I’m ashamed to say that back in 2017, we posted a deeply flawed 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.
Last-minute thickening?
Let’s say your hummus is too thin for your liking? I recently had this problem making this recipe for a family party and I just poured in another half cup of tahini straight from the jar, turned on the blender and let it go. A lesson in a lack of foresight but rest assured, it still turned out smooth and delicious!
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.
I modified this recipe with black beans (washed and drained) instead of chickpeas. Added kalamata olives too. Yum!
interesting adjustments, Deon! Glad we could provide some inspiration :)
Love your site. Been cooking for 70 years , and use Irene Rou’s Chinese Cooking for ever. Now I have your website too. Thank you.
One note on using canned hummus.. I so often do…… Remove the skins first, and you’ll have smoothest hummus ever
Simply add beans to pot with cold water and teaspoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat at once and drown them in cold water. Rub them through you hands and against each other and watch the skins float away as you rinse.
Hope this wasn’t too presumptuous.
Also. My wife, Jodi, recognised all of you on TV today, as we once lived for 30 yrs. in Chester, NJ and she worked for Edward Jones. She says hi.
Bless you.
Jerome Leonardi
Thank you so much, Jerome! Next time I make hummus, I’ve gotta rally the energy to remove the skins! Also how funny! It really is a small world. Tell her we say hello too :)
Made this tonight. Finally, I discovered why my hummus was never as good as the restaurants! That full cup of tahini really makes the difference!
Indeed, Liv! Glad you found this recipe :)
To be honest you sharing not an authentic one was way better than telling us that you learned it from Israeli cuisine.
I totally love all your recipes and the way you bring your heritage here.
Unfortunately, this is a complete disappointment
Plus this is not really the authentic thing. Hummus is eaten all over the middle east.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Khaled! If you want to share your tips I’d love to hear them.
Also, we note that hummus is eaten all over the middle east and offered an article that acknowledges its multi-faceted history: Give Chickpeas a Chance: Why Hummus Unites, and Divides, the Mideast.
This came out great!!! Usually I peel the chickpeas which is annoying but I liked i didn’t have too !! Thanks 😊
Awesome, Dayve! The hardcore can peel their chickpeas, but I’m content to be lazy and have my hummus sooner rather than later :D
Came out really good. I am in Taiwan so I had to order tahini from Amazon. Also had to use dried chickpeas, soaking them overnight and then boiling them for 1 hour. Between the chickpea prep and reviving the tahini from it’s super compacted settled state it was a lot of work, but still worth it! I could have used some super fine stone ground black sesame paste I got at a freshmarket, maybe next time.
Hi David, I would love to hear and see how a black sesame paste experiment works out for you! That’s a fantastic idea. Email us a pic if you end up making it and are so inclined!
Do you have instructions on how to make tahini from scratch?
Hi Jo, afraid not!
Just Google “how to make tahini”. There are several instructions, but you just grind raw or toasted sesame seeds. My wife just puts raw sesame seeds in with the chickpeas when they are whizzed up in the food processor, and it tastes great.
Thanks Graeme :)