Perfect Creamy Hummus (+ 5 Variations)

Make this creamy hummus recipe with just 6 ingredients (not including salt, pepper and water)! This recipe includes a hot tip for a guaranteed creamy texture.

This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes, and can be used as a dip for veggies, a sandwich spread, or serve it with some warm na'an or pita bread with dinner.

Jump to Recipe

Jump to:

• 🤷‍♀️ What is hummus?
• 👩‍⚕️ Is hummus healthy?
• 🧅 Ingredients
• 🔪 Recommended Equipment
• 🗂 Instructions
• 👩‍🍳 Do you need to cook chickpeas to make hummus?
• 🙋‍♀️ Why do you add baking soda to the chickpeas?
• 🎯 Should you remove the skins of the chickpeas?
• 🗒 4 Ways to Eat Hummus
• 🥣 5 Hummus Variations
• Perfect Creamy Hummus

Hummus is incredibly easy to make, but homemade hummus can be a little gritty. This recipe tells you how to make creamy hummus perfectly every time.

I like to serve it with torn pita bread shards fresh from the oven and veggie sticks.

🤷‍♀️ What is hummus?

Hummus is a velvety puree of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini, lemon juice and garlic. It's often finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of spices and / or herbs.

Thanks to its inexpensive ingredients with a long shelf life, hummus has been a Mediterranean staple since the 13th century. In fact, many regions (and families) have their own recipes, that have been handed down through many generations.

Fun fact: the word hummus means chickpea in arabic.

👩‍⚕️ Is hummus healthy?

Yes, mostly.

Hummus is an excellent source of protein, and is one of the ways to get energy if you're feeling fatigue on a vegetarian (or vegan) diet. (Go check out my post on high energy vegetarian food if your energy is flagging on a new vegetarian diet.) It's packed with many nutrients, and is high in fiber (making you feel fuller longer). And one tablespoon has less than 30 calories, roughly ⅓ that of peanut butter.

However, hummus is high in carbohydrates from both the chickpeas and tahini, and is not acceptable for anyone following a ketogenic diet.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

🗂 Instructions

Step 1

Boil the cooked chickpeas. Cover the cooked chickpeas with enough water by about 2 inches. Add the baking soda. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the chickpeas begin to break apart, 7 - 10 minutes.

Step 2

Drain. Drain and place in the bowl of a chopper attached to an immersible blender.

Step 3

Purée. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and spices. Process until a smooth paste develops.

Step 4

Thin. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the hummus achieves the consistency you prefer.

Step 5

Serve: Serve with a good quality extra-virgin olive oil.

👩‍🍳 Do you need to cook chickpeas to make hummus?

Definitely.

In fact, even canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) should be simmered on the stove for 10 minutes. This makes them very soft, perfect for a creamy, smooth hummus. Otherwise, the hummus will almost always be a little gritty with tiny fragments of chickpeas.

🙋‍♀️ Why do you add baking soda to the chickpeas?

Adding baking soda to the water creates an alkaline environment for the chickpeas. This breaks down the outer skin, allowing the chickpea to absorb more water and begin to break apart.

Even if you use canned chickpeas, it's important to simmer the beans for 10 minutes with a small amount of baking soda before draining and making hummus. This ensures a velvety, creamy finished hummus everyone will rave about.

🎯 Should you remove the skins of the chickpeas?

You don't need to do this.

When drained, you will have a lot of skins that have slipped off the chickpeas. It is not necessary to remove the skins of the chickpeas before making hummus. The skins will be completely processed into the finished hummus, and may contribute to the creamy texture when finished.

However, if you prefer to remove the skins, do not roll the chickpeas between two towels. The chickpeas will be too soft for this. Instead, fill the pot with water, and allow the skins to float to the surface. Skim them off using a slotted spoon.

It may require a couple of changes of water to remove most of the skins.

🗒 4 Ways to Eat Hummus

Dip raw veggies such as carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower or broccoli into hummus.

Spread hummus on warm pita or na'an bread, or crackers and top with sun-dried tomatoes.

Use as a sandwich spread in a wrap with black beans, quinoa, tomatoes and spinach.

Toss a Greek salad with red onions, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and feta with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Heap on a pita round or na'an spread with hummus.

🥣 5 Hummus Variations

Make a White Bean Hummus using cannellini beans.

Try this Roasted Tomato Hummus that stirs in Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes.

Roast garlic wrapped in foil, and add it to your next batch.

Go Tex-Mex, and make a hummus with pinto beans and roasted jalapeño peppers.

Stir in your favorite pesto - either a traditional Basil Pesto or a Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.

Make beetroot hummus that's slightly earthy and sweet from the beets.