Hummus is a healthy snack and has become a staple of my household. It’s nice to have something to munch on in those moments of weakness. For the longest time I would purchase a container of the Middle Eastern spread on my regular runs to the grocery store… at least that was until I ventured to make a batch of it myself. What I discovered is that it’s an absolute breeze to make your own hummus; certainly as good as the store brand and arguably better, since you can tweak to your personal taste. Once you start making your own, you will never buy it again. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip up a batch at a fraction of a cost. Here’s how it’s done.
Ingredients
1 can (450g) Chickpeas
¼ cup Tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
2 tbs olive oil (Optional)
5 dashes of your favorite hot sauce (Optional)
Salt to taste Pepper to taste
Step 1:
Start by rinsing your chickpeas. It’s important to wash off any salt as well as that canned chemical flavour that can sometimes accompany the liquid the chickpeas are stored in.
Canned vs. Dried: There is some contention on which product gets the best results. I don’t think I could blindly tell the difference. This recipe can certainly be adapted for dried chickpeas, but generally I find that the convenience of quickly grabbing a can of chickpeas and whipping up hummus in less than 10 minutes outweighs the benefit of reduced sodium (We are adding salt after all) and preservatives. If you are stubborn and want to use the dried chickpeas, make sure you soak them overnight and then simmer them until tender, before adding them to the food processor.
Step 2:
Add ingredients to the food processor and begin blending. If your hummus looks thick and pasty, don’t worry, this is normal. It’s going to take a little bit of coaxing to get that velvety smooth texture. Start by running your food processor on high for a few minutes. To smooth out the texture, add a little bit of water (or olive oil if you are less calorie sensitive). Continue adding water 1 tbs. at a time until the food processor is running smoothly. Continue to let the food processor run to get to the desired smoothness. Balance the salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. Personally, I like my hummus on the slightly salty side with a bit of texture. 
To skin or not to skin: There is no doubt that if you take the time to skin the chickpeas before throwing them in the food processor you will get a smoother product, but who has time for that? Not I, especially if I’m making a batch of 2-3 cans. The difference is negligible and I appreciate a little texture.
Step 3:
This is the fun step. The beauty of hummus is that it is a vessel for all types of flavor. What you have at this point is a delicious basic hummus and that’s fine and dandy. Some of the best things in life are simple… but it’s also fun to add a little flair. At this point you can add ingredients to spice it up. Here are a few ideas: roasted garlic, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, chipotle peppers, olives, and pesto. Go crazy, this is where you get to experiment and figure out what you like best. I think I’m going to try bacon hummus…
Step 4:
If you are making a batch to keep in the fridge, store it in an airtight container and it will keep for 5-7 days depending on the levels of acid and salt. If you are serving at a gathering (maybe a cocktail party?), spread it into a bowl and garnish with paprika, olive oil, and whatever flavourings you have added. 
This dish is so easy to make and is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone is always impressed by my homemade hummus and little do they know that I spent more time building the garnishes for the cocktails. I guess the secret’s out!
7 Comments
“Salt to taste” – Do you suggest a starting point?
Start with 1 tsp, mix, taste, continue adding until satisfied. sea salt is your best option, its fine enough that it won’t contract the texture.
Bruno, you forgot to add olive oil on top with a few chickpeas after the hummus is in a bowl ready for serving. It looks great , keeps it from drying out and tastes AMAZING!!!!!
Good tip. Definitely lots of options for garnish to make the dish standout. I often use whatever fresh herb I have in the fridge, paprika and olive oil. As seen in the picture above, a few banana peppers can really add some nice color as well. They taste pretty good too!
Who skins chickpeas? lol! This is a great recipe and SO easy! I’m guilty of buying storemade hummus, will try making my own. Thanks for sharing!
Tried making this yesterday. Forgot the tahini and didn’t have lemons. It was still very tasty! Will definitely be making this again and NEVER by storebought hummous again
If you don’t have tahini, try adding some peanut butter and olive oil. Tahini is basically sesame butter so you can get some of the flavour from another nut butter and the texture form the olive oil. You never know, you might stumble onto something even better!