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Instead of store-bought, hummus is best when whipped up at home with your own favorite flavorings.
Hummus is a Middle Eastern staple traditionally served with pita bread and raw vegetables. You have likely seen a display of the stuff at your local grocery store. The dip is often packaged in small plastic tubs that advertise a range of flavors — from the more traditional garlic, roasted red pepper, and kalamata olive to unconventional combinations like everything bagel and chocolate brownie “dessert hummus.”
In just 10 minutes, you can have a batch of delicious, creamy homemade hummus without plastic packaging or added ingredients like processed oils, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and citric acid (and with whatever traditional or inventive flavors you’d like, using what you’ve seen in stores as inspiration). Plus, making hummus from scratch is significantly cheaper than shelling out for the 10-ounce containers. And my favorite reason to make it at home: It tastes fresher and better. Hands-down.
All you need is a jar of tahini (a spread made from sesame seeds that gives the dip its nutty flavor), chickpeas, lemon, olive oil, and staple herbs and spices, and you can have hummus in minutes. But don’t let its simplicity fool you; hummus is a total crowd-pleaser — perfect to whip up when you’re entertaining guests for the holidays or a big gameday. Chop fresh raw veggies like carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, and radishes for dipping and spread them around a bowl of homemade hummus in a colorful presentation. You can also serve it with triangles of warm pita bread or pita chips. Or, better yet, offer your guests both!
Here are three recipes you can make for your next gathering, including a Classic Hummus, a colorful Beet Hummus, and (my favorite) a Lemon Dill Hummus.
Sustainable Servings
If you’re headed to someone’s home for a football game or the holidays, thrift serving bowls to carry what you make instead of grabbing disposable ones. They are festive, double as a thoughtful gift, and give old things new life.
RECIPE: Classic Hummus
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
Description
Hummus comes from the Arabic word meaning chickpeas, and is a staple in Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, and Israel. Classic hummus typically combines chickpeas, tahini (a spread like peanut butter made from sesame seeds), lemon, and sometimes olive oil, garlic, and spices or herbs into a creamy spread.
Ingredients
- 1 15–oz can chickpeas (~1 1/2 cups chickpeas cooked from dry, see box below)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsps tahini
- 3 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
- 1/ 8 tsp cumin (optional)
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse well with hot water.
- Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the water, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Process for 2 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth (see note below).
- Taste the hummus, and add additional salt or lemon if needed. Drizzle serving dish with olive oil, if using, to finish.
RECIPE: Beet Hummus
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
Description
This is perfect for leftover cooked beets; just dice and add. If you don’t have leftovers, shred a raw beet. By cutting it smaller, it blends easily with the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 15–oz can chickpeas (~1 1/2 cups chickpeas cooked from dry, see box below)
- 1 medium cooked beet, diced, or 1/2 cup shredded raw beet
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsps tahini
- 3 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
- 1/8 tsp cumin (optional)
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsps fresh dill, chopped
- Olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse well with hot water.
- Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the beets, water, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Process for 2 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth (see note below).
- Taste the hummus, and add additional salt or lemon if needed. Drizzle serving dish with olive oil, if using, to finish.
RECIPE: Lemon Dill Hummus
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
Description
Borrow flavor ideas from the many types of hummus in stores and test them out at home. My favorite is lemon with a touch of fresh dill.
Ingredients
- 1 15–oz can chickpeas, rinsed well (~1 1/2 cups chickpeas cooked from dry, see box below)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsps tahini
- 3 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
- 1/8 tsp cumin (optional)
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsps fresh dill, chopped
- Olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse well with hot water.
- Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the water, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Process for 2 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth (see notes below).
- Taste the hummus, and add additional salt or lemon if needed. Add in the fresh dill, process briefly to incorporate. Drizzle serving dish with olive oil, if using, to finish.
Notes
- Trying different tahinis: There are subtle differences in tahini brands and their flavors, so try one or two before you settle on one. I’ve always liked the Joyva brand.
- Customize your hummus: Adjust the flavor by adding more or less spices and herbs — make it spicier with more cayenne or more nutty with extra tahini. Spices can be added in with the rest of the ingredients. If you’re adding fresh herbs, chop them first and add them to the food processor at the end so the hummus doesn’t turn green. For a colorful hummus, try adding beets, cooked carrots, or roasted red pepper.
- The right consistency: The longer your food processor runs, the more aerated and creamy your hummus will be. The water in these recipes also helps the hummus from being too thick. Add additional water to get the consistency you like (or use less, if you like it thicker). Olive oil can add additional flavor and can impact the overall consistency. You can even consider using a combination of olive oil and water.
Cooking Chickpeas From Scratch
I notice a flavor boost when I use beans made from scratch, and I appreciate the savings and less packaging. Soak a pound of beans in water overnight. Place the soaked chickpeas in a large pot and cover with water. You can flavor the cooking water with aromatics such as a piece of carrot, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer with the lid on for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You can save the flavored cooking water and freeze batches of about 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans with about a third of the liquid.
