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.
That is the best hummus I have ever tasted! Made it with dried chick peas the first time, canned the second. Really no difference except the amount of time. It’s a healthy snack with carrot sticks.
I’m glad you love it, Sheryl!
So do you pick out the skins that have come off? Or do you stick them right back with the chickpeas in the blender?
No need to pick them off! Put them with the rest in the blender or food processor.
I have tried making hummus a bunch of times but nothing beats this one! This is now my go-to hummus!
Its creamy fluffy and just divine! Since i made it first time i have my partner asking for hummus Weekly! Very Well done describing everything ! I love it!
Absolutely delicious Kate. I have been making humus for a while but this recipe is the best. Thank you
Finally made your hummus- absolutely yummy! Love the tip about baking soda. My husband says it’s the best hummus he’s ever eaten. So superior to store bought. I doubled the recipe and so glad I did, since we are eating this every day. Thanks for a great recipe!!
I’m in disbelief about how amazing this is! Followed the recipe pretty closely, but used 2 cloves of garlic and bit more lemon and salt at the end as she mentioned might be needed. The texture, flavor, fluffiness are unmatched!! Don’t sleep on this one people!! First timer making hummus and I’ll never go back…
Absolutely the best hummus recipe ever. I tried so, SO many over the years and always had some complaint on texture or taste. THIS is the way you do it, people!!!!
This really THE BEST! I will never get store bought again. It is so creamy.
Thank you Kate
Best hummus I’ve ever tasted! Followed the directions exactly and it honestly is the best! ❤️
Great recipe. Interesting about boiling canned garbanzo beans, but it worked. Very smooth and delicious. I perhaps added 1 tsp too much water. Be careful of this.
Made this hummus dip a couple of times. Absolutely perfect! Wonderful texture and flavor. Makes a believer even out of those that don’t particularly like hummus!
This one’s going in my recipe binder! Thanks!
I have never loved hummus more! SO much better homemade! This recipe is AMAZING, creamy perfection❤️
It’s so creamy, garlicky, lemony and definitely the best I’ve ever tasted. Will be making this on repeat for my girls. Thanks for the great tips!!
Do you cook the canned chick peas?
Hey Denise, canned chickpeas are pre-cooked but we’re cooking them again for this recipe.
Im very happy ;)
I really thought my hummus recipe was the best, then on a whim I decided to try yours. I was wrong. I love yours, the creaminess is amazing. The only thing I added was Alden Mills Miracle Blend, because I put that on everything.:) Thank you for your great recipes.
I can’t believe my taste buds :). I lived in the Middle East for years, where we always bought ready made hummus, of course. After returning back to the Czech Republic, all hummus in stores was just chick-pea porridge, similar to what I could do myself, only I made it with great Israeli tahini at least. Now with this recipe, I am back in the Middle East. Thank you so much for your hummus investigation. I found your blog only a couple of days ago and all your recipes look tempting, I shall try some. Regards from Czech!
Amazing! Smooth, fluffy, mild and so tasty! Thank yooooou for this recipe!
Looking forward to trying this! I’ve been trying to make homemade hummus but haven’t gotten the texture quite perfect (haven’t tried peeling the skins or using baking soda yet), so was excited to see some ideas on how to get that better.
One thing I was wondering – I would plan to use dried chickpeas in mine, and I saw you mentioned cooking the chickpeas without pre-soaking them first. Is that just due to time constraints (the section says “in a hurry”) or is pre-soaking unnecessary when using baking soda? I would think soaking would make them even better, but maybe the baking soda takes care of that.
Thanks!
Hi Daniel! Yes, per the note below. I hope that helps. The baking soda works magic!
DANG…. I made this for my husband… I almost ate it all before he got home. BEST. HUMMUS. EVER. You can dip anything in it, but my personal favorite… spoon to mouth!!! It’s soooooo amazingly good. Thank you. Never buying hummus again, thanks to you.
