Hummus is one of our favorite dips, made even better by how simple it is to make. Made from blending chickpeas, tahini, and a few other simple ingredients in a food processor, it's the easiest last-minute snack to throw together. After multiple rounds of testing, we found our favourite hack for making a creamy and smooth hummus with a rich and nutty sesame flavour from scratch-no chickpea soaking required! Read on for our favourite way to make this staple dip:
The secret to making the best homemade hummus:
To ensure an extra-smooth hummus, most recipes call for dried chickpeas that have been soaked and then boiled for a very long time. Using dried chickpeas, like we do in our roasted garlic hummus recipe, isn't hard by any means, but it does add a lot of time and some forethought. We wanted a hummus that could be made faster from canned chickpeas, but was still just as creamy.
Enter: canned chickpeas, with a twist. Canned beans are usually slightly undercooked with a firm texture, which will leave your hummus with just a bit of unwanted texture. Our solve? A quick boil of canned chickpeas with some bicarbonate of soda to break them down further, allowing us to have that silky hummus we desire in just 30 minutes.
Hummus ingredients:
With such few ingredients, it's helpful to prioritise quality here to make your hummus taste the best it can. This is the moment to break out that nice bottle of olive oil with a good, rich flavour that you've been saving for a rainy day. Same with your tahini-not all are created equally. Look for one with sesame seeds as the only ingredient, and be sure to give it a good stir to break up any separation before incorporating it into the recipe.
What should I serve with hummus?
Classic dippers for hummus include veggies like carrots, celery, and bell pepper, but pita chips or fresh baked pitta are also great with hummus. Serve it with your falafels too!
What can I top my hummus with?
While it doesn't require any kind of topping and is delicious served plain, adding something extra can really make your hummus stand out. We like a simple drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of paprika, Aleppo-style pepper, or sumac, but crispy chickpeas, roasted red peppers, olive tapenade, or herbs and pine nuts are other fun additions.
Yields: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
bicarbonate of soda
tahini
fresh lemon juice
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
(or more) flaky sea salt
(or more) ground cumin
(or more) cayenne pepper
Aleppo-style pepper or paprika and chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)