HOMEMADE HUMMUS INGREDIENTS:

One of the other things I love about making homemade hummus is that most all of the ingredients can be found in your pantry, making this an easy impromptu dip to make for parties, game day, or a regular ol’ delicious weeknight dinner.  You will need:

• Chickpeas*: I simply recommend buying a can of good organic chickpeas, which we will rinse and drain and add straight to the hummus.
• Tahini: Since this ingredient is arguably the most prominent flavor in hummus, I recommend purchasing a jar of good-quality tahini.
• Garlic: This recipe calls for two cloves, but feel free to double that if you would like more garlicky flavor.
• Lemon juice: Fresh, please!
• Ground cumin: I absolutely love the added flavor of some cumin in hummus.
• Olive oil: We will incorporate some into the hummus itself, and then drizzle extra on top for serving.
• Salt: I always use fine sea salt.
• Cold water: This is another game-changing ingredient when it comes to the texture of your hummus.  If it’s too thick and not smoothing out, just add in some more water.

*Or, as I mentioned earlier, feel free to instead use:

• Chickpeas that have been cooked from scratch: Either in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.  I recommend overcooking them a bit to slightly soften the chickpeas and loosen up the skins.
• Canned chickpeas that have been simmered for 20 minutes: If you have the extra time, just rinse and drain your chickpeas. Transfer them to a saucepan and cover with an extra inch or two of water.  Then bring to a simmer, continue simmering for 20 minutes, and drain.  If you happen to buy a brand of chickpeas that seems to be harder and undercooked — I’ve found that brands can vary significantly — this method may be helpful.

Then, of course, there are the toppings.  For a classic batch of hummus, I recommend drizzling some olive oil on top of the dip, and then sprinkling it with either ground sumac or paprika, plus maybe a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.  But the sky’s the limit with other toppings you could add!  Toasted pine nuts, chopped roasted red peppers, and everything bagel seasoning are a few of my other faves.

HOW TO MAKE HUMMUS:

To make this hummus recipe, simply:

1. Puree the first seven ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Tahini, cold water, olive oil, cumin, salt, garlic and lemon.
2. Add in the chickpeas. One can, rinsed in warm water and drained.
3. Puree for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth.  Yep, put that food processor to work!  Just keep it going and going until the hummus is nice and smooth, pausing once or twice to scrape the sides down.  If the hummus seems too thick, feel free to add in an extra tablespoon or two of water too.
4. Taste and season.  Give the hummus a taste, and add in extra salt, cumin and/or lemon juice if needed.
5. Garnish and serve.  Transfer it to a serving bowl, add on any toppings that you would like, and enjoy!!

HUMMUS RECIPE VARIATIONS:

The sky’s the limit if you’d like to get creative and mix things up with your hummus!  Some of my favorite variations include:

• roasted red pepper hummus: a classic, and even better with some crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled in too
• pesto hummus: store-bought or homemade, plus maybe an extra garnish of toasted pine nuts
• roasted garlic hummus: nix the fresh garlic in favor of a few cloves of rich, sweet, roasted garlic

WAYS TO USE HUMMUS:

Of course, you can always use hummus as a dip.  But it’s also delicious used in:

• toast: I’ve been on a major hummus toast kick this year (more on that coming soon!)
• burgers/sandwiches: just use the hummus as a spread for extra flavor
• wraps: similarly, hummus makes a great spread in wraps or gyros
• salads: mix in some extra lemon juice, water and oil, and hummus can double as a delicious salad dressing
• mixed into pasta: similarly, just thin the hummus out with some water, and it can be used as a sauce for hot noodles or cold pasta salads
• as a “crust” for chicken: this old hummus-crusted chicken recipe is still one of my faves
• deviled eggs: the flavors in hummus pair perfectly with deviled eggs!
• mashed potatoes: so good.