The Best Hummus
Learn how to make the best homemade hummus! It's ultra creamy, dreamy and light. This hummus recipe is easy to make, too—no need to peel your chickpeas!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
The best hummus is lusciously creamy, yet somehow light and fluffy. It’s beautifully smooth and swirled, and begging to be scooped up onto a wedge of pita bread. It’s nutty and tangy, thanks to the tahini, with notes of bright, fresh lemon and mellow garlic.
I encountered the most delicious hummus at Aladdin Cafe, a local Mediterranean restaurant. That hummus met all of the above characteristics, and I was hoping the owner might enlighten me with his techniques. When I asked, though, he replied, “It’s a secret,” with a sly smile and walked away.
I went home determined to learn how to make magnificently creamy hummus. First, I took the fancy flavorings out of my other hummus recipes to make plain hummus. It was dense, a little gritty, and harshly garlicky. I was so disappointed.
Next, I went to Google and opened up a million tabs to learn everything about hummus. You know me. Ten hummus attempts later, I’m ready to share all of my hummus tips and tricks with you. Get ready to make the best hummus of your life!
The internet at large raves that an Israeli chef named Michael Solomonov makes the very best hummus. It’s so good that Bon Appetit named his hummus their 2015 Dish of the Year. That’s some serious hummus.
Solomonov’s secret? He uses chickpeas that have been cooked until they’re so tender, they’re mushy.
He cooks his chickpeas with some baking soda, too. According to Bon Appetit, baking soda “raises the pH of the water and helps the little guys break down to a soft, pulpy mass… perfect for an ultra-smooth purée.”
Overcooked chickpeas seemed like a promising idea to me. You see, I once tried to make hummus with canned chickpeas that were oddly undercooked, and they made terrible hummus. No matter how long I blended the hummus, those undercooked chickpeas never blended into creamy oblivion.
Plus, baking soda helps break down the chickpea skins, which means you do not need to peel off the skins individually. Who has time for that?! I bet you don’t have time to soak your chickpeas overnight and cook them from scratch like Solomonov, either.
Here’s my time-saving solution: Just boil canned or leftover cooked chickpeas with baking soda for twenty minutes.
You can see the difference that baking soda makes in the photo below. See how the chickpeas on the right are popping open more? They are significantly softer in texture as well.
The chickpeas are ready to go after a quick rinse under cool running water, which rinses off the baking soda flavor and cools the chickpeas so your hummus doesn’t develop a weird outer film.
Are you as excited about this as I am? You can have this incredible hummus now-ish, not tomorrow! No chickpea peeling required.
I have a few more tips and techniques to making great hummus, so read on or scroll down for the full recipe and variations.
How to Make the Best Hummus
1) Mushy chickpeas
Cook canned or leftover cooked chickpeas according to step 1 below. This only adds 20 minutes to your hummus-making time, and it’s my number one tip for making perfect hummus at home.
Want to cook your chickpeas from scratch? You sure can—see the recipe notes.
Can you over-cook your chickpeas in an Instant Pot? I don’t recommend it—you’ll end up with a mess of chickpea mash clogging your vent and a puddle of chickpea cooking water surrounding your Instant Pot. I speak from experience.
2) Great tahini
All tahini is not created equally. When I was in Israel, Israelis’s spoke of tahini, or “t’hina,” with reverence. I learned that the best tahini comes from Ethiopia. Store-bought tahini in the U.S. varies widely in flavor, with some of them so bad that they’ve ruined my hummus.
My favorite brands of tahini? I had to try Solomonov’s favorite, Soom. I found it on Amazon (affiliate link) and I have to say that it is worth it. Second favorite? Trader Joe’s organic tahini, which is made from Ethiopian sesame seeds like Soom’s. Whole Foods 365 used to be my go-to, but I encountered a few bad jars that tasted so bad, I’m afraid to try again.
Don’t skimp on the tahini, either—you need to use 1/2 cup tahini per can of chickpeas for rich and irresistible hummus. I once toured an enormous hummus production facility and learned that they often reduce the cost of producing store-bought hummus by using less tahini. Sneaky!
3) Ice-cold water
Why do you always want to mix ice-cold water with tahini? This is another trick that I learned on my trip. I can’t find a scientific explanation, but it seems to help make the hummus light and fluffy, and lightens the color of the tahini to a pale ivory color.
4) Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Store-bought lemon juice always tastes stale and sad, and it will make your hummus taste stale and sad. Buy lemons and your humus will taste fresh and delicious. I almost always add another tablespoon of lemon juice to my hummus for extra flavor before I plate it, but I’ll leave the tang factor up to you.
5) Garlic, mellowed in lemon juice
This is another trick from Solomonov—if you mince the garlic in the food processor or blender with the lemon juice and let that mixture rest for a few minutes, the garlic will lose its harsh, raw bite and mellow out. I tried it before and after, and he’s right! Here’s Serious Eats’ scientific explanation for why this works.
