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This easy homemade hummus is flavorful, creamy and quick! With tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and canned chickpeas, the simple dip or spread makes a delicious and healthy prep-ahead snack, appetizer, or side dish. It’s truly the best hummus recipe, and it’s delicious alongside pita chips, warm pita bread, fresh veggies or crackers!
Sure, I grab a tub of the store-bought stuff on occasion (it can be quite good!), but nothing compares to the texture and fresh taste of homemade hummus! If you can spare an extra 10 minutes in your day, it’s well worth the effort to whip up a batch of the best hummus recipe in your food processor.
Authentic Hummus Recipe
“Hummus” comes from the Arabic word ḥummuṣ meaning “chickpeas.” This Middle Eastern dip or spread consists of cooked, mashed chickpeas that are blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic. It’s not entirely clear when or where hummus originated, but the earliest known recorded recipe for a dish resembling hummus bi tahina appears in cookbooks from 13th century Cairo!
An authentic hummus recipe tastes rich and garlicky with strong umami flavors from the tahini. The texture can be smooth and creamy, or can be a bit chunkier — you decide when you’re making it at home!
Hummus Recipe with Tahini
Tahini is a creamy condiment made from toasted ground sesame seeds. It has a texture that’s similar to a thin natural peanut butter, and is commonly found in the cuisines of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, as well as parts of North Africa. You can typically find tahini in the international aisle of the grocery store, or near the nut butters (such as peanut butter and almond butter). If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can even make your own using this tahini recipe.
Tahini is an essential ingredient for the flavor and texture of hummus. You’ll need to stir the tahini well before measuring, as the oil separates when it settles.
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for the best homemade hummus recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete preparation instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Canned chickpeas: drained and rinsed.
- Tahini: toasted ground sesame seeds give hummus it’s unique flavor. Do not omit this key ingredient.
- Olive oil: gives the hummus a smooth, creamy texture and a rich taste.
- Water: to thin the hummus to reach your desired consistency.
- Lemon juice: adds a bright, acidic note.
- Garlic: start with about 1 small clove. You can always add more for a very garlicky flavor!
- Salt: enhances the other flavors in the dip.
How to Make Hummus
The best hummus recipe is adapted from a traditional hummus recipe that I originally found in a cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. The base recipe has a perfectly balanced, rich flavor and a thick, creamy texture, and can be tweaked to create a variety of other flavors. Best of all, the delicious made-from-scratch dish is ready in about 10 minutes!
- Place all ingredients in a food processor.
- Puree until smooth and creamy, adding more water or olive oil, as necessary.
- Taste and season with additional salt, if you like.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
How to Eat Hummus
Hummus is a very versatile dish! Serve it cold or at room temperature as an appetizer or snack, spread it on a sandwich or wrap, or offer it as a side dish with a larger meal. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Hummus and Pita: a classic combination!
- Hummus with crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, or fresh vegetables (like cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and radishes).
- Spread on a sandwich, grilled chicken wrap, vegetarian wrap full of fresh produce, or with a Chicken Gyro.
- Pair the hummus as a side dish with any of these Mediterranean-inspired meals: Chicken Souvlaki, Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken Breast, Dump-and-Bake Mediterranean Chicken, 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Salmon in Foil Packets, Greek Chicken and Potatoes, Greek Salmon, and Beef Shish Kabobs.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare the hummus in advance, cover and refrigerate. It will last in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.
- How to Freeze: Transfer hummus to a freezer-safe container. Pour olive oil over top to cover (this will form a seal over the hummus to lock in the moisture). Seal tightly and freeze for 3-4 months.
- Thaw the hummus in the refrigerator overnight.
Best Hummus Recipe — Variations
You can jazz up this base recipe to create a variety of different hummus flavors.
Other popular hummus flavors that you might want to try:
- Roasted Red Pepper: add about 2 tablespoons of chopped roasted red peppers.
- Parsley: add plenty of chopped fresh parsley to the food processor
- Lemon: swap out some of the water and use more lemon juice instead. For a stronger lemon flavor, add grated lemon zest to the food processor as well.
- Sun Dried Tomato: drain sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. Chop and stir into the hummus.
- Spinach and Artichoke: drain artichoke hearts and chop into bite-sized pieces. Stir into the hummus with drained, thawed spinach that has been squeezed dry.
- Basil Pesto: stir a dollop or two of store-bought or homemade pesto into the hummus.
- Chipotle or Sriracha: for a spicy hummus, stir in sriracha (to taste), or add chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
- Olive: add store-bought olive tapenade to the base hummus recipe.
- Roasted Garlic: Roast garlic and then add the roasted garlic to your base hummus recipe before pureeing in the food processor.
Tips for the Best Hummus Recipe
- Tahini has a slightly bitter taste naturally. If your homemade hummus tastes too bitter, it may be that you added too much tahini. It could also be that your tahini just isn’t a good quality — maybe try a different brand.
- To achieve a very smooth and creamy texture, you’ll simply need to puree the hummus even longer in the food processor (at least 3-4 minutes). Another great method to achieve ultra-smooth hummus? Make it in a blender! I don’t normally recommend preparing hummus in a blender because it’s difficult to control the texture (it goes from lumpy to pulverized in seconds); however, if you know that you want it super-smooth, whizz it in the blender and it will be perfectly light, fluffy and creamy. A small blender like a NutriBullet works nicely for this recipe.
- For even richer flavor and creamier texture, drizzle a little bit of additional tahini or olive oil into the food processor as it’s running. Go slowly and taste frequently!
- Add more water or lemon juice, as necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency. You will also want to scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times in order to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
More Easy Dip and Snack Recipes to Try
- Pimento Cheese
- 5-Ingredient Spinach Dip
- 10-Minute Holiday Crab Dip
- 7-Layer Bean Dip
- 4-Ingredient Cream Cheese Apple Dip
Best Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup water, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Optional, for serving: additional olive oil; chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Puree until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally and adding more water, as necessary, until the hummus reaches the desired consistency. Give it a taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- To serve, drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Prepare the hummus in advance, cover and refrigerate. It will last in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.
- How to Freeze Homemade Hummus: Transfer hummus to a freezer-safe container. Pour olive oil over top to cover (this will form a seal over the hummus to lock in the moisture). Seal tightly and freeze for 3-4 months.
- Tahini has a slightly bitter taste naturally. If your homemade hummus tastes too bitter, it may be that you added too much tahini. It could also be that your tahini just isn’t a good quality — maybe try a different brand.
- To achieve a very smooth and creamy texture, you’ll simply need to puree the hummus even longer in the food processor (at least 3-4 minutes). You might also like to drizzle in a little bit more olive oil to contribute to that creamy texture. Another great method to achieve ultra-smooth hummus? Make it in a blender! I don’t normally recommend preparing hummus in a blender because it’s difficult to control the texture (it goes from lumpy to pulverized in seconds); however, if you know that you want it super-smooth, whizz it in the blender and it will be perfectly light, fluffy and creamy. A small blender like a NutriBullet works nicely for this recipe.
- Add more water or lemon juice, as necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency. You will also want to scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times in order to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
if i can’t find talini in my stores what else can be used?
Hi, Anna! Unfortunately, there’s not really a good substitute for tahini in hummus. Tahini is an essential ingredient that gives hummus its unique flavor and texture. You might try ordering some online (from sites like Amazon) if you can’t find it in your local stores. I would check the international aisle and the nut butter aisle at your grocery store, though — it seems like most places stock it these days (even my tiny little country market). 🙂
I substitute natural peanut butter for tahini and use bean liquid, aqua fava instead of water.
Those are great tips. Thank you!