Hummus Recipe

Hummus is a dip from the Middle East made with mashed chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lots of lemon juice.  It is delicious and healthy at the same time because the chickpeas are a good source of protein, fiber, manganese and vitamin B6. 

Especially if you use it as a dip for vegetables like fresh carrot sticks, crispy broccoli or whatever you favorite raw, crispy vegetable is.

You can buy it many stores, but this home-made recipe for hummus is so easy to make, why not make it yourself instead.  There really is a noticeable difference in taste between this freshly made hummus and one bought from a store.

Give it a try, and let us know how you go.

 

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5 from 1 vote

Hummus

This home-made hummus dip will impress everyone at your party!  It is so much better than store bought hummus and very easy to make.  Serve with lightly toasted pita bread or crackers.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time0 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Middle East

Keyword: hummus, hummus recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 166kcal

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Food processor (ideal but not essential)

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) (about 14 oz or 400 grams)
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 large lemon (to yield approximately ¼ cup juice) (squeezed)
• 2-3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (good quality)
• 1 tablespoon tahini (either hulled or unhulled)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
• pinch ground paprika (to garnish)
• ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

• If you have access to a food processor, process the tahini and lemon juice together for a couple of minutes. You will have to stop and scrape the blades and the sides of the bowl a couple of times. This processing effectively 'creams' the tahini, making it a little more smooth and light. However, if you don't have a food processor or don't have time, please don't worry about this step.
• One heaped spoonful at at time, add the chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) to the tahini and process again for 1 minute. If you don't have a food processor, you can fork mash the chickpeas. Alternatively, you can use a stick blender.
• Add in garlic, ground cumin, chilli flakes (optional), 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water.
• Continue to blend.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• The consistency of the hummus will depend on the particular chickpeas you use. Sometimes your hummus will be ready as it is, but most times you will need to add a little more olive oil and water.

  Please note: Add them a very little bit at a time because if you add to much and the hummus becomes watery, the only way to thicken it again is with either more chickpeas or more tahini - and both will throw the delicate taste balance off slightly.
• Keep blending until all ingredients are well combined and your dip is a dollop-y (I think I just invented that word!) consistency.
• Scoop the hummus out into a serving bowl and garnish with a little sprinkle of paprika - for a zing of color.
• Serve with lightly toast wedges of pita bread, crackers, or use crunchy vegetable sticks (like carrot, celery, cucumber, bell peppers/ capsicum) to dip into your hummus.

Notes

The chili is optional and depends on your tastes.  In our house, we like to increase the chilli level and call it Bella's hummus-with-kick!  

The amount of garlic can also be adjusted to your tastes.  If you are not a huge fan of garlic, it can be reduced, but we love it and tend to add extra!

This recipe yields approximately 1.5 cups - which is about 6 x 1/4 cup serves.