6) Olive oil, blended into the hummus and drizzled on top
Solomonov doesn’t blend any olive oil into his hummus, but I think that one tablespoon makes the hummus taste even more luxurious and creamy. I recommend it!
7) Ground cumin
The cumin is subtle and offers some “Je ne sais quoi,” if you will. It’s a common ingredient in plain hummus recipes, and makes the hummus taste a little more special.
Hummus Variations
This hummus recipe is plain (and by plain, I mean delicious), but you can blend any of the following in with the chickpeas to make variations.
- Green goddess hummus: 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh, leafy herbs
- Kalamata olive hummus: 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- Roasted garlic hummus: Cloves from 1 to 2 heads of roasted garlic
- Roasted red pepper hummus: 3/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into strips
- Sun-dried tomato hummus: 3/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained (from one 6.7-ounce jar)
- Toasted sesame hummus: 1/2 teaspoon in the hummus, plus 1 teaspoon drizzled on top
Hummus Garnishes
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Sprinkle of ground sumac, which is gloriously sour and deep pink, or paprika, which is basically flavorless but offers a splash of color
- Sesame seeds or seeded spice blend, such as dukkah
- Middle Eastern hot sauce, such as zhoug or shatta
- Chopped fresh parsley
Ok, let’s make some hummus! I’m dying to hear how this hummus turns out for you. Please let me know in the comments and tell me if overcooking your chickpeas makes all the difference!
You can also share a photo of your results on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate so we can all see your results.
Watch How to Make Hummus
Best Hummus
Learn how to make the best homemade hummus! It’s creamy, dreamy and light. This hummus recipe is easy to make—no peeling chickpeas or overnight soak required. Recipe yields about 2 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste
- 1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Any of the following garnishes: drizzle of olive oil or zhoug sauce, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft. In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.
- Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.
- While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)
- Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
- Taste, and adjust as necessary—I almost always add another ¼ teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon juice for extra zing.
- Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Michael Solomonov, via The New York Times and Bon Appetit, and Yotam Ottolenghi.
How to cook dry chickpeas in a hurry for this recipe: In a large saucepan, combine 5 ounces (¾ cup) dried chickpeas and ½ teaspoon baking soda, and fill the pot with water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and skim off the surface foam as needed. Continue boiling over medium-high, adding more water if you start running out, until the chickpeas are very mushy and falling apart, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh colander, rinse under cool running water, and drain well before using. Start the recipe at step 2.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this for a friend, exactly following your recipe. She said it was the best she’d ever eaten & much better than store bought. Thank you!!
I love hearing that, Jen! Thanks for sharing.
AMAZING!! Thank you for the recipe and all of your research!
You’re welcome, Dallas!
Just finished making this for the third time and it’s amazing! My boyfriend and I almost ate an entire batch in one sitting. Definitely worth it to boil the chickpeas.
Fantastic, Hayley! Thanks for your review.
I made this version and a sweet potato version and a roast red-bell pepper version. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I am never buying store bough hummus ever again!!! Thanks for this recipe, it is soooo good
Wonderful to hear, Anna!
Game changer!
Thank you, Christina!
I found your basic recipe and followed it exactly using some additional garlic, a scattering of pine nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil at the end. It looks amazing! I had enough to put a container in the freezer for later. I do appreciate the comment regarding the bitterness of some tahini. I used a store brand organic tahini that was a little bitter, so I wasn’t surprised by it. Not so pronounced I can’t work through it! I’m waiting patiently for it to chill and mature. This is definately a keeper. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sheryl!
So delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Eden!
Just made your hummus for the third time, trying to figure out if I can thrive on this alone – certainly TASTES like the only superfood I need!
Dan
Thanks for sharing, Dan!
I so knew how to make hummus that after skim reading the recipe ie. reading step one earlier in the day, I chucked my extra cooked canned chickpeas, and other ingrediants into the blender. Oops. However I used the iced water trick, plus fresh ground cumin seeds, 1/4 cup unhulled seseme seeds tahini (very nutty, quite dry), 1/4 cup my other type (more oily and salty) AND the best hummus I have ever made plus the best home made hummus my friend has ever tasted. Will try all the steps next time. Great recipe.
Oh no! I’m glad you made it work, Lisa. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Made your recipes for a while now but first time commenting. Absolutely love this hummus guide!!! I was at an Israeli restaurant this past weekend and it got me in the mood. Just made your recipe and it turned out fantastic thank you!
You’re welcome, Cristina!
Loved it! The chickpea trick is a must!
Thanks for sharing, Anna!
Just made this for some friends and it blew their minds. SO incredibly delicious. Can’t recommend this recipe enough.
