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.
Oh man. I just found this website and though I’m trying to cut and paste a few recipes to my meal plan document, I just finally said forget it and pasted the link to your whole website – there’s way too many awesome recipes and fantastic tip & anecdotes to quickly peruse – I want this website and your clear & concise guidance to be a daily staple in my kitchen.
Thank you for being passionate in what you do, in a more humane and natural way.
Kind regards,
Valerie Anderson
BEST HUMMUS I’VE EVER HAD!!!
Beats all the restaurants I currently love.
Thank you for sharing this esp at this time of lockdown with the NCov19. It is timely to get back to nutritious food.. which helps our internal defense always
God bless & I look forward to your continued good work!
Hi Kate, I would love to try this recipe. Could I trouble you to give me the name of the tahini you use (the privacy browser I use won’t take me to Amazon.com to see it)? I would like to try to find it on Amazon.ca or elsewhere. I live in Canada and from time to time order an organic hummus (they offer both raw and roasted) online that I like really well but would like to try this one if I can find it, to compare. Thanks very much!
Soom Foods has a great tahini! I hope you can try it.
Great. Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’m going to try to find it.
Super creamy and delicious! Made it in my Ninja Blender. can’t wait to try variations
Just made this. It is very creamy and I love how there is not so much olive oil. Love it
Thank you so much for all your work in developing this recipe! I have tried lots of recipes (even to the point of wasting half an hour peeling chickpeas!). This one actually tastes amazing!! Your attention to detail is really appreciated! It is really the details that make the difference! Take care!
Wow!!! This is really, really good hummus! Trader Joe’s was out of tahini, so I had to use what was available at grocery store; still turned out excellent. My pantry will never be without garbanzo beans and tahini again. Thank you for another “keeper”!
Jarred store brand lemon juice, Ziyad tahini, cheapest canned garbanzo beans, and this is STILL the BEST hummus I’ve made. I love your obsessive attention to detail and relentless research. Shared it with my neighbor in isolation and he loves it too.
Love this hummus!!! So smooth & creamy as promised and easy to prepare.
I separated half of it and added sun-dried tomato & pine nuts and kept 1/2 plain.
I’m also a garlic fan so i added an extra clove.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
Unbelievably delicious!! As good as our Gourmet Middle Eastern organic market for a fraction of the price! Thank you !!
I have made this recipe twice. It is my family favourite. I will be making it often.
Great recipe! Works like a charm and another well-done treat from Cookie and Kate! I like the smoothness that this recipe makes due to the extra cooking of the canned chickpeas. I spice our hummus up with a variety of spices but it is great to have a nice place to start!
I had been so disappointed with my previous Hummus Recipe. I just received my Soom tahini from Amazon and whipped up a batch of your hummus – BUT with NO added olive oil and it was truly delicious. I did need to transfer all back to the Vitamix to achieve the creamy smoothness but it was worth it. Thank you for this method and all of your wonderful creations.
This is an awesome recipe! the best one I have tried. I can’t believe my hummus turned out so creamy, smooth and delicious!! I added sundried tomatoes to half and the other half was plain. Thanks for all your tips in making this recipe. I found your site by chance last year and made a few of your recipes – they all came out wonderful. Thank you Kate and keep up the wonderful work.
This was delicious! Never heard of cooking the chickpeas! I added a little a tar to bump it up! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Cookie and Kate.
I have had my fair share of “authentic” hummus having spent my childhood as an ex-pat in the Middle East. And I’ve been making a version of it for the best of 30 years using the same ingredients as listed in your recipe. But the flavor of my hummus has never melded into the unique flavor or texture that your recipe produces. Somewhere between the simmering chickpea/baking soda mixture and the resting of the salt, garlic and fresh lemon juice, a small miracle occurred. I’ll never make another version. Thank you!
I’m happy this meet your expectation, Claudia!
Wish I had remembered I had this recipe open in my browser before I tried a different recipe which is OK but too salty. Definitely trying this one next time.
Let me know what you think when you do, Wendy!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We all love it, and it really is so creamy and smoothe. I double it and add about 6 garlic cloves as opposed to two but hey, keeping those immune systems strong whilst enjoying deliciousness.
