Easy Classic Creamy Hummus Recipe | The Modern Proper (2024)

FAQs

Why is homemade hummus not creamy? ›

Tip for extra CREAMY hummus

Add enough liquid! Compared to other hummus recipes, I use little tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice and olive oil. I want the hummus to taste like chickpeas and not like sesame or slightly bitter due to adding too much olive oil or lemon juice. Ergo, I add enough water.

Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the chickpeas helps make the legume easier to digest, softer, and makes them easy to peel. Don't skip this ingredient! Lemon juice: I never suggest using pre-bottled lemon juice, but I especially urge you not to in homemade hummus.

If your hummus is the right consistency or thickness but it tastes dry and pasty, it might be lacking a bit of oil. This recipe relies on the tahini to give it creaminess as I don't find olive oil makes enough of a difference to warrant the extra calories.

Ground cumin and salt: Both improve the flavor of our hummus, and the cumin adds a little extra richness and spice. In our video, I sprinkle Za'atar seasoning on top for serving, which I love!

Does hummus need tahini? You bet! In fact, tahini is one of hummus' main ingredients, along with chickpeas and olive oil. That's why our favorite dip can be so rich and delicious—in hummus, tahini adds smoothness to the texture, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

If you feel adventurous, try replacing the tahini with an equal amount of peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, Greek yogurt, chopped roasted peppers, pitted olives, roasted beets, steamed sweet potato, avocado, or thawed frozen peas, to name just a few possibilities.

Dried chickpeas provide better flavor than canned. Overcooking the chickpeas in water with baking soda makes them easier to blend. Puréeing the chickpeas while they're still hot lets you use a blender instead of a food processor for smoother texture.

How long does homemade hummus last? 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.

Add Some Nice Spice

Spices like paprika, cayenne pepper and sumac all lend a marvelous layer of nuance to a classic hummus dip. Seasoning your hummus with spices is perfect when you want to supercharge your hummus dishes with flavor. This trick also works with making canned soup taste better.

Should hummus have olive oil in it? ›

Hummus can be a good source of healthy fat because most are made with both olive oil and tahini. My recipe omits the tahini and just uses olive oil for a more neutral taste. The base of the hummus is made from chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans or Bengal gram.

However, there are differences; these countries would serve different traditional food with their hummus recipes, and would tend towards making their hummus with local ingredients—i.e., a Greek hummus would likely use Greek olive oil and chickpeas, whereas a Lebanese hummus would use ingredients sourced closer to ...

You might need more tahini, garlic, lemon and/or salt and very likely more chickpea water. Add a bit of each as you need, the recipe explains. "Blitz the hummus until very smooth, a few minutes at least. Don't worry about the hummus being too loose; it will thicken as it sits."

This will help you achieve that creamy hummus texture with no lumps. Another pro-tip: Add ice cold water while you blend up the sauce. Using ice cold water lightens the color of tahini, creating a hummus that is light and fresh looking. We recommend adding the ice water before adding in the cooked chickpeas.

You can roast a whole head of garlic and drop a few whole-roasted garlic cloves over the top of the finished hummus, or even sauté rinsed canned chickpeas in olive oil, seasonings, and parsley to place over the top for a more jazzy display.

If , for some reason, you ended up using more liquid than you should have or if you still want a thicker consistency, you can add a bit more tahini. And if you chill the hummus for an hour or so before adding any garnish, that should help as well.

Soften the Chickpeas

For a creamier, more luscious homemade hummus, soften up the chickpeas using one of these methods. Baking Soda: If you're cooking your own chickpeas or other beans, adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water helps soften the legumes so they break down more easily when blended.

Note: If the texture of the hummus is loose, this is OK because it will continue to thicken as it cools and sets in the fridge. The hummus will keep in the fridge for at least one week. To make the crispy chickpeas: Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the chickpeas in a small skillet over medium heat.

To fix a grainy hummus, blend for longer, add 1-2 Tablespoons more oil, or warm the beans before blending. For an even smoother texture, simmer the chickpeas in water before blending. Place drained and rinsed chickpeas in a saucepan, cover with water, and simmer until very soft.