You, along with millions around the world, can celebrate your love of hummus on today – it's International Hummus Day! No one can be offended by this dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, meat-free and drama-free food that goes with everything from crudités to pita bread to to crackers.
With a few simple tricks, you really can make creamy smooth homemade hummus and yes, we really do think it’s better than store-bought.
In the past, if we were in the grocery store you could almost bet that one of us would throw a tub of hummus into our cart. That was until we figured out this simple hummus recipe that we honestly believe is better than anything we could have found at the store.
Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are the base for hummus. Chickpeas are among the best legumes, and below is one of the best hummus recipes you can prepare with them, an eons-old Middle Eastern classic. The softened beans breakdown into a smooth paste. You can use canned or home-cooked chickpeas in our recipe. I use them interchangeably and give home-cooked chickpeas a slight edge when it comes to the flavor.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and it makes the hummus taste incredible. It lasts up to a month in your refrigerator and our recipe makes enough tahini for two batches of hummus.
In the hummus-loving world, there are two camps. Some love the zesty, tangy flavor of tahini, others could really go without it. We like it both ways, but for the best hummus rivaling our favorite brands in the store, we include tahini. If you want to make hummus without tahini, simply leave it out. A chickpea purée without it is still quite delicious. Just add more olive oil.
Fresh lemon juice is really important for excellent hummus. Bottled lemon juice does not taste nearly as good.
Fresh garlic adds a little spice and zest. I add one small clove and find it’s just right. You can also experiment with using roasted garlic for a roasted garlic hummus.
Ground cumin and salt help to make it taste amazing and the cumin adds a little more spice and richness.
Olive oil makes the texture of the hummus luxurious. We also add a little drizzle to the top of the swirly hummus when we serve it. I really like using fruity, light flavored olive oils when making hummus.
In addition to the ingredients above, you can add more flavor and ingredients to your hummus. I love adding roasted red peppers for a red pepper hummus, but olives, pine nuts, and extra spices are also great options.
The secret for the best hummus is the order in which you add ingredients to your food processor. Tahini and lemon juice go in first. Then before you add anything else, turn on the food processor and let it run for a minute or so.
From here, you can add ingredients as you will, but make sure you stand back and let that food processor run — we’re talking a minute of running after adding each ingredient.
After all the ingredients are added and processed into a smooth paste, drizzle in some cold water with the processor still running. The water (and extra process time) turns the already pretty smooth mixture into a fluffy, luxurious dip!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
1 tablespoon cold water
PREPARATION
Add tahini and lemon juice and to food processor bowl, and bend for one minute
Put everything else except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the chickpea liquid or water as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree.
Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often find I like to add much more lemon juice). Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit more cumin or paprika and some parsley.
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