Thanks for recommending, Louise!
Thanks for the great tip about boiling the garbanzo beans!
You’re welcome, Hylla!
I’ve been wanting to make my own hummus for years and I chose your recipe to use because I liked how you suggested simmering the canned chickpeas first vs having to soak dried chickpeas. I’m curious if you or anyone has tried the latter and compared the two ways- any difference in taste? I really liked this recipe. BTW- To first mix my separated tahini paste (trader joes) I simply put the jar in a pan of warm water first, then stirred for several minutes with a butter knife. Some websites said to remove from the jar and mix in a food processor- too much extra work and waste that way, and totally not necessary. Good basic hummus that I can now add other flavors and/or more salt and lemon for more flavor, if desired. I added a little extra salt and a few lemon squeezes.Delicious!
Thanks for your comment, Valerie!
Smooth like my baby brother’s bottom. Boiling really made a big difference.
Thanks for your review!
This was the best hummus I have ever made! I used a food processor and followed your instructions to a tee, just added a bit more lemon than you suggested at the end for our tasting preference. The hummus was so smooth, creamy, and delicious. I will be using this recipe over and over again. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. You made my day!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you loved it, Jill.
Hi there! I’ve always liked your site and enjoy making your recipes. This one is great. May I ask that you consider changing the type of cuisine from “Israeli” to Levantine or Middle Eastern. Calling hummus israeli is incorrect and dismisses many cultures. Thank you!
Seriously. This hummus is ah-mazing!!! Thank you for your tips – invaluable in helping me really up my hummus game!! Nomnomnom.
You’re welcome, Alicia!
This was delish. Thanks for all the tasty tips.
You’re welcome, Lori!
We had a family in Baton Rouge that made a hummus called Ruth’s Hummus commercially from their Grandmother’s recipe. It was the best hummus ever. They closed the company and I had to purchase Sabra which was no comparison. Since I found this recipe in the beginning of May, I have made it 3 or 4 times just to have on hand in the refrigerator. It is so delicious. I am a Cajun, so I added a touch of Cajun seasoning and cayenne. Thank you so very much for doing the research to create this recipe.
A little spice would be nice in this! Thanks for sharing, Wanda.
Kate- you are our family’s hero!! We all love Hummus. I have a great recipe that provides an amazing flavor, but the consistency has never been good. Your boiling process, made it the smoothest and creamiest we’ve ever had!!!! Thank you!
Watching the video and reading the directions, I never saw anything about removing the skins from the boiled chickpeas before dumping it in? I did remove as many as I could from the strainer before dumpling it in. But was that unnecessary and I should just dump everything in after rinsing in cold water —skins and all?
I don’t know about hero, but I’m excited you love it! You don’t need to worry about the skins, checkout the step-by-step photos for reference. I hope this helps!
Does this recipe make for one (me)
The recipe has more than one serving, but it keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.
I have never had any luck making my own hummus. Until now! Even though I was using chickpeas I cooked, I followed the instructions for canned and cooked them an extra 20 minutes. Letting the garlic mellow in the lemon juice is a great tip. Usually the lemon or the garlic are overpowering, but it was just right this time. I had to add more water to get the texture I wanted. I’ll be using this recipe from now on. Thank you!
Hooray! I’m happy you tried this and loved it.
My attempt was ok, very creamy. However, it just didn’t seem to have much flavor, quite bland. Would using the tahini you recommended, Soom, make that much difference? Or is it possible I didn’t use enough lemon juice (only used one lemon)?
The tahini does make a difference in my opinion. You can always add more lemon juice, per notes.
Thanks for replying and the suggestions…will give both a try!
The title was well written. THIS HUMMUS TASTED SO GOOD! It was smooth and flavorful.
Thank you, Zeina!
Kate, always have success with your recipes. Have made hummus many different ways including cooking dry chickpeas with baking soda–time consuming. Being able to use canned with same bean softening technique was great! Followed recipe exactly the first time except for type of tahini. Only had roasted on hand purchased from an Asian market in OP. Outstanding in my opinion. This time used the same tahini plus a jar (7.75 oz dr) of TJ’s roasted red peppers, 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp chipolte powder, and 3 cloves of garlic. Again very smooth and thinner consistency. If you prefer thicker you will need to increase the amt of chickpeas. Thank you Kate!
Thanks for sharing!
My quest for a perfect hummus recipe is finally over. Took a few years, but I’m so happy I finally found it. I’ve made Michael’s Solomonov’s recipe from NYT a few months ago, but your adapted version is so much better! (Sorry, Michael). Perfect texture and flavor.
Thank you so much for explaining the nuances that take this hummus from good to heavenly good!
I’m so happy you love this, Emily!
Wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve always been slightly disappointed with other hummus recipes but this one required NO tweaking whatsoever! Perfect!
Wonderful, Amber!
