Hummus Recipe

Hummus Recipe is a popular Middle Eastern dip made by blending chickpeas with tahini, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. You can make hummus in many different flavours including roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, pesto, sun dried tomato. It makes a great spread for any sandwiches or shawarma, can be had as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken, kuboos, whole wheat pita, veggie sticks like carrots, cucumber or pita chips.

Hummus

This is one of my favourite dip, it has a beautiful sesame flavour from the tahini. It is creamy, garlicky, tangy all in one. Perfect to dip crisp cut veggies as well, it makes a great spread for any sandwiches or shawarma as well. Can be had as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken as well. This is such a healthy spread to make and you can make wrap using this.

About Hummus

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savoury dish made with cooked, mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika are common garnishes in the Middle East. It is typically served as a dip with pita bread in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Hummus is a rich, creamy paste with umami flavour. Hummus has a smooth texture that pairs well with crispy pita and fresh vegetables. It is garlicky, tangy, and savoury.

Hummus makes a great party recipe, it can be modified in so many ways and can make a great appetizer for any party. It is healthy, protein rich and very tasty as well. It is one of my favorite dips of all. Hummus is great served as a dip or as a spread for wraps, check out my veggie hummus wrap.

More Dips to Try

Lebanese Garlic Sauce

Tahini Sauce

Baba Ganoush

Watch Hummus Recipe Video

Hummus Ingredients

Chickpeas / Chana (Kabuli) - They have a nutty, satisfying flavour and a slightly grainy texture that contrasts nicely with the other ingredients. Chickpeas, like other legumes, are grown in tropical or subtropical climates and come from plants with pods. In this recipe, you can use raw chickpeas that are soaked, cooked till tender or take a shortcut and use canned chickpeas.

Tahini - toasted ground sesame seeds is added with chickpeas to add a nutty taste. You can use homemade or store bought.

Garlic : Garlic has a distinct, pungent flavour which adds aroma as well taste to the hummus. It is one of main ingredient in making this dish.

Lemon Juice - freshly squeezed lemon juice cuts through the hummus and adds a fresh zing and taste to the dish.

Flavourings - paprika, cayenne, parsley can be used in hummus depending on your taste preference. More flavourings like roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, pesto, caramelized onions can be used.

Olive oil - use good quality extra virgin olive oil in the end for fruity taste.

How to Make Hummus Extra Smooth

In my hummus making experience, there are two tips to make hummus extra creamy.

Peeling chickpeas - the trick to smooth creamy hummus is peeling the skin. Even though it is time consuming, it is worth the extra effort. Peeling the skin removes the coarse texture and makes it smooth.

Using chickpeas cooking water - reserve the chickpeas liquid also known as aquafaba. Drizzling in aquafaba and olive oil alternatively when grinding hummus creates an emulsion and makes hummus creamy.

Hummus Flavors

Roasted Garlic - add few spoons of garlic confit to hummus when grinding for a rich roasted garlic hummus.

Sun dried tomato - add few pieces of sun dried tomatoes along with the oil for a smoky tomato flavoured hummus.

Roasted pumpkin - adding some roasted pumpkin adds a rich orange colour to the hummus, makes it sweet and great dip to make when pumpkins are in season.

Beetroots - roasted beets can be added for a pink hued hummus.

spiced hummus - spices like roasted cumin, sumac, zataar, paprika can be used for a smoky flavour.

Which Chickpeas to use for Making Hummus

1)For making hummus you can use two variety of chickpeas. Depending on your preference and schedule you can take the long route of cooking chickpeas from scratch or use canned chickpeas for shortcut option.

Pressure Cooker Method - If you are using dried chickpeas. Rinse and soak dried chickpeas in water overnight. Strain and take it in a pressure cooker. Cover with water, add in salt to taste. Pressure cook for 6 to 7 whistle. Let the pressure release by itself. Check whether the chickpeas is cooked or not by pressing it together with your fingers. if it easily mash, then chickpeas is cooked. Strain the chickpeas in a colander, make sure you reserve some of the cooking liquid because we will be using it when grinding hummus.

Canned Chickpeas - If you are using canned chickpeas, make sure you drain them in a colander. Rinse them in water to remove the smell from it. But it is optional.

How to Make Hummus (Stepwise Pictures)

1)For making hummus. Take garlic in a blender and grind them so garlic in crushed. this step make sure that the garlic gets evenly mixed into the hummus.

