How to Make Hummus (+ My Favorite Flavor Twist)
How to Make Hummus – an easy hummus recipe made with canned chickpeas that takes just minutes to prepare, plus my favorite roasted garlic serrano chile recipe variation!
I’m here to bring you the world’s easiest dip and appetizer! My favorite supremely easy homemade hummus recipe. We’re keeping things very simple today.
Homemade hummus isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but I’ve been wanting to share my version for quite some time. We’ve make this hummus recipe all the time. It has become a staple in our fridge and never lasts long.
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing snack for yourself or friends and family, keep this recipe in your back pocket. Hummus is one of my go-to appetizers because it’s healthy and offers great flavor with minimal effort.
While I’m not above buying store-bought hummus, homemade hummus is much more affordable and takes less than 10 minutes to throw together. The best part? It can also be customized and tweaked to your taste in various ways, or you can mix up the flavors with add-in’s.
Make Your Own Hummus Flavors
My favorite twist includes dry-roasted garlic and serrano chile, which gives it the slightest touch of heat and smokiness.
Dry roasting is when you roast or char an ingredient in a dry skillet on the stove. In this case, we’ll be charring unpeeled garlic cloves (the skin protects them from burning) and one serrano chile. It adds an extra 10 to 15 minutes, but adds great flavor. I also like to finish my hummus with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling of za’atar spice.
You’ll find a classic simple hummus recipe below, as well as the instructions and ingredients for roasted garlic-serrano Chile variation below.
How to Make Hummus
This hummus recipe requires very few ingredients, most of which I keep on hand at all times. This allows me to make it at a moment’s notice without having to make a grocery store run. It’s very, very convenient.
For my version, we will not be soaking or cooking dried chickpeas from scratch. Cooking dried chickpeas will produce slightly superior hummus, but it isn’t always practical. Life requires recipes that we can be thrown together with minimal planning or effort. Canned chickpeas are great.
You’ll Need the Following Ingredients:
- canned chickpeas (garbanzo) beans – drained and rinsed well
- pure tahini paste – this is the most important component in hummus, so don’t skimp on it. I always keep a jar of tahini in my fridge for salad dressings and sauces, such as my easy lemon tahini sauce, which goes well with just about everything. Soom makes my favorite brand of tahini, but grab whatever is available to you.
- fresh garlic – raw or dry-roasted, depending on your flavor preference
- lemon juice – depending on my mood, I enjoy a more lemon-forward hummus, but adapt this to your taste.
- extra virgin olive oil – for flavor and richness
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ice cold water – I prefer my hummus on the thinner, looser side, which is more traditional. the trick is to use ice cold water for blending. it helps produce an extra smooth hummus (without needing to peel the chickpeas) and improves the overall texture.
Is Peeling the Chickpeas Worth It?
I used to believe wholeheartedly that peeling the chickpeas was worth the extra effort. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s when you gently rub the chickpeas between your fingers and discard the papery peels.
While peeled chickpeas will result in a smoother textured hummus, I’ve found that you can create an exceptionally smooth hummus using ice cold water. It saves a lot of time and sanity! Plus, chickpea skins are also an excellent source of fiber.
To make this, you’ll need a good-quality food processor or high-powered blender, such as a Vitamin. Serve this homemade hummus with raw vegetables, rice crackers, toasted naan or pita! Or use it for this hummus avocado toast, Greek-Style potato skins, or homemade falafel bites.
How to Make Hummus
Equipment
Ingredients
Optional Add'Ins:
- 3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled optional (*if you're not choosing not to dry-roast the garlic, substitute with only 1 finely grated clove)
- 1 serrano pepper optional
Hummus:
- 1 can (15-ounce) garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed well
- ⅓ cup tahini paste I recommend Soom brand
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons ice cold water as needed, to your texture preference
For Serving:
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon za'atar spice blend or sumac for sprinkling on top
- toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- If making the roasted garlic and serrano pepper variation: Place the unpeeled garlic cloves and serrano chile in a small skillet and place over medium heat. Dry roast the garlic cloves and chile for 10 to 12 minutes (it will take about 5 minutes to notice anything happening), flipping them once or twice, until they are charred black in some spots. Remove the chile and place on a cutting board. Continue dry roasting the garlic cloves for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are charred in spots and they are beginning to soften. Transfer to the cutting board with the chiles and allow to cool slightly before handling.
- Trim the stem and slice the serrano chile in half lengthwise. Gently scrape out and discard the seeds and ribs (see notes section). Remove and discard the skins of the garlic cloves. The unpeeled garlic cloves should be charred, fragrant, and slightly soft.
- Place the drained chickpeas, peeled roasted garlic cloves (or 1 finely grated garlic clove, if substituting), roasted serrano chile (if using), tahini paste, lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper in the bowl of a large food processor. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula several times to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated evenly. Continue pulsing as you add the ice cold water, mixing until the desired texture is reached (I prefer a looser hummus). Season to taste, adding additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Spoon the hummus into a large bowl, using the back of a large spoon to create a large divet and swirl on the surface. Just before serving, garnish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar spice or sumac. Top with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve. Leftover hummus can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken in the fridge, but you can loosen it by stirring in a small splash of water as desired. Re-season with salt as needed.
One Comment on “How to Make Hummus (+ My Favorite Flavor Twist)”
Definitely going to save this recipe! Sounds yum!