I am also in the KC area, so thats cool ♀️
Hello, Lauren! Thanks for sharing how you make this hummus. I hope you are enjoying the KC weather today!
I made this today and it’s so delicious and creamy. I was a little confused about boiling the canned chickpeas but it works. This will be my go to recipe. I’m going to check out your other recipes. Thanks
I wanted to thank you so much for all of the time and effort you put into researching and experimenting to make such a delicious hummus and then sharing your fruits of your labours with all of us! It is absolutely wonderfully creamy and delicious!!
Thank you for your time and generosity!!
Whilst in lockdown here in the UK, to quell the boredom I thought I’d have another go at making hummus. Finally I made one that’s more than edible, thank you very much for sharing the secrets! I split the final batch and added roast pepper, red onion, coriander & chilli flakes to one, and sun dried tomatoes to the other (need to add more lemon juice, water & oil to keep it smooth).
Can you freeze hummus or is it best refrigerated only?
Hi Nick, I don’t think freezing would work well. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. I like that you made different versions with one batch!
Just made absolutley beautiful and creamy. Made from dried chickpeas, followed instructions in notes worked out great
I make this about once a week and absolutely love it! I actually leave out the oil and it’s still creamy, tangy, and delicious. Thank you!!
Delish. Thanks for doing so much research on this.
Very good! Tahini costs the earth where I live, so I buy bulk sesame seeds at a local restaurant supply (relatively inexpensive)- hulled and, then, toast them myself. And, if I can find them, I use Meyers lemons. A little more lemon juice and a little more olive oil than the recipe calls for. Yummy!
Fantastic recipe and tips. I simmered my cooked chick peas for 20 minutes with baking soda. Works like a charm. Skins float to the top. I tried several different flavours. Would recommend caramelizing one large sweer onion to add to this recipe. Thank you Kate. I love your recipes.
So, this has become my GO TO recipe. We almost always have fresh hummus in the house. It’s gotten to the point between roasted chick peas and this – we’re buying cans in bulk at Costco! One thing I’ve found that takes it to another level is I use a cilantro & onion infused olive oil. I’ve also used a pepper version – but it was too hot for my fiancé! I would highly recommend giving an infused olive oil a try in the future. I’m excited to read more of your blog.
Made this last week and amazing!!! My 1yr old is addicted :). I’ve run out of lemons – any suggested substitutes in lockdown? Thanks!!
I love that that it’s a hit even with your little one! You could try another citrus if you have on hand? Here is a great resource for substitutes: https://capital-fly.pro/food-storage-tips/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi Kate,
Thanks for this recipe, I will make it today.
I have observed so many recipes that call for either canned peas or beans or that recommend soaking and boiling in a pan. I am from India and we use a pressure cooker that does all this in a fraction of time. Just a suggestion, it’ll make it so much easier for all of you.
Cheers!
Love the recipe was quite a bit at my brunch meeting. I added some slices of avacodo on the side.everyone enjoyed.
This recipe has some GREAT ideas! Cooking the chick peas with baking soda did help to make the creamiest hummus I have ever made but I thought this recipe had too much tahini in it – I will adjust to my own taste in the future!
This is, literally, the best hummus I’ve ever put in my mouth. Topped with Za’atar seasoning, eating with Terra Chips as I type this. We routinely spend $10 / week on hummus. Yes, really–between a teenage boy and a pescatarian in the house, we gravitate to this easy, healthy snack. We are definitely hanging onto this one! Thank you, Kate!!
I love to hear that! Yes, Za’atar is a great topping. Thanks for your review, Anji.
Am I supposed to separate the peels from the chickpeas?
No, no need! They’ll get super soft when you boil the chickpeas, and will blend right in.
I love this recipe. I followed it exactly and it was the best hummus I have ever made. I did mine from dried beans but them still simmered then with baking soda for 20 minutes to have the skins fall off. This recipe is a winner!!!
I am now without a food processor at a friends house. Has anyone made it with a blender or Magic Bullet? We are in Mexico right now so getting a food processor is not easy on the island.
Happy to hear it, Sue! I’ve made this hummus in a full-sized blender and it worked well. I think it’s worth trying!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! WOW – this is the BEST hummus I have ever tasted, and I made it myself (I am not usually the greatest chef!)
