My Go-To Hummus
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This is the creamy hummus I make time and time again...it never fails me! It stores well in the fridge all week and it’s a good one to make on a Sunday so you have a protein-rich spread on hand for the work or school week. To achieve a luxurious texture, one of my tips is to use a really runny tahini (my favourite tahini brand is Soom….it’s simply to die for) - avoid using the thick/dry tahini often found at the bottom of a jar as it will create an overly thick and dense hummus texture. My other tip, which my sister’s friend Christine taught us, is to drizzle in a couple tablespoons of pure olive oil (also called “light” or “refined” olive oil) while processing. Refined olive oil has a much lighter flavour than extra-virgin olive oil (which can be too pronounced in hummus) and using this lighter olive oil lets the other flavours shine.
Yield
2 cups (500 mL)
Prep Time
10 Minutes
Cook time
0 Minutes
Total Time
10 Minutes
Ingredients:
For the hummus:
- 2 to 3 medium (8 to 12 g) garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky you like it)
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can chickpeas
- 4 1/2 tablespoons (68 mL) fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) runny tahini*
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or fine sea salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) light/pure olive oil**
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) chickpea brine or water, or as needed
For the optional garnishes:
- Fresh minced herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, dill), for garnish
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Ground paprika
- Sesame seeds
Directions:
- To a large food processor, add the garlic cloves and process until minced.
- Place a sieve over a medium bowl and drain the can of chickpeas, setting aside the chickpea brine (the liquid found in the chickpea can) for later.
- To the processor, add the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Process for about 30 seconds until coarsely chopped.
- While the processor is running, slowly pour in the oil and chickpea brine (or water) through the chute, until your desired consistency is achieved. Let the processor run for a good minute or longer until very creamy and whipped in texture.
- Taste the hummus and add more salt, if desired (I add another 1/4 teaspoon pink salt), and process again to combine. You can also add more lemon juice if you’d like a more pronounced lemon flavour (I tend to add another 1 tablespoon lemon juice as I like it lemony).
- Spoon the hummus into a dish for serving or into a container for refrigerating. Homemade hummus thickens quite a bit when refrigerated. If this hummus is going to sit in the fridge for a while before serving, you can add the chilled hummus to the food processor and process it for about 30 seconds until it’s whipped in texture, just before serving. Refrigerate leftover hummus in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
* Avoid using a thick/firm/dry tahini and instead opt for one with a runny consistency. This will help prevent the hummus from being too thick.
** I use pure olive oil (also called “refined” or “light”) in hummus since its flavour is much milder than extra-virgin olive oil.