Description
This homemade hummus recipe offers a creamy, flavorful, and smooth dip made from simmered chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and a blend of spices. Perfect as a healthy appetizer or snack, it can be served with pita chips, crudités, or your favorite crackers. The recipe includes steps to soften chickpeas, mellow the garlic, and achieve a luscious texture through careful blending.
Ingredients
Scale
Chickpeas
- 3 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Garlic and Seasonings
- 3-4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt or kosher salt
- 4-6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼-½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Other Ingredients
- 2/3 cup tahini
- Good-quality olive oil, for drizzling
- Toasted pine nuts (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Smoked or sweet paprika (optional)
- Pita chips, tortilla chips, crudités, or crackers for serving
Instructions
- Simmer Chickpeas: Place the drained chickpeas in a large pot, cover with cold water by at least 2 inches, add 2 teaspoons baking soda, and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any scum, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until chickpeas begin to fall apart and are a little mushy. Frequently stir and skim off floating chickpea skins multiple times. Discard the skins.
- Prepare Garlic Mixture: While chickpeas cook, place garlic cloves, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until nearly puréed. Transfer this to a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to mellow garlic flavor. Press the mixture firmly through a fine-mesh sieve to extract liquid; discard solids and return liquid to the food processor bowl.
- Mix Tahini and Spices: Add tahini, ground cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes to the garlic-lemon mixture. Pulse 5 times to combine. With the motor running, gradually add ¼ cup ice water by tablespoonfuls and process until the mixture is smooth, pale, and thick. Add more ice water if needed to achieve the right consistency.
- Blend Chickpeas: Add the cooked chickpeas to the food processor and blend until ultra smooth and creamy. Add additional ice water by tablespoons if necessary. Continue puréeing to make the hummus lighter, fluffier, and very smooth.
- Adjust Seasoning: Taste the hummus and season with additional salt, lemon juice, or cumin, if desired.
- Serve and Garnish: Transfer hummus to a shallow serving dish. Drizzle generously with good-quality olive oil. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, smoked or sweet paprika, finely chopped parsley, and whole chickpeas if desired.
- Accompaniments: Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, crudités, or your favorite crackers for dipping.
- Enjoy: Dig into your creamy, homemade hummus and savor the fresh flavors and smooth texture!
Notes
- Skimming the chickpea skins multiple times is key to achieving the smoothest hummus texture.
- Allowing the garlic to mellow after processing helps reduce sharpness and bitterness.
- Adding ice water gradually helps achieve a smooth and fluffy consistency without thinning too much.
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Optional toppings like pine nuts, parsley, and paprika add texture and visual appeal but can be omitted.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- This recipe can be adjusted to taste by varying garlic, lemon, salt, and spice amounts.
