. I buy cured meats, olives and crackers (though these homemade gourmet crackers are in high demand in my circles).
But I always put hummus on the “make” side of the list.
Though there really are some great dips at supermarkets nowadays, hummus is not and never will be one of them. It’s too sour, it’s too thick, it lacks the signature creaminess of real hummus.
The first time you try homemade hummus will be a game changer. I absolutely swear to you.
And it’s so darn EASY.
I want to tell you that I always make hummus with dried chickpeas that I’ve soaked overnight and cooked until tender but that would be bollocks. The truth is, hummus is the sort of thing I want to make right now and that means grabbing a can of chickpeas. At best, I’ll pressure cook the chickpeas – which means waiting one whole hour. But it’s better than waiting until tomorrow. 😉
There’s only one thing that you may not have in your pantry right now but it’s available at all major supermarkets nowadays here in Australia – tahini.
Tahini is just sesame paste, and if you don’t use it, then it’s not hummus. I’m not saying it won’t be tasty, but it just won’t be hummus. 🙂 It lasts for ages in the pantry, and it’s a great standby for all those Friday evenings when the clock ticks over to 5 pm (4 pm?) and you’re ready to put your feet up with some nibbles and a glass of wine…. (I literally just described what I’ll be doing in 2 hours).
Be sure to use HULLED tahini, not unhulled. Unhulled tahini is made using sesame seeds, hull and all, which makes the sauce richer but more bitter.
How to serve Hummus
As for how and what to serve with hummus? Well, how about like THIS…. I mean, truly. If there was ever a way to get excited about eating loads and loads of veggies, this would be it!!! Thank you Bon Appetit, for the beautiful inspiration. 🙂
But of course, there’s always the option to stick with the classic – serving with flatbreads, or crispy baked store bought pita bread. I like to cut them up, spray with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until crispy.
If you want to get a bit fancy, try sprinkling with a bit of dukkah too (it’s a spice mix with seeds that’s sold at supermarkets nowadays).
Using hummus in dishes
Hummus is also a popular sauce options for Middle Eastern wraps such as Shawarma and Doner Kebab. Smear flatbreads with a generous dollop of hummus before piling on the marinated meats and fresh salads!
I make the consistency of my hummus the way it is served in the Middle East which is much looser than the dip you buy in stores. The consistency is more like a very thick ketchup. But it is much thinner than the store bought version.
In the Middle East, it is served spread out on a plate, then you use the back of a spoon to make swirls in it, drizzle over olive oil (which pools in the swirls). Then sprinkle over some reserved chickpeas and a pinch of paprika. One day, try this traditional Hummus with Spiced Lamb – it’s incredible!
My biggest tip is to serve it at room temperature! It makes such a difference, the flavour is better and it’s creamier.
We made it to the end of the week. It’s Friday. Go on. You deserve some end-of-week nibbles and wine!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Hummus
Ingredients
- 400g / 14 oz canned chickpeas (1 can) , drained (reserve liquid and a few chickpeas for garnish) (Dried Chickpeas - Note 1)
- 1/4 cup liquid from the canned chickpeas
- 1 medium garlic clove , minced
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup tahini, hulled (sesame paste), mixed well before using (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Garnish
- Pinch of paprika, more olive oil and reserved chickpeas
Instructions
- Extra smooth optional steps: If you want ultra smooth hummus, do one of the extra Smooth Hummus steps below (I rare bother!).
- Reserve for garnish: Reserve 10 or so chickpeas for garnish.
- Blitz! Place remaining chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blitz until it becomes a paste.
- Season - Add salt and pepper - if using canned chickpeas, add salt gradually because the saltiness varies from brand to brand.
- Thin sauce - Add reserved liquid from can. Blitz for a couple of minutes until smooth - but note you will have tiny little grains in it, it won't be 100% smooth unless you do one of the extra steps below.
- Adjust - Adjust lemon and salt to taste, adjust thickness with more liquid. It should be a soft dropping consistency, like ketchup.
- Serve the traditional way: dollop a big scoop of hummus on a plate or shallow bowl. Use a spoon to spread it and make swirls on the surface. Top with reserved chickpeas, drizzle generously with more olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Optional- easy ways to make ultra smooth hummus (Note 4)
- Method 1: Drain chickpease, place in large bowl and fill with water. Grab handfuls and rub between your hands submerged in the water - skins will rub off and float to surface. Skim floating skin off, drain and use per recipe.
- Method 2: Tip all contents of can INCLUDING liquid into heatproof bowl. Cover loosely with lid or clingwrap, microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain then use per recipe (hot chickpeas blitz smoother).
Recipe Notes:
* Originally published May 2014. Updated with recipe video and tidying up the steps plus extra tip for how to make smoother hummus plus using dried chickpeas.Nutrition Information:
More dip recipes
-
Guacamole (done right!) or Avocado Hummus Dip
-
French Onion Dip (from scratch) OR Retro Soup Mix 2 Minute French Onion Dip
-
Hot Corn Dip – you’ll love the flavour in this creamy, bubbly dip!
