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Prepare creamy, smooth hummus using canned or dried chickpeas without peeling! This guide provides essential tips and tricks to perfect homemade hummus like a pro.
Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern dish, especially essential in Lebanese cuisine — no Lebanese mezze is ever complete without it! Made mainly from chickpeas, this dish is loved worldwide as a dip or spread. Preparing it at home is both easy and enjoyable; this authentic recipe requires you to simply blend cooked chickpeas with tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, and garlic until it reaches a smooth texture. Knowing all the secrets allows you to make it light and creamy. Plus, it’s SO much better than store-bought!
What’s in This Post
Ingredients
This simple recipe relies on just five key ingredients:
- Chickpeas: You can use cooked (from dried) or canned chickpeas. For a super creamy, smooth mixture, it’s best to use slightly “mushy” (overcooked) chickpeas.
- Tahini: I use homemade tahini. If you’re using store-bought, try using a high-quality raw unsalted option. This adds a nutty flavor & richness.
- Garlic: It’s traditional to use fresh garlic cloves. Adjust to taste.
- Salt: To season. Adjust the amount to taste.
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Adjust the amount to taste (I love mine lemony).
- Water: Ice water can help create fluffier homemade hummus and achieve incredible silky results. Or use aquafaba which blends up super fluffy.
How to make the best hummus
First, get your chickpeas well-softened. Whether using dried or canned, the key to creating creamy, smooth hummus is to cook them until they are very soft. If starting with dried chickpeas, look at the instructions on How to Cook Dried Chickpeas. It’s essential to cook them until they’re very mushy.
If your canned chickpeas aren’t mushy and soft, put them in a pot of water and boil for about 20 minutes until they get really soft. Then just drain them in a sieve, and you’re good to go – no need to peel them!
Next, add the softened chickpeas to a high-speed blender or food processor, along with tahini, minced garlic, salt, lemon juice, and initially only half of the ice water or aquafaba. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth, pausing to scrape the sides if necessary. If the hummus seems too thick, incrementally add more ice water/aquafaba, a tablespoon at a time, until achieving the preferred consistency.
Finally, taste the hummus and adjust the flavor according to your preferences. Once you’re happy with it, serve and garnish with fresh parsley, a few whole chickpeas, a sprinkle of red chili powder, and a drizzle of olive oil!
Ways to eat hummus
I like to eat it with bread/pita alongside some veggies, which complements its flavors perfectly. But there are endless ways to enjoy homemade hummus! Here are some of my favorites:
- Spread: Perfect for sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and alongside warm Pita bread.
- Dip: Dive in with crunchy veggies like carrots, celery, and cucumbers, along with homemade pita chips and savory seed crackers.
- Side: Enjoy as a tasty side addition to dishes like Chicken Tawook and Kofta.
- Pairing: Delicious with flavorful falafel and refreshing tabouli.
To make ahead
To keep your hummus fresh, cover it in the refrigerator where it’s best within 3-4 days but can last up to 1 week. For longer storage, freeze it in portions in freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags, removing excess air and leaving room for expansion. Frozen portions can maintain their quality for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
More hummus recipes
If you try this easy hummus recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Best Hummus
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 x15 oz/425g cans (drained and liquid/aquafaba reserved); or 1 cup dry chickpeas
- 1/2 cup tahini use high-quality, raw, unsalted tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed from 1 large lemon
- 0.5 oz garlic 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt or season to taste
- 1 cup ice water or aquafaba divided
- olive oil optional, for serving
This recipe yields about 2¼ cups of hummus
Instructions
- If your canned or cooked chickpeas aren't soft enough, boil them for about 20 minutes until they're mushy. This makes them blend up super smooth for that super creamy hummus texture. Drain them in a sieve to remove excess water.
- Blend the chickpeas with tahini, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and half of the ice water/aquafaba until smooth. This step creates the flavorful base of the hummus.
- Gradually add more ice water to reach your desired consistency. Adjusting the water content helps achieve the perfect creamy texture.
- Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice, or other spices as needed.
- Serve garnished with parsley, whole chickpeas, red chili powder, and a drizzle of olive oil for added flavor and presentation.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for an terrific and very informative recipe! This is the first I’ve heard of some of your excellent suggestions, including freezing leftover hummus. I used what I had on hand, which happened to be good quality, canned, Italian chickpeas (Luigi Vitelli brand). They were a bit smaller than the usual canned American chickpeas, and surprisingly, were perfectly cooked to a soft consistency. I ended up using about 1/4 cup of the liquid in the cans, and 2 cloves of garlic in the most delectable hummus I’ve ever made. Now, I just have to decide on toppings…
Thanks for your comment, Julie! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I did this together with the falafel receipe (cooked a whole lot of chickpeas 😀 ) and loved them both!
Everything is very easy to understand, even for a very unexperienced cook like me!
Results were amazing, we all loved it. Thank you!!
Thank you for your comment, Maggie. This is very encouraging! Hope you give other recipes a try too. 🙂
Makes amazingly smooth and tasty hummus! Most recipes in the States use olive oil in the recipe but this doesn’t need any (except for on top at the end, of course!). The extra tips in the blog were very helpful. I’ve made this once without cooking the chickpeas enough and it definitely made a difference, so make sure to cook them as directed!
Thank you so much for your comment, Megan. Glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe.
Love your recipes ❤️
Thank you so much for your comment, Alfiya.
Hi, love your feed. Follow back on Instagram @whats_vegan_
this recipe is beautifully made and simple. I love the food processor which brand is that?
Hi Dominique.
Thanks for your comment.
For this recipe, the NutraMilk machine was used – it’s linked on the Shop page on the blog if you want to check it out. However, you can use any food processor or blender to make hummus.
Delicious!
I tried this recipe and it turned out great 🙂
The tips and step by step instructions at the beginning were also very helpful!
Thank you so much for your comment, Farnaz. Glad you tried the hummus recipe.
Incredible
Thank you, Cherin.
didn’t cook my chickpeas down enough – even after soaking for 10hr and cooking for 30+ mins they weren’t mushy, but i wanted to time the hummus with the roasted veg i was making, so i just started the hummus.
didn’t use lemon juice, tahini also from alphafoodie, and used plenty of the chickpea water. it was lovely! took the tip to add roasted garlic (i just put a head in the oven at 200 degrees for 12 mins) and mmhmmm yes.
Thank you for your comment. Glad you managed to adapt the recipe to what works for you.
I use this recipe regularly to make hummus for my Mother. It’s so much more flavorful than the store-bought packages she is used to, and her husband – not a fan of hummus – even eats it. Quick and simple!
Thank you for your comment, Justin. Glad you and your family are enjoying the hummus recipe.