A basic hummus recipe that is easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. Learn how to make it super creamy and customize it with your favorite flavors! You'll be eating hummus with everything!
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Basic hummus is anything but boring. It's like a blank canvas waiting for you to put your spin on it.
Hummus makes a great snack, dip, spread, or dressing for salads. It's full of protein, tastes light and fresh, and is a great healthy alternative when it comes to snacking, tailgating, or for bringing to a potluck.
This classic hummus recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, making it a great choice for almost every diet!
Ingredients
- Garbanzo beans
- Tahini
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Cumin
- Salt
How to make basic hummus
Remove the skins from the chickpeas. This is an optional step, but will result in the silkiest hummus possible.
To remove the skins, place a chickpea between your thumb and finger and give a gentle squeeze. The chickpea should slide easily out of the skin, which you can then discard.
Process all ingredients in a food processor (affiliate link to the one I own) until smooth, adding a drizzle of water or oil as needed to reach the desired consistency.
Do I need a food processor to make hummus?
A food processor is necessary to make super creamy hummus, however you could also use a high powered blender. You will likely need to start and stop a few times to scrape down the sides of the blender and ensure everything gets mixed in.
Are garbanzo beans the same as chickpeas?
Garbanzo beans and chickpeas are the same thing and can be used interchangeably. I find them in several places in the grocery store, including the canned bean section, near the Mexican ingredients, and in the natural and organic section.
What is tahini?
Tahini is ground sesame paste, similar to how peanut butter is ground peanuts. It has a strong flavor, but if you don't care for it you can experiment with using less and substituting more olive oil or water or omitting it entirely to make hummus without tahini (the resulting flavor and texture will be different).
I usually find tahini in the grocery store near the fancy jarred olives or by the peanut butter in the natural and organic section.
What to eat with hummus
You can dip crunchy veggies such as raw carrots, celery, or bell pepper sticks in hummus. It's also great with pita chips and crackers.
I like to spread hummus on sandwiches. It's especially great on hot paninis (like my cheesy hummus and veggie panini) as a creamy alternative to cheese or mayo. You can also drizzle hummus on salads, roasted veggies, or anywhere your mind can imagine!
Tips for customizing
- Swap the garlic cloves for an entire head of roasted garlic removed from the papery skin to make roasted garlic hummus
- Add one small roasted beet to make beet hummus
- Add one roasted red pepper (drained and patted dry if using jarred) to make roasted red pepper hummus
- Top with everything bagel seasoning
- Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- Top with roasted tomatoes, artichokes, feta, and pine nuts to make loaded hummus
More dip recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
This post was updated in January 2020 with new photos and more helpful information about the recipe.
Recipe
Basic Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned garbanzo beans, (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the top
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or more to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, adding a drizzle of water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve with pita chips, celery, carrots, or crackers.
Notes
Tips for customizing basic hummus
- Swap the garlic cloves for an entire head of roasted garlic removed from the papery skin to make roasted garlic hummus
- Add one small roasted beet to make beet hummus
- Add one roasted red pepper (drained and patted dry if using jarred) to make roasted red pepper hummus
- Top with everything bagel seasoning
- Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- Top with roasted tomatoes, artichokes, feta, and pine nuts to make loaded hummus
Andi says
God I love hummus. I definitely need to make my own instead of spending $5 on it every weekend!
Signing with babies is the BEST! So rewarding, so quickly 🙂