I don’t say this lightly: this is the best homemade hummus recipe! It’s easy to make with a handful of ingredients and features an incredible texture and restaurant-quality flavors, just like my Beet Hummus. One try and, like thousands of other readers, you’ll never go back to store-bought hummus again!
I’ve been making homemade hummus for over 8 years now. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you don’t need to be a world-class chef to make the best homemade hummus. You just need a few quality ingredients and some tricks up your sleeve!
What is hummus?
Hummus (or “humus”, “houmous”, and “hommus”) is the Arabic word for “chickpeas”. It’s a naturally vegan dip or spread made primarily with cooked chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, and salt; some versions also contain cumin.
Hummus has been a staple in many Middle Eastern countries for centuries. There’s actually quite a debate about who invented hummus and which countries can claim hummus as their own. If you’re interested in reading more, check out this article on who invented hummus and this article on hummus’s origins.
For more cultural and sociopolitical context, I also recommend the books of Palestinian food writer and historian, Reem Kassis (The Palestinian Table (2017) and The Arabesque Table (2021). The process and techniques I used have been largely influenced by three chefs—Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, and Michael Solomonov—so be sure to check out their cookbooks if you want to learn even more!
Why this recipe works
Incredibly creamy and smooth.
If you’ve eaten store-bought hummus, then you’ve experienced its infamous stiff and gloopy texture. That is NOT what we want. Instead, hummus should be creamy, as well as somewhat loose and pliable.
A handful of good-quality ingredients and simple techniques are all you need to make the best homemade hummus. The texture of this hummus is extremely creamy and smooth, never gritty or chunky. That alone will have you reaching for more.
Life-changing flavors.
I have a long list of grievances with store-bought hummus but one of the biggest is the flavor (or lack thereof). It’s also usually served cold, which causes the nutty richness that makes hummus amazing to lie dormant.
As chef Michael Solomonov mentions in his cookbook Zahav (the titular name of his restaurant where hummus is the most popular dish on the menu):
“[Even the best store-bought hummus] requires certain additives to make it shelf-stable–most likely citric acid. These additives turn hummus sharp and sour–light years away from the dreamy qualities of fresh hummus.” – Chef Michael Solomonov
Using fresh ingredients to make hummus from scratch helps you avoid those additives and flat flavors. Instead, each scoop is boldly nutty, lemony, and rich in flavor. It’s a life-changing experience.
It’s just plain foolproof.
It may sound complicated, but making your own hummus is easier than you’d think. All of the ingredients are easy to find, and the dip comes together entirely in a food processor.
The recipe gets a little more complicated if you’re cooking dried chickpeas yourself (the method I recommend) but I will guide you through the process below.
Ingredient notes
Chickpeas
AKA garbanzo beans. You can use both canned and dried chickpeas to make hummus but for the very best hummus, I like to cook dried chickpeas myself.
Canned chickpeas come with a firmer texture, which can leave the hummus with a slightly chunky texture.
There is a solution to this, though! When using canned chickpeas, just simmer the drained chickpeas in a pot of boiling water with baking soda. This will soften them right up. See the FAQ section for more details.
Tip: Using canned chickpeas? Remember to save the aquafaba (the water in the can)! Use it to make banana bread, vegan aioli, frothy cocktails, vegan whipped cream, and so much more.
Tahini
Tahini is a smooth and rich paste made from sesame seeds. It’s a primary ingredient in hummus and should never be left out. A good-quality brand of tahini makes a HUGE difference because its flavor is so prominent in every bite.
Tip: Always use tahini from hulled sesame seeds (unhulled sesame seeds are usually bitter). Check out my suggested tahini brands in the FAQ section below.
Lemon
Freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens up the rich, nutty, and savory flavors. Without it, the hummus would lack its distinguishable ‘pop’.
Garlic
Some people (hi, me!) like their hummus quite garlicky. If you don’t love the sharpness of raw garlic, you can (1) use less garlic (start with 1 clove) or (2) quickly marinate the garlic cloves in a small bowl of the lemon juice.
Salt
For flavor and to make everything taste like itself!
Substitute: If using sea salt instead of the kosher salt called for in the recipe, you’ll need to use about half of the amount called for in the recipe, then adjust according to your desired taste.
Ice water
Water brings the hummus together. I learned from chefs Ottolenghi and Tamimi that ice water, in particular, makes the texture even creamier and gives it an almost fluffy, pillowy, and whipped consistency.
Step-by-step instructions
First, soak and cook the dried chickpeas if you haven’t done so already. Cook until very soft.
