Name: Best Hummus
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1⅓ cup chickpeas ((400g 1 can yielding 286g)); ½ cup tahini ((120g)); ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ((60ml)); 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ((15ml)); ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 clove fresh garlic; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ¾ teaspoon Himalayan salt ((or sea salt)); 2 tablespoon iced cold water ((add extra one or two tbsp if necessary)); paprika powder ((optional to garnish)); fresh parsley ((optional to garnish)); olive oil ((optional to garnish)); pine nuts ((optional to garnish))

Best hummus recipe ever - ready in just 10 minutes! No need to soak chickpeas with water overnight or remove the skins! This better than store bought, creamy smooth homemade hummus is always on hand in our fridge!

Hummus

Hummus is readily available in most local shops or supermarkets. But the quality varies significantly. And if you’re like me, you get tired of checking ingredients or trying to avoid preservatives. Who doesn’t want to see exactly what goes into your food, and make sure it’s super fresh?

I’m here to tell you that there’s just no need to buy shop bought hummus ever again! That’s right! This super fresh homemade hummus is far better than store bought and really easy to make. You can make enough for days ahead in no time at all!

Originating in the Middle East, hummus is translated as chickpeas in Arabic. I first tried restaurant hummus on Edgware Road in central London where Middle Eastern restaurants line the street and compete for your business.

One that really stood out was at a Lebanese restaurant - it was super creamy, rich and silky smooth. It was delicious!

I decided that I would put my research to good use and make my own, and work on it until it was just as delicious – and I admit to getting a bit obsessed with it!

So friends, read on for this hummus recipe that delivers a super creamy, smooth and healthy hummus from scratch!

Vegan Hummus served in a Japanese tea ceremony ceramic

Why is this Hummus Recipe Special?

Is hummus vegan? Not all shop bought hummus is vegan friendly – sometimes there’s dairy it it. So, we used to check the ingredients continuously and buy vegan hummus at our local shops. But there is just no reason to buy when you can make fresh, creamy hummus at home.

This is our go to staple for just about anything from snacks to full meals. There’s just so many things you can do with hummus!

1. Easy Hummus Recipe

When I first started experimenting with making hummus, I used to soak chickpeas overnight. Then I cooked them on a stove for more than an hour before putting them in a food processor.

But why go to that trouble when you can use canned chickpeas? It’s far less hassle, and is every bit as tasty.

2. Ultra creamy and silky smooth

smooth Vegan Hummus in a food processor with flowers

Our hummus recipe is simple, healthy and vegan friendly. It's super creamy, nutty and smooth.

So, how do you make it so smooth?

Many people suggest that you need to peel chickpeas to get smooth hummus. But there's really no need, and who wants the hassle? The secret to smooth hummus is baking soda.

No peeling skins anymore!

3. With or without tahini

I love the tahini taste in this hummus recipe, but not everyone likes tahini.

If you like hummus without tahini, try more olive oil or avocado oil. Or replace tahini with sesame paste or peanut butter. When tahini is short in our pantry, I use both these options, and they work well.

4. Healthy homemade hummus

Healthy homemade hummus is a big step above the shop bought. Tasty freshly made hummus is hard to beat. Perfect as a super healthy snack with carrot, celery, raw broccoli, and cucumber.

There’s also hummus with crackers or pita bread as the ultimate picnic pleaser. Hummus as a creamy pasta sauce is also delicious!

Leave your favourite hummus combinations in the comments below – we’d love to hear them!

The Ingredients for the Best Hummus

ingredients for Vegan Hummus, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, baking soda, ground cumin

Chickpeas: The best option for this hummus recipe is to use canned chickpeas. It’s so quick, and you can keep the canned chickpea juice as aquafaba and make vegan whipped cream alternative.

Of course, you can buy raw chickpeas, soak them in water overnight and then cook them on the stove for an hour if you have more time. But it’s really not necessary.