Oh my goodness. I just made this (literally finished blending ten minutes ago) and it is INCREDIBLE. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to buy hummus from a store again. I only used about half as much tahini because that’s all I had, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
I made this tonight and it is so creamy & delicious! I used lemon-flavored olive oil from a local winery/olive oil maker and that put it over the top. My only issue was it was I tried to make it in a blender that has a food processor button & it kept getting clogged up in the blender blades. Next time I’ll use the actual food processor. Yes, there will definitely be a next time!
Hi Kate! I love hummus. It’s amazing with warm rotis. The recipe sounds promising. Do you have a recipe for tahini as well? I’m from India and we don’t get tahini here commercially. Thanks in advance. Can’t wait to try it out!
Hi Padmaja! That’s a great question. I’ve tried making tahini from scratch (by simply blending sesame seeds in the food processor until creamy) and was only semi-successful. The trouble is that most tahinis are made with hulled sesame seeds, and I’ve never been able to buy hulled sesame seeds nor have I figured out a way to remove the hulls myself. The hulls contain fiber that can make the tahini less creamy and also less tasty, in my opinion. I’m sorry!
Will have to try boiling the canned chickpeas. I haven’t had an issue with creamy texture… I add some of the separated can juice. Someone asked about Lebanese hummus. In my family experience, there’s no cumin. Cumin is for tahini sauce.
I have made hummus for years. I never peeled the beans and I always used canned, but I used about 1/2 cup of olive oil to can of beans to get that creamy texture. This is fabulous….so creamy with less calories from the olive oil. Thank you,Kate. I love your blog!
Thanks for the recipe. Easy to make. However, I used the full 1/3 cup tahini (of very good quality) and it was too much. Overall, loved the creaminess of the result and letting the garlic mellow in the lemon juice did add to the flavor. But I will definitely only use 1/4 cup of tahini next time I make this recipe.
Uhm…Your don’t mention when to put the chickpeas in the blender. I’m assuming it’s before step two?
Hi! See step 5.
Oh! Duh! I just ended up throwing everything in together and blended it for a few minutes until supper smooth. It came out great! (twice already!) I think next week I’ll throw an avocado in and switch lemon for lime!
Amazing! First try making hummus ever and it turned out great! It was a hit at the office too. If I wanted it to be garlic flavored, how many extra cloves would you suggest using before it’s over the top?
Thanks!
Hi Mandy! Garlic can get overpowering quickly. It also depends on size of clove. I like the ratio in this recipe and method to mellow it.
OH MY GAWD this is absolutely incredible! I kid you not, it is worth the extra time to boil! I am not joking! THANK YOU!!
Best hummus recipe out there. We’ve tried some others and no comparison. Thanks!
Best hummus recipe I’ve ever tried. Creamy and delicious.
I love this hummus recipe because it is light and fluffy. It reminds me of a local Marietta Meditteranean restaurant’s hummus.
This recipe was amazing!!! I love to eat…but not a cook. My friends buy me smoke alarms for my birthday. This was easy, very well explained, and loved the helpful notes. My daughter and I made the recipe and it was so delicious and creamy (as promised!!!) Thank you
Delicious hummus recipe! I have been using a different recipe posted online and I thought it was very good but wanted a change from the same old —I like how the hummus was so fluffy and smooth. I cooked my already overly cooked chickpeas as directed and was surprised the difference it madeI I started to pick out the skins till I saw your tip that it was not necessary. Nice balance of flavors and texture- Thanks!
Wow! I used home cooked garbanzos. Delicious recipe. Thank you.
Boiling the chickpeas with baking soda is brilliant! Creamiest hummus ever. Thank you!
Do you have a recipe for the bread in these photos?
Sorry Cass, I’ve yet to perfect a whole wheat pita bread recipe. Those were store-bought from a local company.
Thank you for this! I’ve made hummus quite a few times before, but never had it turn out as soft as this. It was so light and fluffy, yet intensely flavorful. The only change was that I made my own tahini at home, since it’s pretty simple to make. Again, loved this! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe and technique. Finally, after years of trying, I made hummus with the right texture and the perfect garlic taste!
A few months ago, my husband and I decided to convert to a plant based way of life; it has been a very good thing but there have been challenges, and finding consistently good hummus was one of them.
That challenge is no more.
