This garlic-free hummus is utterly delicious. It shines with the nutty tahini flavour, followed by a lovely lemon kick. But it's the creamy texture of the hummus that keeps me coming back to this easy hummus recipe. It's the dreamiest, creamiest hummus you will ever make.
Servings6
Equipment
- Large saucepan – or Dutch oven or instant pot
- Food processor – or a high-speed blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas*, soaked overnight in plenty of water and ½ teaspoon baking soda (see notes for canned chickpea instructions)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, if using dried chickpeas
- 6 cups water
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- pinch of cumin
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 lemons, 1 tablespoon of finely grated zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 ice cube
Instructions
- Drain the soaked chickpeas. Place them in a large saucepan, for which you have a lid, with half a teaspoon of baking soda. Add 6 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil on high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Then turn the heat down to low, cover and allow to simmer. Skim the top from time to time.
- After 20 minutes, add a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of ground cumin. Keep cooking until your chickpeas are very soft – anything from another 10 to 30 minutes (depending on how old your chickpeas are).
- Drain the chickpeas over a bowl and reserve the cooking water.
- Put the warm chickpeas into a food processor (or high-speed blender) with the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, ice cube, half a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of the cooking water. Blitz until smooth.
- Add more tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste. And if the hummus is too thick, loosen it with more chickpea water. Blitz for a few minutes until the hummus is silky smooth and fluffy.
- To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl and top with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and toppings like a sprinkling of herbs, chopped nuts or chilli flakes. See serving suggestions for more ideas.
Notes
- Canned chickpea instructions: Use two tins of chickpeas (drained 3 cups / 480 grams). Drain the chickpeas, then gently rub them between two tea towels to remove most of the skins. Place the chickpeas in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of cumin. Cook for 20 minutes until soft. See this harissa hummus recipe for the full instructions.
- Alternatively, see how to cook dried chickpeas without soaking them in an instant pot.
- See hummus ingredients for more ingredient details.
- Store hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.