I’m ashamed to say that back in 2017, we posted a deeply inauthentic hummus recipe. Today, we right those wrongs with Michael Solomonov’s (of Zahav fame) great hummus—plus our personal tips for success.
You can still reference that old post for a still very good recipe for two kinds of pita chips—one salty and one cinnamon-sugar sweet! And if you can’t find tahini paste, it offers a decent workaround.
The All-important Tahini
The chief reason people called me out on my naively subpar hummus recipe was the lack of tahini. I never knew how to whip it properly for a smooth hummus, so I would forgo it entirely.
That is before some handy instruction and hummus education from Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov. It’s a great cookbook, full of stories and truly delicious recipes.
A note:
While Solomonov’s cookbook is about Israeli cooking, hummus is a dish with roots across the entire Middle East region. Read more on the history of hummus at NPR: Give Chickpeas a Chance: Why Hummus Unites, and Divides, the Mideast.
The trick is to whip the tahini with garlic, lemon juice, and ice water to make a tahina sauce, and then add the chickpeas. This recipe follows the same formula, with some slight adjustments on salt, which can always be changed per your tastes.
Another vital note: tahini paste is NOT the same as Chinese sesame paste. Tahini paste is much lighter in color and smoother in consistency. Chinese sesame paste is darker, more toasted, and has a firm, almost sandy texture.
Thinner vs. Thicker Hummus?
It seems like every time I make hummus, I grapple with a split personality moment. Of course, I want my hummus to be super smooth at all times, but the real question is whether I want my hummus to be thinner (high on tahina sauce, lower on chickpeas) or thicker (high on tahina sauce and high on chickpeas)?
I will admit though—regardless of the quantity of chickpeas, I don’t cook them from dry. I reach for the cans. Yes. I admit it. And I am ashamed. I’m willing to live with this character flaw.
One 14-ounce can of chickpeas gets you a thinner hummus that is positively fantastic with lamb chops and laffa bread.
If you’re looking for something more substantial for spreading on toast, or if you simply prefer a thicker hummus, two 14-ounce cans does the trick!
That said, I reallocate the time saved soaking dried chickpeas to patiently ensuring my chickpeas are 100% well-processed for a super smooth, perfectly whipped hummus.
Hummus Recipe Instructions
In a food processor, combine lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
This step mellows the garlic.
Add the tahini and cumin, and blend until a thick paste forms.
While that’s happening, add ½ cup of water and a handful of ice into a measuring cup with a spout. Add the ice water in a thin stream until the sauce takes on a whipped, light and creamy texture.
It will almost double in volume. It should take anywhere from ⅓ to ⅔ cup of ice water. For a thicker hummus, err on the side of less.
Add the drained chickpeas…
And blend until totally smooth and not at all grainy. This could take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, with some occasional scraping down of the bowl.
Sometimes I let it run for extra time, and busy myself with another kitchen task to ensure the smoothest possible hummus. If you need to, you can add in an extra few streams of ice water along the way.
Season to taste with more salt (I add an additional ¾ teaspoon, for 1 teaspoon total), lemon juice or cumin.
To serve, dollop the hummus in a shallow small bowl or a deep plate. Go ahead and run your spoon in a swirl to make that jazzy restaurant pattern. You earned it.
Sprinkle a pinch of paprika over the top, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Optionally, you can also sprinkle over some chopped parsley.
We served ours with homemade laffa bread, also from Zahav.
Our Favorite Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 4 large garlic cloves (or to taste)
- 1/4-1 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
- 1 cup tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 28 ounces canned chickpeas (about 2 cans)
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (for serving, optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for serving, optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. This step mellows the garlic.
- Add the tahini and cumin, and blend until a thick paste forms. While that’s happening, add ½ cup of water and a handful of ice into a measuring cup with a spout. Add the ice water in a thin stream until the sauce takes on a whipped, light and creamy texture. It will almost double in volume. It should take anywhere from ⅓ to ⅔ cup of ice water. For a thicker hummus, err on the side of less.
- Add the drained chickpeas, and blend until totally smooth and not at all grainy. This could take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, with some occasional scraping down of the bowl. Sometimes I let it run for extra time, and busy myself with another kitchen task to ensure the smoothest possible hummus. If you need to, you can add in an extra few streams of ice water along the way.
- Season to taste with more salt (I add an additional ¾ teaspoon, for 1 teaspoon total), lemon juice or cumin.
- To serve, dollop the hummus in a shallow small bowl or a deep plate. Go ahead and run your spoon in a swirl to make that jazzy restaurant pattern. You earned it. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika over the top, chopped parsley, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
How long can we keep Hummus in the refrigerator. Your receipe looks good.
This hummus should last for about a week. You might be able to get away with two so long as there’s no double-dipping!