Or, if you’re using canned chickpeas, boil them in water with a little baking soda for a few minutes to help them soften.
Drain, then transfer to a food processor while still warm. Blend the chickpeas until you’re left with a thick puree.
Now add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Blend again and slowly stream in the ice water as the machine is running.
Once it’s smooth and creamy, give the hummus a taste and add more seasonings or lemon juice as needed.
Make the lemon-garlic topping before serving the hummus. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and cook until it’s golden. Add the lemon zest and cook for another 30 seconds.
Transfer the lemon zest and garlic to a plate (reserve the oil) and add a sprinkle of salt on top.
Dress and serve the hummus. Spoon the hummus onto a large serving plate. Use the back of the spoon to make waves on the top and/or a well in the center. Add the garlic-lemon topping and finish with a drizzle of the reserved oil, chopped flat-leaf parsley, and paprika or Aleppo pepper. Enjoy!
Tips for making the best hummus
To peel or not to peel?
You will achieve the absolute dreamiest texture if the chickpea skins are peeled beforehand, but it isn’t a necessary step.
A lot of chickpea skins actually start to come off naturally after the chickpeas have been boiled with some baking soda. Just discard any loose skins.
Hack for peeling chickpeas faster: Lay the cooked chickpeas on a paper towel. Use a second paper towel to rub them vigorously to help loosen the skins.
The chickpeas should be soft
You’ll know the chickpeas have been cooked to perfection when they feel very soft and can be easily squashed when pressed with a spoon/fork or pressed between your fingers.
If using canned chickpeas, it’s important to simmer them first so the hummus gets super smooth.
Serve hummus at room temperature (or warm)
This way, you experience hummus the way it’s intended to be experienced and how it’s typically served across the Middle East—a luxuriously smooth dip with layers of rich, nutty, and savory flavors.
One way I keep the hummus warm is to make it with chickpeas that have been recently cooked. However, if you’ve pre-cooked and refrigerated your chickpeas, consider warming the chickpeas up in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes first
How to serve this hummus
- One of the most popular ways to serve hummus here in the West is as an appetizer or snack. Make it a part of a grazing board, surrounded with pita bread or homemade naan, fresh-cut veggies, crackers, or pita chips for dipping.
- In the Middle East, you’ll find hummus included as part of the main or side dishes during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s great on a mezze platter with falafel, tabbouleh, and tzatziki; use it as the base layer on a plate, then top with cooked beans and roasted veggies (similar to my Broccoli and Za’atar Chickpeas with Yogurt Sauce); or enjoy it with your favorite vegan protein, like Grilled Tofu Skewers.
- Hummus is always a fantastic addition to Mediterranean grain bowls and can even be thinned out with water, lemon juice, or vinegar for an easy salad dressing.
- Slather it onto a sandwich or in a stuffed pita with crumbled vegan feta, arugula or kale, cucumber, and pickled red onions.
- Don’t forget the toppings! You can take hummus over the top with the fried garlic and lemon topping from this recipe. Or, to get it on the table faster, stick with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, sumac or paprika, pine nuts, Aleppo pepper, and/or za’atar on top.
Frequently asked questions
The results won’t be quite as smooth but you can definitely make hummus with canned chickpeas.
In this recipe, you can substitute the dried chickpeas with 2 (15-ounce/425g) drained and rinsed cans.
While it’s easiest to just use a can of drained chickpeas to the food processor, the texture can be slightly chunky and not lusciously smooth. This is because, for hummus, you want super soft chickpeas that have fewer skins. And canned chickpeas are not super soft (they’re rather firm and great for salads/bowls and eating whole.
To remedy that, you can cook the canned chickpeas (even though they’re already cooked). Add them to a saucepan, cover with an inch or two of water, and add ½ teaspoon baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas start falling apart. Continue making the recipe as per the instructions at step 3 (draining the chickpeas and adding them to the food processor.
My two favorite brands for tahini are Soom Foods and Seed + Mill. Soom Foods is easily available on Amazon. Seed + Mill is a smaller operation local to New York and sold at some Whole Foods; if you can find it, it’s liquid gold.
For options that are a bit cheaper, Beirut Sesame Paste is quite good and the Whole Foods 365 brand is decent (affiliate links).
Yes. A high-powered blender with a baton is best and will make the hummus super smooth. However, it’s pretty important to use a small-capacity blender, as there is very little liquid in the recipe. If you use a 64-ounce container, for instance, you’ll have trouble getting it to blend.
It will stay fresh and creamy for up to 1 week in the fridge (but it’s best within 4 days). You can prevent it from drying out by storing it in an airtight container with a light layer of extra virgin olive oil on top.
