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….
Hello, made the Hummus today following your (metric) instructions, unfortunately way to liquid/runny. It tastes ok, but just to runny even after lengthy refrigerating session. Added a second tin of chickpeas to get a better consistency. I have no idea what I could have done wrong, CeLaVie, I will try it again …
Thanks for the recipes, greetings and best wishes from Germany.
Thomas
Love, love, love this recipe! I make it all the time with some sweet paprika and Always Fresh Sundried Tomatoes cut up over the top. Drizzle some of the oil from the tomatoes and Bam! You got yourself the tastiest afternoon snack to have with some freshly cut raw veges. Thanks once again Nagi for all your fantastic recipes and all the love and dedication that you put into everything. 😍
This recipe makes a bitter hummus with a strong taste of tahini (I used Macro hulled from Woolies), and is otherwise a bit bland. Salt improved it. It’s edible but I don’t love it. Will have to try it with cumin and sumac, and halving the tahini.
Hey Steph, I used that Macro tahini the first time I made this recipe and I agree, it wasn’t very nice at all. Almost bitter, like you say. But I tried it again with Mayvers and it was fantastic. Edgels Chickpeas are also a lot nicer than any others I’ve tried.
I’d like to add the reason I’m so delighted with this recipe is hummus is one of my staples, but I couldn’t find quite the right recipe.
The best store bought one I ever found in Oz was ‘Pilpel’ at Woolies. However, since the cost-of-living crisis, they’ve reduced the olive oil and added canola 🙁
Thanks again Nagi, every penny counts more these days x
Fantastic hummus recipe! Wonderful that it can be adapted to personal tastes!
Coarser or wetter just omit or add more liquid at the end. Cumin or no cumin, up to 1 teaspoon works. Start at 1/4 teaspoon. Garlic fiends can add another small clove.
My personal touch is to top it with more olive oil, fresh/dried dill and a few shakes of cayenne 🙂
Thanks for continually sharing your recipes and unique expert touches with us Nagi xx
I knew this was probably the wrong recipe for me when I read that the consistency should be like ketchup, especially since I don’t have a food processor or a blender. I like thick hummus with the garbanzos dominant. In doing a search on how to thicken this without going to the store to get more beans, I came across tahini-less hummus recipes using toasted sesame oil. I love tahini, but it’s so expensive and hard to get here that I’ll try one of those next time. Maybe this hummus will thicken overnight.
Ooh noo, I must have put too much tahini in as it’s a bit bitter, added more lemon but it was a no 🥲
It’s probably something I’ve done as I have never had a bad recipe from you 😁
This recipe, so simple and can be made using my NutriBullet. I won’t be going back to store bought hummus. Reading the comments I added 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of sumac and 1/4 cup of tahini. I never realised how easy and quickly hummus can be made. *insert chef’s kiss* 👩🏻🍳
For me personally the amount of tahini overpowers the chick peas. But this gave me the confidence to try because Nagi’s recipes are always good. I still enjoyed its smoothness and I wonder why anyone would leave the skins on the chick peas. Thanks Nagi. x
I used to make hummus with canned chick peas untill I tried some a Lebanese lady had made, same recipe as mine which is virtulally Naji’s. Her was better than mine because she used dried chick peas. I have not used canned chick peas since. Looking foward to your new book.
It’s perfect! Nothing more to be said! 🎉
I made this last night and was super impressed with the results. I’ve tried making hummus in the past and results always mediocre. I heated the chickpeas as advised and was nice and smooth:creamy. Thanks so much Nagi!
My first attempt at homemade Hummus. It was dreamy, creamy… so good.
I don’t think I’ll ever buy shop bought Hummus again.
I like Dozer’s new beauty mark! I haven’t made Hummus before, I must give this a try because I do like it a lot but only have had store bought kind. Can’t wait to make this. Thanks! Hugs to both you and Sweet Dozer.
This is seriously the BEST recipe ever. I make this all the time and we devour it 💗. Thank you Nagi 🥰
This is so easy and so smooth and creamy. I will never buy store bought hummus again!
I love this hummus recipe! FYI… I doubled the recipe and it made a hilariously large amount of hummus.
Made this to go with the doner kebabs. Also made the tahini & did use dried chickpeas (see my halo shine!) I am madly trying to use up the 3 kg packs I bought for 40c each! This was easy & much nicer than shop bought. Used for work snacks with cut up veg the next day & both husband & grandson asked for it again. Another Nagi win, thank you.
Delicious!!!! Loved this recipe! Kids & husband inhaled it. Thanks Nagi 💗
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.