chickpeas soaking in water

How to Make Authentic Hummus

Published On 10 May, 2012 | Kosher, Side Dish, Vegan

For the record, I can't stand most store-purchased hummus with Trader Joe's being a notable exception.  I take my hummus recipe seriously.  Five and a half years in Israel will do that to you, especially when you work down the block from a chummusiah, a niche restaurant that specializes in hummus.  You can get hummus with mushrooms, hummus with beef, hummus with felafel, hummus with fries, you name it – hummus is that star of the show and each chummiah is like a mini hummus diner with their own family hummus recipe and approach to this Israeli classic.

I go through phases of making hummus, then avoiding it for, which is why the hummus recipe I share with you here has undergone many revisions.  Every time a new "hummus season" starts, I tweak the recipe a little or do something differently.  No two batches taste the same, even if I make them on the same day.  Somehow my hummus recipe has become something of a legend among our friends and family so I will let you put it to the test.

Other than my sprouted raw hummus which I will share with you one day, my base hummus recipe is always the same.  I tend to roast red peppers to add to the mix, other times I will add jalapeño peppers and cilantro.  One of my favorite variations is a garlic hummus with an extra five or six cloves of garlic in the mix.  Delicious!

Homemade Hummus Recipe

You will need the following ingredients.  This hummus recipe does use dried chickpeas, I have previously written a post about how to cook chickpeas perfectly so you might want to read that first.

  • 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
  • 3 – 4 roasted garlic
  • Lemon
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • Salt
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Water
  • Cumin
  • Paprika

Hummus Ingredients

Drizzle some olive oil over a head of garlic, wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the oven at 350 to roast.  If you're going to add roasted red peppers to your hummus, put them in the oven at this point too.

Put your chick peas in the food processor then add the tahni, juice from half the lemon and about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Start to blend on low, then drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil into the food processor while it is running.  Add cumin and paprika and continue to blend.

Hummus in the mixer

If the hummus looks or tastes too thick add some more olive oil for a nuttier flavor, some more lemon juice if you prefer a lemony flavor, or some water if you just want a thinner hummus.

Continue to mix until it reaches the consistency you like, some like a very smooth hummus, personally, I like a chunkier hummus topped with some whole chick peas.  Garnish with olive oil, cilantro and paprkia and, or zata'ar.

How I cook dried chickpeas

I no longer boil my chickpeas.  After soaking dried chickpeas overnight, bring a pot of water to the boil then add you chickepas (not the water they soaked in though, throw that out).  Bring back to the boil then cover with a tight lid and turn off the heat.  Do not remove from the heating element and let them sit for about an hour.  For a more detailed outline, see my blog post on how to cook perfect chickpeas.

More of my Hummus Recipes

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