WOW so good!
Thank you, Sue!
Yum! I just wish there was a way to make it easier to clean up!–Elise
Thank you for your review, Elise!
This is by far the creamiest, most delicious hummus I’ve ever had. I did cook the chickpeas with baking soda in the Instant Pot and they came out super soft. Overcooked as you recommended. I did back off on the the tahini just a tad, but otherwise made it according to the recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Absolutely hands the best hummus, so easy to make. Boiling the chick peas in baking soda for twenty minutes made the difference. I can’t Thank you enough for your recipe.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Lisa!
Absolutely hands down the best hummus. Boiling the chick peas in baking soda for twenty minutes made the difference. I can’t thank you enough for your recipe.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Lisa!
Made this last night and it was soooooo good!!! Perfect texture and flavor! This is now my go to recipe for hummus!
Fantastic! Thanks for your review, Amber.
I made the basic version of this recipe for a dinner party on the weekend. All loved it! I agree with Kate adding a little bit more lemon juice to tart it up a bit will enhance the favour. The texture was fabulous – smooth as velvet. We are ruined (or saved) on this recipe – no more store bought in his house. Thank-you for sharing this dish!!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Denise.
Yes, I made the recipe. It was delicious! I cooked the canned beans for 20 minutes in water and baking soda. Great idea. I also added a piece of sweet onion because I like onion with garlic. Also added a couple of fresh red sweet peppers. It is a Keeper. Thank you. Nancy
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it, Nancy.
This hummus recipe is amazing. I followed every step and it turned out great, better than any recipe I’ve tried before. Was worried it wouldn’t turn out as smooth as I only have a hand held blender but it turned out so smooth and creamy!
Great to hear, Josie! Thank you for your review.
So so good!! Boiling the chickpeas makes all the difference!!!
Thank you, Daveda! I’m glad you loved it.
I made this today and it was awesome. So creamy and delicious! Thanks for sharing!!!
You’re welcome, Cyndi! I’m glad you loved it.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I tried it myself and I did run into one question while making it. And hopefully this isn’t a really stupid question! After cooking the chickpeas in the bicarb and having the skins fall off, do you add both the chickpeas and their skins, or should you try to separate out the chickpeas? I tried to separate them as best I could and I know some skins made it in, though it seemed to turn out mostly fine. I did notice a harsh taste at the very end of a bite, but I think suspect I may just not have let the garlic mellow for long enough. The rest of the flavor profile was excellent. Thanks!
None here! With this method, you don’t have to separate. Hooray! For the flavor, maybe let the hummus rest a little longer to mellow. You can also adjust the other seasoning to taste.
I bought my Tahini BEFORE reading this…I bought Ziyad brand. Do you know this brand if so what is your opinion?
You should still try it! I would be curious.
It’s true! The Best Hummus, ever! So smooth and just the right flavor…can’t wait to try some variations. Will be making weekly to have in fridge for afternoon snack. Not sure we’ll ever do store-bought again…thank you, Kate!
I’m happy you can agree, Susan! Thank you for your review.
Delicious hummus recipe! I made both plain and a roasted red pepper, both were a big hit. I make my own simple tahini (toasted hulled sesame seeds and oil in food processor).
Thank you for sharing, Eileen!
Great, easy recipe! I’ve made it several times, and the hummus is always delicious. I’d never heard of boiling the chick peas with baking soda, but it helps a lot.
Thanks for sharing.
Cat
You’re welcome, Cat!
How many days is this good for in the fridge?
Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
I NEVER leave reviews. Ever. I prepare 99% of the food I eat, my mother is Israeli and my father is Palestinian and this is the best hummus I’ve ever had – store-bought or homemade.
I used a can of chickpeas and followed the recipe as written (cooked with baking soda about 15 minutes) but doubled the garlic. Perfection!
THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. Absolutely outstanding and so easy!
I’m so happy you decided to try this one and leave a review, Suki! I appreciate it.
Hands down the best hummus recipe I’ve tried at home! So creamy and smooth – rivals the store bought for sure.
Thank you, Valerie!
Hey there, I made your Hummus today and it’s very Yummo!!!
I don’t have a processor, so used my nutrabullet. It was ok to mix, just added the oil and water before I put the top on rather than drizzling it as it was mixing… all turned out really super smooth and creamy and tasty and I’ll definitely be using it again… thanks. I’m looking for alt protein sources and this is awesome!
Jacqui… New Zealand
I’m glad it still worked out, Jacqui!
Awesome recipe I used canned chickpeas and it turned out delicious. I do believe the addition of the ice water helps make a more smooth consistency and I personally added a little more olive oil because I love the taste great recipe. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for sharing, Sal!
Best hummus recipe I have ever made. Boiled the canned beans like it said,
And used cold water.
Thank you, Jewel!