2)Add in cooked chickpea and tahini into the blender.

3)add in lemon juice, salt and some chilli powder. This is optional you can skip if you want.

4)Now blend this mixture till it is combined.

5)Now to make the hummus smooth. Add some of the chickpeas cooking liquid which we reserved earlier and blend till smooth and creamy.

6)Spoon the creamy hummus in a serving dish. Make a indent in the centre using a spoon.

7)Drizzle in some good quality extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle some chilli powder and serve.

Variations

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is traditionally made with chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and flavouring. To make it a bit different, add roasted red pepper along with some paprika and cayenne when grinding to make a sweet smoky red pepper hummus.

Ingredients Used

• 1.5 cup Hummus
• 1 cup Roasted Red Bell Peppers (I used jarred)
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1)I used jarred roasted red pepper. If you wish to make you own. Take one whole red pepper. Place it on open flame over stove top. Rotate few times using pair of tongs so the skin gets blistered. Place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes. Now gently peel off the skin, leave some charred bits for smoky flavour. Cut it into strips and use.

To the prepared hummus, add roasted red pepper, paprika and cayenne to taste. Blend till creamy again. Transfer this to a bowl. sprinkle some more paprika over. Serve as dip, or spread for sandwiches or wraps.

Caramelized Onion Hummus

This is a different take on traditional hummus. Adding caramelized onions into the hummus when grinding and as a topping adds a sweet flavour to the hummus which elevates it.

Ingredients used

• 1.5 cup Hummus
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion sliced thinly
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

How to Make Caramelized Onion Hummus

1)Heat oil in a pan, add onions along with salt and sugar and cook till onion is brown and caramelized. It will take around 15 minutes or so.

2)Now add balsamic vinegar and mix well. Make hummus as mentioned above and add in the caramelized onion and blend few more times. Spoon the hummus on a serving bowl and top with caramelized onion. Enjoy with bread.

Pesto Hummus

Pesto is a very flavourful sauce, it has lots of flavours packed in them already. When you add them to hummus, it makes it even more flavourful and gives a nice herby twist to it. I used my homemade parsley cashew pesto. If you have store bought pesto you can use that as well. Or you can make my cilantro pesto recipe as well.

Ingredients used

• 1.5 cup Hummus
• 4 tbsp Pesto

How to Make Pesto Hummus

1. Once hummus is made as mentioned above. Add in pesto and blend till creamy. Serve as dip, or spread for sandwiches or wraps.

Serving Hummus

Hummus can be served variety of different ways including sandwiches, wraps or as a dip or spread. For parties you can make a hummus platter with different flavours of hummus, pita chips, tortilla chips or pita bread.

Wraps - spread a healthy amount of hummus in tortilla or pita bread as a spread. Top with your favorite toppings like sliced grilled chicken, cooked veggies or grilled tofu. Make sure to check my veggie and hummus wrap.

Dips - Serve with veggie sticks like carrots, cucumbers or pita chips.

Spreads - you can use this in spreads for sandwiches, wraps and rolls.

Pasta - add a healthy dollop of hummus when making pasta sauce. it adds creaminess and extra protein to your pasta dishes. You can toss cooked pasta with hummus, vegetables and nuts to make a healthy high protein summer salad.

Expert Tips

• adding chickpeas cooking liquid when grinding hummus makes it creamy and extra smooth.
• You can add more garlic if you prefer hummus garlicky.
• Roasted cumin powder, paprika, cayenne can be used for flavours.
• You can use more olive oil for extra richness.
• Prepared hummus can be stored in an air tight container in fridge upto 5 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was hummus invented?

Having said that, historical evidence suggests that hummus originated in ancient Egypt. Hummus was first mentioned in Egypt in the 13th century, according to several historical sources. Chickpeas were and still are abundant in the Middle East, where they are widely consumed.

How much calorie is in Hummus?

There are 70 calories in 2 tbsp (30 g) of Fresh Hummus. * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.

More Dips to try

📖 Recipe Card

If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook,Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter for more Yummy Tummy inspiration.

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING FROM YUMMY TUMMY, MAKE SURE TO POST IT AND TAG ME SO I CAN SEE ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS!! #YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI AND @YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI ON INSTAGRAM!

More Lebanese Themed Recipes