Tahini: It's a binding agent to stick chickpeas together. I absolutely love hummus with tahini. I use 'hulled tahini', not unhulled. The outer shell of sesame seeds is removed and has more creamier and milder taste. (source)

Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. That makes hummus fresh and alive. I also add minced garlic.

Salt: I use Himalayan salt or sea salt for the seasonings for hummus. It’s worth using good quality salt for this. Freshly ground black pepper is a must too.

Vegan Hummus served on the Japanese ceramic with flowers

How to make spicy hummus

The garlic and spices give it a bit of kick to make it a slightly spicy hummus recipe:

Add a few spices in hummus such as ground cumin powder and paprika bring it alive.
Tahini and fresh lemon juice round out the flavour of this spicy garlic hummus!
Of course, you can add more spices for hummus to make your own version. Customise until your heart’s content – it’s fun!

Hummus spices we add:

Ground cumin
Garlic
Paprika
Chili
Pine seeds

These spices in hummus levels up the one you make. Ground cumin powder little more luxurious and brings hummus one rank up. Chili is optional.

Hummus Recipe

adding ingredients for Vegan Hummus in a food processor

preparation for Vegan Hummus cooking showing in 2 photos

Consistency of our Lebanese inspired hummus is lighter, smoother and looser than your shop bought hummus. The first few times I made hummus with canned chickpeas, it was lumpy and grainy. To be honest, the taste was not so great either.

1. Making hummus extra-smooth

The reason why hummus is not extra-smooth and creamy is because of chickpea skins. Removing chickpea skins is really annoying. No problem. Baking soda softens chickpea skins.

So, the secret to smooth hummus is to use a bit of baking soda. It helps canned chickpeas become silky smooth to meet the Lebanese hummus creaminess. You do not need to remove skins.

2. No soaking chickpeas overnight

With the baking soda, you don't need to soak chickpeas overnight and to boil them for an hour or peel chickpea skins!

Make sure you don't forget to drain chickpea water out of the canned chickpeas and keep it for aquafaba.

3. Softening garlic flavour

Garlic is great, but we don't want to overpower the hummus with garlic. To soften the flavour, I've learned to place the minced garlic into the freshly squeezed lemon juice and leave it for 5 minutes while I cook chickpeas.

That's it! No need to soak chickpeas with water overnight or remove the skins!

Garnish for hummus

Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle it with paprika powder
Add chopped parsley
Add pine nuts

garnished Vegan Hummus with paprika, chickpeas and olive oil

Hummus serving variations

Hummus is versatile. It can be used for crackers, fresh vegetables, sauces, salad dressing and much more!

Salad – Dollop a few spoonfuls of hummus into a green leafy salad. Drizzle with olive oil, and add salt, black pepper and herbs. A simple but delicious salad is ready in no time!

Sauces - Hummus also does work as a cream sauce for pasta. Find out my vegan creamy hummus pasta.

Wraps - who doesn’t like hummus with pita bread? Add in some falafels and lettuce and you’ve got a super tasty lunch. Tortillas and tacos work well too!

Dipping - Scoop up beautifully smooth and creamy hummus with your favourite vegetables. Hummus with veggies is perfect for any social occasion. Of course crackers or corn chips are also winners.

Vegan Hummus garnished with pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and olive oil surrounded by flowers

Tips for the Best Hummus

How long does the hummus last?

Transfer the leftover hummus into an airtight container. The surface of hummus can be dried out shortly after you use. So, keep it into the container as soon as possible. Leave it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can you freeze hummus?

Yes! You can freeze hummus.

Place the hummus in an airtight freezer bag (removing as much air as possible). It's easy to defrost and use it if it's divided into small portion sizes. Keep the hummus in the freezer for one month.

Food processor, mixer or blender

I recommend using a food processor for this recipe. I tried it with both a mixer and a blender. The food processor is the best for hummus to make it as creamy as possible.

Gluten-free hummus

Yes! Hummus is often gluten free. But some shop bought hummus contains gluten. So double check the label. All ingredients we use for this hummus recipe are gluten-free.

Homemade Hummus (10 Minutes)

Hummus