Creamy Homemade Hummus may change your mind about store-bought hummus.
It’s not difficult to make. You literally put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and press blend. Preparing it the traditional way, soaking and cooking the dried chickpeas, does require a little planning ahead, but it is SO worth the time. Warm, creamy homemade hummus, kissed with tangy lemon and spicy garlic, scooped up with a crispy pita chip? Guuuurl. You could eat it with a spoon for breakfast.
Actually, my friend Michael, who grew up in Israel, tells me that’s how it’s most commonly eaten there: for breakfast, with a swirl of olive oil on top (he also said his dad blew his mind later by bucking tradition and serving it with melted butter. Melted butter. Wow.). Here in the U.S., we’re more accustomed to seeing it as a lunchtime or party dip, or maybe a sandwich spread. But really, you can’t go wrong. This is a supremely tasty and healthy dish, so I say eat it whenever the mood strikes, with or without accompaniments.
Besides the warm and creamy texture, the other advantage to the DIY approach is that you can customize the hummus to your personal taste. Do you luuuuurve roasted garlic? Throw in half a head. Craving a fiery kick? Toss in some minced jalapeno or serrano pepper. Want a touch of sweetness? Try creamy peanut butter instead of tahini (I haven’t tried this variation myself, but people rave about it).
A word about equipment: I use a Vitamix, a very high-powered blender that will puree anything into oblivion. Because it can pulverize even the chickpea skins, it creates an incredibly fluffy and plush texture. A standard blender or food processor will work just fine, but you may end up with a slightly grainier hummus. It will get smoother the longer you process it, but regardless of what kind of machine you use, be mindful of adding plenty of water as you go so as not to burn out the motor.
Speaking of smoothness, some people claim that the key to truly smooth hummus is to peel the chickpeas. Which is a rather, shall we say, tedious proposition (in other words, for me: oh hell no am I peeling every tiny chickpea by hand). When you cook the chickpeas, the baking soda does help the skins loosen from the beans, and you could separate those out if you want. But given that a big part of this recipe’s appeal is how easy it is, I’m not gonna do either, personally (although: hey, business idea! Pre-peeled chickpeas for hummus fanatics. Someone needs to do that. Not me, though).
Breakfast is served.
Homemade Hummus
- Prep Time: 15 mins*
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 mins
- Yield: about 2.5 cups of hummus 1x
- Category: dips, appetizers, sides
Description
Rich and warm with creamy tahini, bright lemon, and a spicy kick from garlic, this homemade hummus is good enough to eat for breakfast.
Ingredients
1 cup (5 oz) dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans
2 TB salt
3/4 cup (6 oz) tahini
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (2–3 lemons)
zest from 2 lemons
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed or minced
1 tsp salt
1 TB olive oil
1–1.5 cups water (cooking water from the beans and/or warm from the tap)
Instructions
Place the dried chickpeas and 2 TB salt in a medium bowl. Add water to at least 3 inches above the beans and mix to dissolve salt. Cover bowl and let soak several hours (ideally overnight).
Drain the soaked beans and place in a large pot. Add about 10 cups of water and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and boil gently for 60-75 minutes, until chickpeas are tender. Reserve a cup and a half of the cooking water. Drain beans and let cool slightly.
In a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix), add the cooked chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and zest, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and olive oil. Turn on blender or processor, starting out slow to initially blend ingredients, and gradually increase speed, drizzling in reserved cooking water until a thick but creamy, fluffy consistency is achieved. Hummus will thicken both as it processes and as it cools, so don’t be shy with the water – and if you run out of cooking water, just use a little from the tap. Once you reach y our desired consistency, taste and add a little salt if needed.
Garnish with sprinkles of paprika and cumin, and a sprig of parsley. If possible, serve while still warm.
Store in an airtight container. To serve after storing, bring back to room temperature. If it’s gotten too thick, add a little water.
Notes
*prep time does not include soaking the beans
… in a pinch, you can substitute two 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans for the soaked and cooked chickpeas, though the flavor and texture won’t be quite the same.
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