I have bought my last tub of hummus at the store, because this is the very best stuff ever! (Also, today I added a couple of roasted jalapeños and, oh, my!) Thank you for this recipe – it’s a game changer.
A few months ago, my husband and I decided to convert to a plant based way of life; it has been a very good thing but there have been challenges, and finding consistently good hummus was one of them. So many tubs contain coarse, gluey hummus, and I hate the single use plastic.
That challenge is no more.
I have bought my last tub of hummus at the store, because this is the very best stuff ever! (Also, today I added a couple of roasted jalapeños and, oh, my!) Thank you for this recipe – it’s a game changer.
Wonderful & creamy! Not to mention very cost effective for hummus-lovers. Could a similar method be applied to white beans for a white bean hummus? I’d love to make other hummus varieties with the same smooth, creaminess. Thanks!
Hi Allison! That’s a good idea. I haven’t tried, but I think it would work. I wonder if white beans might break down more quickly when boiled. Please report back if you give it a go.
I gave up trying to make hummus a long time ago….it always tasted too much of raw garlic, olive oil or just generally unbalanced. Reading how you came to your recipe made me want to try once again and I’m so glad I did…. it’s sensational in the true sense of the word. I used dried chickpeas and a good Lebanese tahini, the garlic/lemon process really tempered the raw garlic taste. Thank you so much for sharing it xx
Maybe it is a stupid question, but, do I boil the caned chickpeas?
Hi there! You do, per step 1.
Yes, you boil the canned chickpeas. :)
I made this hummus, and let me tell I have great smooth creamy hummus before; but this is by far the best I have ever had will never be able to go back to store bought again
great recipe for hummus well worth the extra steps
Finally! I’ve been made homemade hummus before but I was never happy with the results. The texture was off and the raw garlic and tahini made it taste bitter. Following the recipe and tips it came out perfect! I will use a little less lemon next time, but that’s just a personal preference.
I’m glad you loved my version, Sheila! Thanks for commenting.
Loved this recipe but do you have to separate off the chickpea skins after boiling them? And if you use dry chickpeas would you have to soak them first
Hi Chin! No need to peel. See my notes on cooking chickpeas in a hurry at the bottom of the recipe. :)
I’ve been craving the hummus that was easy to find anywhere in East London where I lived until ten years ago. The hummus here in Manila always tastes like yogurt even in some of the “authentic” restaurants. I followed your recipe with no expectation of success because:
1) I made the tahini myself but forgot to toast the seeds before pulsing.
2) I was using tinned chickpeas and had no intention of removing the skins.
3) I’m disorganized and was bound to miss an important step in the recipe.
4) I tasted my creamy chickpeas and creamy tahini separately and they were both bland.
5) I was ready to accept that the chickpeas and sesame seeds in thos countey must be a different variety because all the hummus I’ve tried so far taste nowhere near.
So you can imagine my shock when I first had a tiny glob of the finished product. This is the exact taste! I just can’t believe I wasted all that time searching and fantasizing about hummus, never realizing I could try to make it myself. You cured a 10-year craving. It was so easy to make even for someone like me.
Sorry I can’t get over it.
Yay! Thank you so much–I will never buy hummus again! I’ve made this twice and it is creamy and delicious, really just perfect. I make mine in the Nutri-Bullet. I plan on having it on-hand all the time! You solved all the problems I’ve had in the past making my own (not creamy, too strong garlic flavor, having to peel, etc.). I’ll definitely check out more of your recipes. Thanks again. :)
The tahini I get is super bitter, so I cut it back by about half and it is amazing! I used dried chickpeas (soak overnight) and it turned out great. The addition of the ice water makes it so creamy and fluffy – I’ll never need to look for another hummus recipe!
I used canned chickpeas and added the baking soda as directed, but I would not do this next time. It neutralizes the lemon juice so you have to add twice as much to get any flavor from it. I added some ground cayenne pepper which gave it some heat.
BTW, if you’re making tomato sauce from scratch, and it’s a little too tart, don’t add sugar. Put in tiny amounts of baking soda a little at a time until the sauce has just the right amount of acidity for your taste.
How long does it last for in the fridge?
Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.