While hummus has been easy to find in grocery stores since I can remember, I was never a big fan. Most were bland and there was always an odd aftertaste I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Plus, the list of ingredients included some things that didn’t seem necessary, like canola or soybean oil and preservatives.
So, what is necessary for hummus? Not much, and that’s the beauty of making it yourself. Plus—you will know exactly what’s in it!
Chickpeas (aka: garbanzo beans) are the base for traditional hummus, but some recipes use other types of beans, cauliflower, and even sweet potatoes as the base. With chickpeas, you get a big dose of protein and fiber to fill you up, which isn’t always the case with dips or spreads.
Tahini (ground sesame seeds) gives hummus its signature tang and provides health benefits with healthy fats and vitamins. While you can certainly grind your own sesame seeds for homemade tahini, pure tahini is so easy to find in the grocery store. Look for it near the condiments or oils in a glass jar and just make sure you pick up one that lists sesame seeds as the only ingredient. Before using it, make sure you stir the oil back in like you would with a natural peanut butter. It keeps for a couple weeks in the pantry or fridge, and once you start down your homemade hummus kick, you’ll use it up in no time.
Lemon juice brightens up the hummus with a nice acidic kick. Use a fresh squeezed juice or regret it later.
Roasted garlic is the star of this recipe. While most hummus recipes have raw garlic, roasted garlic gives this one a subtle, sweet undertone without the bite of raw garlic. Don’t have any roasted garlic on hand? No worries—it’s so easy to make. Take a whole bulb of garlic, cut off the top so the garlic is open, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and stick in a 400o over for 45 minutes. Your home will smell amazing and all you need to do is squeeze the freshly roasted garlic out of the bulb. It’s that easy!
Salt brings everything together and heightens the flavor. Do not skimp on the salt as it’s needed to ensure everything comes together.
Olive oil is the final piece of the hummus puzzle. It binds everything together and creates a creamy, luscious texture that rivals any store-bought hummus. Just make sure you drizzle it in at the end or your texture might not be as smooth and creamy as you hope.
And that’s it! 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to create a better-than-store-bought hummus. What are you waiting for? Go find that tahini and whip up some deliciousness right now.
Simple Roasted Garlic Hummus
Course: SnackCuisine: Mediterranean2
cups10
minutesDelicious, easy-to-make hummus that is better than anything you'll find at the store. The roasted garlic makes it great on its own or as a base for other flavored hummus.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chickpeas 1 15-oz can; rinsed well and drained
2 TBSP unsalted tahini stir before using
Juice of one lemon 2-3 TBSP
12-15 cloves of roasted garlic ~1 large head
1 tsp salt
3-4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil plus extra for serving
Directions
- Add all ingredients to food processor, except the olive oil.
- Blend well until it begins to look like a gritty paste, scraping the sides every once in a while. This should take about 1-2 minutes.
- While still blending, drizzle in olive oil.
- Continue blending for another 2 minutes, continuing to scrape down sides of the bowl, until desired consistency. If hummus is too thick, add a little water to thin it out.
- Transfer hummus to bowl and drizzle with more olive oil immediately prior to serving.
Notes
- For an extra creamy hummus, remove the skins. It takes a bit of time, but makes the hummus extremely smooth. To do so, put the chickpeas in large bowl of cold water. Gently massage the chickpeas until the skins float to the top of the water. Remove skins from bowl and continue until all skins have been separated and removed from chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas well before starting the recipe.