-
Smoked Salmon Dip (flavour you can’t buy in tubs!)
-
See all Dip Recipes
Life of Dozer
He came to the hairdresser with me the other day when I went to get my usual upkeep done (I live in a very dog friendly neighbourhood!). And he somehow managed to get a splotch of my black hair dye on his face.
That’s PERMANENT hair colouring….
Tastes great! I only added 2 tbspn of olive oil and lemon juice and kept the salt to 1/2 tspn. Also, I made sure I had hulled tahini and mixed it in the jar before adding it.
First time I’ve made hummus a bit bitter could have been the lemons a bit old added honey now it’s excellent 😂
I just made your hummus recipe! It’s a success! Followed everything and it’s so good!!
Hi Nagi, I am sure I told you this before, but I love your Hummus recipe, because it practically identical to mine (grin). However, I have two tweaks that you don’t, cumin is an essential spice for Hummus. I put in max a teaspoon. Also, the The traditional red spice to sprinkle on top of Hummus is actually sumac, not red paprika powder. Sumac is a wine-coloured spice made from dried berries, and adds a sweet/sour tang. I am not sure if it is available in Australia, we can get it in Germany at Arab stores, as it is used a lot in Middle-Eastern cooking
Followed recipe exactly…Perfecto! Enjoyed your recipe book update today😊.
First recipe I’ve ever made by you that turned out awful – doesn’t taste like any hummus I’ve ever had (and I eat heaps of hummus). Have gone over and over the recipe and ingredients but can’t figure out why it’s so awful and it’s not a difficult recipe. Maybe 1/2 cup tahini is just way too much?? So lost rn.
I’d suggest only using a 1/4 cup of tahini rather than 1/2. I reduced to a 1/4 after making it the first time and thinking it was too overpowering. You can always add more but you can’t take it out!
Maybe if I pan fry the chickpeas and garlic in a pan and use half the amount of tahini it might come out better.
This is the hummus recipe I shall be using from now – even though just after I added the tahini I realised it was one with honey in it – it was very very morish and I can’t wait to make it.
I’m also very appreciative of the hint in one recipe to MINCE garlic – way better!!!
I have always sworn by MY recipe, and yours is pretty darned close- spot on ! My variations (as I commented on FB) is that I add 1 – 2 tsp powderd cumin and/or coriander and use only 2 tblsp of tahina. I garnish with Sumac (a red, sourish, middle eastern spice) instead of paprika, but you might not be able to get it that easily in Australia. I add extra sesame oil if I think it needs it. Thanks for the tip of warming the tinned chick peas!
how weird – I do EXACTLY the same because I am not all that mad on tahini, and yes, sumac is widely available here in Oz, and sometimes I add more lemon juice and some mint
So quick and easy. Made this in my nutribullet smoothie maker haha. Delish!
Those things are my secret weapon in prepping smooth foods and curry pastes!! N x
I made this hummus strictly to the recipe and it was absolutely perfect in taste and texture. Thanks!!
My now go-to hummus recipe! Have tried loads, Ottolenghi etc and have never been pleased with my results. I de-hull as described in the smoothing options and end up with a fantastic hummus, great texture, great balance of flavour, and so, so easy! Can’t believe you can get this nice of flavour with canned chickpeas.
Loved your hummus recipe, perfectly balanced and so easy to make.
So easy to make.
I used Macro Organic chick peas. Scrumptious!
Well Nagi you have proved all the pundits wrong! They all say you can’t use tinned chickpeas. I have made so many hummus recipes from dried chickpeas and I can say yours is fabulous. You must heat them first as you said and I added some liquid smoke just for a bit of difference. Fantastic. Thank you again….
where did she say that you “must” heat the canned chickpeas? or are you talking about one of the “smooth” tips??
Thank you for mentioning method 1 for Ultra smooth hummus.
HAIR DYE ?!?!?
Great recipes but way too much tahini for my taste. I started with half the amount and that would’ve been perfect but had to add a little more to offset the tanginess from the lemons. Will defi make this again but with half the tahini and a little less lemon juice 🙂
Sorry this was a first Nagi recipe fail for me. Need to halve the tahini and less oil too.
Thanks for your reply Nagi, truly I love your recipes, this one just wasn’t to my taste
Hi Kaye, sorry you didn’t enjoy it, could you have possibly mis measured here? N x
Can you sub yogurt for the tahini in this recipe? I saw that as a substitute in your avocado dip posted.
Hi Sondra, you can although it will alter the flavour. N x
? From Canada 🇨🇦
Here we have 19oz cans of chickpeas.
How will this affect the measurements for the lemon juice, olive oil & tahini ?
Hi Joy, easy fix – just click the servings and scale up to a 19oz can and all the other ingredients will adjust for you 🙂 N x
A variation is to use a tin of butter beans.
Hi Stephan – yes you definitely can, it’s just not traditional hummus 🙂 N x
I had this again tonight as a snack with Quavers crisps. Not very gourmet I’ll admit but I have to admit it was a taste sensation as a snack, albeit not as healthy as the veg which I would usually have. Thanks Nagi as I now have crisp dip or as some people say potato chip x