Allow it to come to room temperature, or warm it up. Warming it up loosens the texture, making it smoother. Simply add the amount of hummus you’d like to reheat to a saucepan, add a couple teaspoons of water, and stir constantly for a few minutes until warmed through. Or, heat it in the microwave in 10-second increments, stirring after each round.
Yes, you can technically freeze hummus, though you’ll lose some of that irresistible texture. To freeze, transfer the hummus to an airtight container but leave some room at the top to allow for expansion. Thaw it in the fridge the day before consuming.
Watch! How to make this hummus
How to make the best hummus of your life
If you love this Homemade Hummus recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and review below! It’s always much appreciated :) And tag me on Instagram – I love hearing your feedback.
The Best Homemade Hummus
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227g) dried chickpeas* (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, divided
- A generous ¾ cup (175-195g) good-quality tahini
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped**
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to taste
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 to 10 tablespoons ice water
Fried Garlic-Lemon Topping (Optional)
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 to 6 strips of lemon peel, about 2 inches long (don't peel too deeply to avoid the white pith)
- Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
Other Topping Options***
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Paprika, sumac, or Aleppo pepper flakes
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. Cover with cold water and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
- 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 30 minutes.Uncover the pot and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chickpeas are very soft and smush when pressed with a spoon/fork or pressed between your fingers. Drain well.
- Drain the chickpeas, then transfer to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until you have a smooth puree, scraping down the sides as you go.
- To the food processor, add ¾ cup tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Blend, and with the motor running, stream in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. After 6 tablespoons of ice water, evaluate the texture. If you want it to be looser, stream in more water, and continue blending until smooth and creamy. Once you reach your desired texture, taste for seasonings, adding more salt, garlic, cumin, or lemon juice as needed.
- Make the topping. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is warm (but not too hot), add the garlic and cook, swirling the pan or stirring frequently, for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, until the garlic just turns golden (don't wait until it browns). Add the lemon zest and cook for another 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic and lemon zest to a plate and sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt. Reserve the oil.
- Transfer the hummus to a large plate and use the back of a spoon to make waves or to make a well in the center. Spoon the garlic-lemon oil into the ridges or into the well. Top with the fried garlic and lemon zest. Top with chopped parsley and a few shakes of paprika.
Notes
I totally enjoyed your video and love the garlic lemon zest topping and will definitely try that! I have the feeling it would become permanent in my hummus.
I never liked hummus before trying it in Israel and ever since it became one of my favorite things, so I learned to make it at home and experimented a lot with it during the years. Eventually I “came up” with 2 great modifications to your recipe which you might enjoy and are only adding products to your recipe.
The first type of hummus (the one I make most often) is the red one – adding 2 big red bell pepper (fresh/grilled/roasted or roasted and canned, I usually go for the canned) to the hummus mixture and/or a few soaked in olive oil sun-dried tomatoes!
And the second type of hummus I having 250g of spinach instead of bell pepper/dried tomatoes in the mixture. Both of them go amazingly well with grilled/sauteed mushrooms!
I’ve tried other modifications – parsley, grilled eggplant, but these two are my favorite. I hope you give them a try someday! Cheers!
Thanks for sharing, Naddya! All of those combinations sound heavenly!
This is the best hummus I have ever made! Fantastic and foolproof recipe.
I decided to roast the garlic cloves for 10 minutes until softened before adding it in to the hummus which worked really well for a less sharp toasty garlic flavour. This will be a weekly staple for me!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Stephanie!
Thanks for the great idea with the toppings! Im going to to soak the chickpeas now and try your recipe tomorrow. Greetings from Germany!
Hi Teodora, greetings from San Diego! We can’t wait for you to try the recipe!
Very much enjoy your videos and wish you the very best!
Thank you Mark! We are glad you find value in them!
This is now my go-to hummus recipe made as-is, no changes.
On a technical note, you might want to check your website- on top of the recipe page is an undeletable pop-up that reads: “Oops! That page can’t be found.” . The recipe is readable behind it, but only by scrolling up and down.
Hi Brooks – so happy you’re loving the hummus recipe! thanks for sharing :)
Would you mind sharing a link to the page where you saw this pop-up? I haven’t been able to find it on my end, so your assistance is greatly appreciated!
I made this today. I didn’t properly measure the beans (used an entire bag instead of just part of it), so had to eyeball the rest of the ingredients. I also slightly overcooked the topping mixture. On top of that, I forgot to purchase a dipping apparatus (bread, chips, etc…).
