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bowl of hummus with olive oil and chickpeas. A side of pita bread

Easy Hummus Recipe: How to Make Hummus


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  • Author: Suzy Karadsheh
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: serves up to 8 people

Description

How to make hummus the traditional way. No fuss. No extra flavors added. Just a plain, classic homemade hummus recipe. And a couple of tricks will ensure you achieve the best hummus ever–thick, smooth, rich, and ultra creamy. Be sure to see the video tutorial as well.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas, peeled (from 1 to 1 1/4 cup dry chickpeas or from quality canned chickpeas. See recipe notes for more instructions on cooking and peeling chickpeas)
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 to 4 ice cubes
  • 1/3 cup  (79 grams) tahini paste
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Hot water (if needed)
  • Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
  • Sumac

Instructions

  1. Add chickpeas and minced garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Puree until a smooth, powder-like mixture forms.
  2. While processor is running, add ice cubes, tahini, salt, and lemon juice. Blend for about 4 minutes or so. Check, and if the consistency is too thick still, run processor and slowly add a little hot water. Blend until you reach desired silky smooth consistency.
  3. Spread in a serving bowl and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add a few chickpeas to the middle, if you like. Sprinkle sumac on top. Enjoy with warm pita wedges and your favorite veggies.

Notes

  1. If starting with dry chickpeas, allow extra time for soaking (overnight) and cooking (2 hours).
  2. To cook dry chickpeas: soak chickpeas in plenty of water overnight (water needs to be at least doubled the volume of chickpeas). When ready, drain chickpeas and place them in a medium-sized heavy cooking pot. Cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  3. If using canned chickpeas, make sure they are drained and rinsed. It helps if you also give them a quick 20-minute simmer in a bit of water so they soften well (dry them before use).
  4. To peel chickpeas (cooked or from a can): cover cooked chickpeas in hot water and add 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. Leave for a few minutes. Take a handful of chickpeas and rub under running water to remove the skins. Place peeled chickpeas in a bowl.
  5. Need to thicken your hummus some more? If for some reason, you ended up using a bit more liquid that you should have, cover and refrigerate the hummus for an hour or so before using. It should thicken up a bit. Otherwise, another trick I used to do is to add 1 to 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt to hummus to also add some creaminess (you would  have to blend it again in the food processor). But with this recipe (and tips mentioned above) I have not needed to do this.
  6. Recommended for this recipe: the best way to finish this hummus is with a generous drizzle of our excellent Arbequina extra virgin olive oil and a few sprinkles of sumac.  
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Blended
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern