Hummus is an incredibly versatile dish that can be used as a spread on crackers, in a wrap, on a sandwich, or as a dip for veggies and pretzels. I am so thankful that both of my girls like it because it is the perfect way for me to ensure they’re getting protein at lunchtime. They especially like when I put 
hummus and cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla and wrap it up (we call it a roll-up). I also sometimes add extras like carrots (for my 5-year-old), pieces of leftover bacon (for my 3-year-old), and chopped homegrown tomatoes or cucumbers (for me).
You can buy hummus (that will surely have preservatives in it) at the store or you can try this homemade version, which is very fresh tasting and has ingredients that you can adjust depending on your preferences. You can store it in the fridge for about a week or make a big batch and freeze some for another day!
Traditional Hummus
If using dried chickpeas, this recipe will take a little longer, but it's worth it! You can shorten the time by using canned.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chickpeas, dried, (or 2 cups canned and rinsed)
- water
- 1/3 cup juices, (that is left after boiling dried chickpeas)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 3 tablespoons tahini, (ground sesame seeds – usually found near the peanut butter in the grocery store)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, or more if preferred
Instructions
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If using dried chickpeas pick over and rinse them. Put them in a Tupperware container or bowl with water to cover by 2 inches. Soak them in the fridge overnight. The following day rinse them again and then put them in a small pot with fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid/juices.
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If using canned chickpeas rinse them with water.
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In a food processor combine the soft chickpeas, 1/3 cup cooking liquid (or fresh water if using canned chickpeas), lemon juice, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Blend until smooth and add more liquid if a thinner sauce is preferred.
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Garnish with paprika if serving as a dip.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Yum!! Thanks. I just found the BEST whole wheat tortillas at Sprouts the other day. I wish she made more products, but I’ll take what I can get for now. :-)
http://www.plandee.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=347:plan-d-products&catid=50:about-plan-d&Itemid=106
Interesting website…thanks for sharing!
I am a hummus fanatic! Will definitely be trying this recipe! Thanks for sharing it!
I have been making my own hummus for a while now, it’s fantastic! A little cumin and crushed red pepper add a nice little kick to it, for a change.
That would be good…thanks for sharing!
We have been making hummus for a couple of years and it’s great: easy, versatile, and tasty! Some of our variations, included adding fresh or dried herbs, adding roasted peppers, substituting 1/2 of the beans with black beans, or omitting tahini – aka not checking whether we have tahini at home when the need for hummus strikes :)
My husband and I were just having a conversation about wanting to try to make black bean hummus. We were both out of town this past weekend (on separate trips) and simultaneously tried it at restaurants without even knowing we were both eating the same thing! We both enjoyed it although my husband said his was more of a purple color and what I had was more black. I think I will have to try what you suggested by just substituting half of the beans for black beans. Thanks for the suggestion.
Homemade hummus is worth the time flavorwise and healthwise. I like mine with cumin, red pepper flakes and jalapenos. I’ll have to try it with black beans sometime.
Instead of using mayo, I use hummus in one of my favorite sandwhiches in which I spread hummus on the toasted bread (or whole wheat tortilla), then layer homemade pesto, spinach leaves, tomato slices and a slice of provolone cheese…so, so yummy!
Oh, hummus and pesto together (two of my favorite sauces)…I am going to have to try that!
Can’t wait to try this. But I could not find tahini in my grocery store. How necessary is it? Is there something that could be substituted?
I think it is pretty necessary…it is like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. I supposed you could try to substitute with another type of seed or nut butter, but I think it is a key ingredient. I’ve never tried making it without though. Good luck!
I dont use tahini as it is costly, i just use a bit more olive oil and lemon juice… SOOO Yummy
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Love Hummus…can not wait to try this! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
Could this be made in a blender?
I’ve never tried, but I think it would work!
Just tried making hummus for the 1st time and it came out great! Thanks so much for the recipe. :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! We now have a stock of pint size freezer bags of fresh Hummus! mmmm Thank you for sharing
In response to those who asked whether tahini is necessary- you can get the same flavor with sesame oil instead of tahini…you may not want to put as much of it as you would tahini. I’ve found several recipes online that use the sesame oil instead, and tahini is kinda pricey and I don’t use it for anything else, so I lean towards the use of the oil. If you omit the sesame altogether and use cannelini beans instead of garbanzo beans then you’ll have a more Italian-style white bean dip, which is also delicious.
In a pinch, I usually buy the organic humus at Costco the brand is Hannah. It has no preservatives!
Thanks for this recipe! I have been wanting to try making my own hummus for a while now! Quick question – I have some whole sesame seeds – Can I just grind them myself to make the tahini?
I’ve never done it but you could give it a try. Jill
Just made hummus for the first time using this recipe. Delicious! I used more garlic and a little less tahini. It was perfect. Thanks!
I’d like to try and make this for a party I have coming up, does anyone know how long it keeps in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Jackie. I’ll usually keep mine up to a week. Jill
Just made this today, I didn’t have any tahini but I don’t like hummus without it. I have tried just using sesame oil and it didn’t taste good, so I used 3 tbls of peanut butter and mixed some sesame oil in it in place of the 3 tbls of tahini and it is really good. it tastes almost like original hummus with a small hint if peanut. It’s a good substitute just in case anyone was wondering about needed tahini.
Thanks Elizabeth! I was reading this recipe thinking “Dang. I don’t have tahini and it is sleeting outside. I really want to make this tonight.” Off to try it with peanut butter and sesame oil instead!
I hope it works out for you and tastes good to you!
I love roasted red pepper hummus…Would you just add some roasted red peppers before you process everything?
Hi Allison. Yes, that has worked for me. I roast a pepper and add about half of it before processing. It does change the consistency a bit. ~Amy
Question? I says to combine the soft chickpeas, does that mean i’m supposed to cook them first before putting them into the processor? I will be using canned chickpeas. Want to make this tonight so it’s ready for tomorrow, Easter Sunday!
No need to cook canned chickpeas. Just give them a good rinse.
Hey Elizabeth, this recipe is great! I blogged it and are sending people your way!
http://www.sarahmarieclicks.com/blog/hummus-100-days-of-real-food-recipe/
Oops, I threw out the liquid I cooked the beans in. What do I substitute with? Water?
Hi Sarah. Sorry, sometimes it takes us a few days to work through all our blog comments. How did it turn out? Did you just add water? ~Amy
Silly question… when “picking through” the chick peas? What are we picking for?
Hi Christine. It is just chick pea quality control. You are picking out the ones that don’t look quite right. Also, if you are buying from bulk bins, there could be stones or debris in the mix. :) ~Amy
I made this today but it’s extremely grainy. Any tips to make it smooth?
Hi Kelli. Did you omit anything form the recipe? Was the texture different from others that you’ve had?
No, I didn’t omit anything, even added extra oil and water to smooth it out. Yes, the texture was much different than any hummus I’ve had. It wasn’t chunky, but grainy.
I have bought canned chick peas that were very hard, even after additional cooking. I’ll bet that would make your hummus grainy.
This is a great, simple recipe. I use canned garbanzo beans, but only one can. Two cans made way too much hummus, and I end up throwing most of it out. Also, I buy the “tahini sauce” from Trader Joe’s because it has lemon and garlic in it. I still add the additional lemon and garlic, and it turns out wonderfully flavorful. When I first made it, I felt it was a bit bland, so the tahini sauce made a huge flavor improvement.
This recipe was my first try at making hummus, and it turned out great! I did add two more cloves of garlic and a little more salt. This recipe does make a large amount, can it be frozen and still be tasty?
HI Lisa. Yes, you can definitely freeze it. :) ~Amy
We can cook chick peas in 20 minutes using pressure cooker which is available at indian grocery stores (patel brothers).we can cook all lentils in very less time.I hope you find it very useful.
Can I do this in the blender if I don’t have a food processor?
Hi Amanda. You can. You will have to scrape down the sides often and you may not be able to get it quite as smooth but it can totally be done. :) ~Amy
I have been making my hummus this way for years. I sauté onion and garlic, mix lemon with tahini , add all to beans in processor, and throw in some fresh parsley. Yum! Also good to use one can black beans and one can chick peas.
What is the nutritional information for the recipe?
Even eating real food, I like to record my info… Plus, I could sit down and eat the whole batch…
I am wondering if you can recommend a substitute for the tahini? I am going to try this for a party with kids and one of the children is allergic to sesame seeds. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Laura. You can just leave it out. I’ve made it without tahini several times. ~Amy
If I am using canned chickpeas, do I need to cook them too? Also if using canned chickpeas, where am I getting the cooking liquid from? Thanks for all your help!
Hi Kristina. You would not need to cook canned chickpeas, just rinse and drain. You can add fresh water, though you might find you need a little less with canned as they have likely retained a good deal of moisture. ~Amy
I just made the hummus today. I think it’s a great recipe. I would recommend fresh lemon juice, however. The bottled juice has a kind of off taste that still shows up.
I love, love, love this recipe! I did figure out that if you pop the chickpeas out of their casing before you put them in the food processor the hummus turns out super light and fluffy like you find in store bought hummus! It takes a little extra work but the end product is beyond worth it!
Fabulous, tasty and so easy to make. Thank you very much :)
I added CUMIN and it was much better after that :)
great recipe and so much room for personlalzation! I added spinach and it was quite tasty
Can you tell me about tahini in hummus and peanut allergies.?
My 2 year old loves hummus but I want to alter it slightly to mix in other foods, like pumpkin, carrots etc.
I personally don’t like hummus but want some ideas what would be a good substitution.
Thanks
Hi there. We are not allergy experts, so you would need to ask a doctor about that. Typically nut allergy kids are okay with sesame but every child is different. I do have a friend whose child is allergic to tahini. A carrot puree is an easy thing to add to hummus as are sun dried tomatoes or roasted peppers. ~Amy
Hi,
I was just wondering if you have tried to make extra and freeze the rest. Do you think it would thaw well? Thanks!
Hi Jess. I freeze hummus and other bean spreads often. It works well. ~Amy
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Hi there. I think a week is about right. Mine never lasts beyond a couple days simply because it gets eaten. :)
Anyone know if you can make hummus without the tahini? Husband has a severe allergy to sesame.
You can try to replace it with almond butter. Personally, I put a litte more oil and no tahini. I put fresh herb or/and more garlic to give more flavor.
Which fresh herb do you use?
How long will the tahini keep? I can only find it in a large can.
Hi Cassie. I’ve kept it for months in the fridge. Be sure you mix it well after opening each time to combine the oil and solids. You may have to let it sit at room temp for a while in order to do this. ~Amy
This is excellent – so, so yummy! What a wonderful addition to our weekly veggie tray. My large family & I thank you very much!
How long does this last in the fridge?
Hello. I find this to be really useful for all those shelf life questions: http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18898.
My Syrian grandmother taught me how to make hummus. It was one of the first things I learned to make. This recipe is similar to hers, though she does almost everything to taste (No measurements). Also, traditionally hummus is not made with olive oil, though it’s sometimes used as a garnish.