AND YET! This is hands down the BEST hummus I have ever eaten. I spread it on a corn tortilla chip, and it is still the best hummus I have ever had. It was also easy and fun to make.
So, thank you for sharing your recipe.
We love to hear it, Thayer! So thrilled you loved the recipe, thank you for the awesome review!
Made this yesterday and it was so good!! Even better the next day, after the flavors have “marinated” a bit better!!
I did use only 1/3 cup of tahini because I thought the amount you have here is way too much, and it turned out just perfect!
Glad you were able to tailor the recipe to your liking, Yasmin!
I made this hummus. So good…thank you. I put extra garlic for a sharp garlicky taste!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Mariyam!
This hummus is amazing. I’ve made it at home before but was never able to get the incredibly smooth texture your tips gave me. It’s definitely the best hummus I’ve ever had! Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful recipes with us.
So happy this recipe went well for you, Cheryl! Thank you for taking the time to review :)
Hello Nisha, I absolutely love this recipe. Humus never tasted so good. I can safely say this has become a permanent addition to the set of dishes I make regularly. Thank you for the details you include in the recipe, such as how the creaminess is impacted by the use of baking soda, ice water, etc. I have given your name and the name of your site to dozens of people already. I am encouraged to try more of your recipes and will let you know when I do.
Thank you Barbara! It means the world that you love Rainbow Plant Life recipes enough to share with dozens of people. We are so glad you’re enjoying the recipes :)
This was FABULOUS! Soaking my chick peas now for the 4TH of batch of this delicious recipe. Almost addictive!
Hi Sheri, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
My husband hates hummus, but he said this was “very tasty” and he would eat it again. This was orders of magnitude better than store bought hummus. I thought it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Monica
We are so happy your husband approves, Monica! Thanks for the wonderful review :)
This was so good!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jacqui!
This is the best hummus I’ve ever eaten by a lot! I’ve eaten many different store-bought hummuses. I’ve tried making my own hummus several times. But this is the best hummus ever! My son was in serious need of some hummus and carrots so I didn’t have time to cook chickpeas from dry. I used canned ones and cooked them like recommended and removed most of the skins (those things are finicky).
Seriously, thank you for this amazing recipe! Next time I’ll try it with chickpeas cooked from dry.
Hi Jessica, we are thrilled to hear you and your family enjoyed this hummus recipe! Thanks for your kind words and for taking time to review :)
Just made this AMAZING hummus. We love hummus, but lately, I haven’t been eating what I bought from the store. Now I know why!! I’m not sure I will be able to eat store-bought hummus again. This was SUPER easy to make. I can’t get over how smooth and creamy it is. I did not make any tweaks to the recipe. My daughter, aka my official taste tester, was floored and kept talking about it. Thank you so much for this!!!
Awesome, Emily. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe (and others). Just made it and couldn’t believe how great it is! I didn’t have enough tahini, but it still is sooooo good !
Hey Nisha,
Thanks for sharing the great post.
Cheer,
Umesh (umes.com.np)
I tried and this recipe literally made me “clean” all the hummus that stick inside my food processer, too delicious and too precious to wash it just like that.
You are my saviour, Nisha! From now onwards, this will be my all-time favourite hummus.
Love from Singapore
Wow, Nisha! This is incredible. After I made your brownies recipe (which really blew my mind), I had to try your hummus recipe (as I never found one that’s as smooth and nice as storebought in my opinion). It is BY FAR the best I ever tried and NEVER will I ever be tempted to buy hummus. Thank you so much for your work! :)
Hi Antonia! I am so thrilled you loved this hummus recipe and it was the best you’ve tried. Once I nailed this recipe, I haven’t bought hummus either. And yay for making the brownies too!
I made this and it is wonderful. Very light, fluffly, flavorful and so much better than anything you get in the grocery store. I especially loved the lemon peel and garlic topping, which was nothing I had ever tried before. It was delicious. However, two things—you say it serves 8-10. That can’t be accurate because I got SO much I would guess there are about 20-30 servings. Unless each serving is a full 1/4 cup or more. I gave a bunch to my sister, I have had a bunch on pita, and I still have a big container full. It just fluffs up alot and increases the volume. Also, please include nutrition. I look forward to using more of your recipes.
Hi Rebecca, so glad you loved it! A quarter cup is a fairly normal serving but appetites vary from person to person.
Also, we don’t include nutrition facts on our recipes for a few reasons. If you’d like to read more as to why, you can do so at this link: https://rainbowplantlife.com/welcome/. Many of our readers use apps like MyFitnessPal to calculate nutrition facts for their own purposes. Hope that helped!