Janene’s Homemade Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained, rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
- ¼ cup Tahini
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice juice from 1 large lemon
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- ¼-½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2-3 Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Cook the chickpeas. Add the drained chickpeas to a medium saucepan with ½ teaspoon baking soda and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat as needed to maintain a rapid simmer and cook for 15-30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are very soft and smush when pressed with a spoon/fork or pressed between your fingers. Drain well & rinse.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.
- Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for another 30 seconds or until well blended.
- Drain the chickpeas. Then add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process them until thick and relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- The hummus will likely be too thick and still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water or aquafaba with the food processor turned on until you reach the perfect consistency.
- Taste and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, sumac, or Za’atar.
- Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Freeze, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, for up to one month.
Notes
- How to cook dried chickpeas: Use canned or home-cooked chickpeas for this recipe. Here is how we cook dried chickpeas.
- Hummus without tahini: For the best hummus, which rivals our favorite store brands, use tahini. However, a chickpea puree without it is still quite delicious. Just add more olive oil. Another option is to use natural, unsweetened, creamy peanut butter in its place.
- If you like garlicky hummus, increase the garlic by a clove or use roasted garlic.
- Aquafaba for fluffy hummus: This is the thick starchy liquid in a can of beans (or the bean cooking liquid). You can use this instead of water in the last step of the recipe. Instead of plain water, add a splash of aquafaba at the end. As it whips, it creates an incredibly light and airy texture. Taste your aquafaba first. If it’s too salty, use less salt when making your hummus.
- Tahini & lemon juice are not creaming: Depending on your food processor, the blade might not come into contact with the tahini and lemon juice. You need to increase the amount of liquid in the food processor, so add the olive oil. If they still do not cream, add a tablespoon of cold water.
- Blender: A food processor is best for making hummus, but a high-powered blender will work. Be sure to scrape the sides down a few extra times as you make it.