I really don’t think you should feel bad for having a recipe that lacks tahini. We have someone in our house who is allergic to sesame, so we ALWAYS make it without tahini (yes, it’s not quite as good and it’s inauthentic, but we can live with that). But we do add lemon juice – that’s vital in my opinion!
:) Thank you!
Yum! Made this today and was quite easy. One trick I learned from some other canned chickpea recipes is to peel them. Doing that actually takes a little time but what a difference in texture. I used a blender (I don’t have a food processor) and that did the trick for getting it super smooth and creamy.
I will make again but need to tweak the flavors a little to get more depth.
Hi Sonji, yes that seems to be the consensus on the chickpeas! Another reader had a tip via Ottolenghi of adding the chickpeas to a bowl of water and using your hands to remove the peels. If you’re not starting with cooked chickpeas, it’s probably best to blanch them to loosen the skins, but that’s just me spitballing. Another idea I had, but haven’t yet vetted is just using a dry tea towel to remove the skins.
I’ve found using a blender makes a huge difference in the texture of the hummus. It comes out completely smooth, reaching a smoother texture than I was ever able to achieve with a food processor.
Hi Tom, that’s a great tip! We’ll have to set our Blendtec on this recipe sometime soon!
Katilin, I will try your hummus, but when I make it I use less lemon, and I heard if the chick peas are heated it becomes smooth. Also I stick garlic on a skewer and roast them in a bread toaster a few minuets. Thanks for sharing your food.
Hi Moose, I hope you enjoy it! That garlic trick sounds great. Thank you for commenting!
Good hummus recipe. Would definitely recommend adding a couple teaspoons of olive oil along with everything else when you do the final blending, and using substantially less tahini. A little goes a long way. Of course, home-cooked chickpeas are the best but cooking the darn things for 4 hours gets old. But when it really comes down to it hummus seems to be more of a method and less of a recipe. Taste it, add stuff, taste it, add stuff, blend more, blend more. Source: family is Israeli.
Thank you! I agree, it does seem to be more of a method where you have certain rules of thumb based on your personal preferences. :)
Long ago, I dated a Palestinian man. When he made hummus he would grind salt and garlic in a mortor with a pestle, and lemon juice then add it to chickpeas in the food processor and then the tahini then. if it needed more liquid he would add some olive oil and the aquafaba water from the chickpea can. No cumin in it. In some delis that make hummus–a Lebanese one here in town I am thinking of, has two types of hummus one with garlic, one without. It doesn’t hold up well the next day if garlic is in it. They don’t use cumin either. Since I grew up with it with no cumin, I prefer not to have cumin in it.
It really gets interesting with falafel–Egyptians and Jordanians here in town put dried coriander seed in their falafel. Lebanese and Israelis use cumin and some Lebanese also add a little bit of cinnamon too., but it tends to be rare around here, anyway. Some use strictly chickpeas some use fava beans and chickpeas mixed together.
PS: I am so glad you put in recipes for old fashion restaurant chow mein. I miss that from my childhood.
Kind Regards, and Stay Safe,
Laurel
Hi Laurel, thank you for sharing these cultural differences in the recipes! It’s fascinating to hear. And I’m so glad you enjoyed our chow mein recipe. :)
You show a lack of historical understanding when you permit the false claim that hummus is “Israeli”! First the Zionists stole the land and now they lay claim to the cuisine they stole from the residents they displaced and whose heritage they wish to erase.
Hi Joseph, thanks for bringing this to our attention! We’ve updated the article to clarify that hummus is a dish that has roots across the middle east, with a link to an NPR article that we found helpful and we hope others will too. It just so happens that the recipe we’ve used is from Michael Solomonov’s book which takes an Israeli perspective, but we definitely understand that hummus is an integral part of many food cultures of the region. We apologize for any offense or upset this post may have caused you.
Don’t pander and apologize to this anti-Semite. His comment is riddled with offensive language to anyone who believes in the rights of Jews to exist in the land where they have lived for thousands of years. He is the one rewriting history. I suggest you delete his offensive comment and continue making hummus however you like. Like Michael Solomonov, I believe in food bringing people together and not tearing them apart.
Been hearing a lot about how the Zionists messed up everything lately. It’s made me pretty sad and upset for the whole Middle East. My family is from Israel because they had no other place to settle (long story) but I often wish they had had the opportunity to just go to Canada or something. What you’re saying is partially the reason my parents immigrated to the United States. They were sick of the constant drama. Please keep in mind that there are many people who do not wish to erase the heritage of Palestinians. I’m one.
And yes, of course hummus isn’t Israeli. Anyone who exists in the Middle East eats it, it’s practically a staple.
wait now I really want to read this shameful version from 2017!!
nevermind, I realized I had overlooked the link. both versions seem delicious to me.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