We are on lockdown in a nature reserve in South Africa – miles away from civilization. It is wonderful to still be able to enjoy my favorite foods during this time! Thank you and much love xxx
My family and I have been buying our humus at an Arabic grocery store in Montreal for many years. It is by far the best and creamiest humus ever. Because of all the restrictions I am unable to go to the store to pick some up so I decided to try your recipe.I just made it and it is amazing! Totally compares to the one we always buy and dare I say even better! The tips were very helpful. Now that I have the humus, I am going to try making some homemade naan bread to go with it. Thanks, Anne
Wowzers was this recipe good! I used to live in Israel and love the hummus there. It’s not easy to find a close match in the US. Thanks for providing thorough tips and tricks!!!
We lived in Israel for 3 years. This is the best hummus Recipe I’ve used since leaving. It’s amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kate! I can’t have garlic but I am able to have garlic oil. I’m wondering if I’d be able to sub the garlic clove and tablespoon of olive oil for a tablespoon of garlic oil and get similar results? Also, at what point would I add it to get the strongest garlic flavor?
Thank you!
I’m really not sure you will get the same taste, sorry! You could try it, but I can’t guarantee without trying it.
I should have posted earlier. I have been making this recipe for months and absolutely LOVE it.
I was looking for hummus that I could make without going to the store for any ingredients (time constraints plus the hassle of shopping right now). Your recipe, despite changes I had to make due to ingredients I had on hand, was AMAZING. I had a can of garbanzo beans and saw on the web that good hummus meant starting with dry chick peas. I had to look for an alternative. I saw the tip of boiling soaked (formerly dried) garbanzos with baking soda, but your recipe was the one that offered that same suggestion with canned beans! That is what saved me! I only had store-bought prepared tahini on hand (already diluted and combined with lemon juice, ready to eat), so I used that but left out the additional water. I had also run out of fresh garlic. I only had jarred, crushed garlic available, so I used that, but pureed it with the lemon juice and let it sit as you had directed. I had fresh Meyer lemons on hand. So perhaps the mellower lemon flavor compensated for the fact that I used all of the lemon juice you had called for despite the fact that my tahini was already prepared with lemon juice. Not really sure. Everything else I followed exactly, and the resulting hummus was PERFECT. Everyone who tried it, many of us hummus snobs, raved! THANK YOU! You saved the day! I’m keeping your website on my go-to list of places to go for recipes!
This is exactly the hummus I have been trying to make for over a decade, and I live two blocks from Michael Solomonov’s flagship restaurant, Zahav! I had researched how they make their hummus and tried and tried, only to never get it quite right. Letting the garlic sit with the lemon, saturating the chickpeas in boiling water with baking soda and whipping up the tahini FIRST, before adding the other ingredients, really bring the hummus home. Thank you for sharing this! Hummus and I are back together. Forever.
This is so amazing! Thank you! It will forever be my go-to!
This is honestly so freaking good. I’ve attempted home made hummus before but the secret it to cook them as the recipe says. So smooth & creamy. Will be living on this stuff now. Thanks for the tip!
Hi from Norway!
Made this for my hummus-loving fiancee yesterday and it was such a success! It even worked in our Kitchen Aid blender (a food processor is top of my wishlist after this isolation period!). Terrific recipe! So happy with how this turned out.
Just a quick question: Since the batch was too big to be consumed in one meal- although we did try- I stored the rest in an air-thight container in the fridge- any guesses on how long it can stay there without going bad?
Thank you!
Lots of love,
Benedicte
Hi Benedicte! I’m happy you loved it. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
Hello from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Just whipped up your recipe for lunch with some fresh veggies and garlic Naan! So easy and so good. Thank You!
Ive made many hummuses in my day… this recipe is the best by far!! Thank you!! ( ps i really appreciate how often you post new recipes. It is something I look forward to! )
Making this for the 3rd time- the BEST! Thank you so much for doing all the testing!
Oh. My. Gosh. Yum!!
Can’t believe this. Thank you so much. Followed the recipe carefully.
Ended up need to scrape the bottom like you had mentioned because the tahini was super thick underneath the blades. Added about 3 Tbsp of the ice water.
Turned out like another happy dream. This paired with the Mujadara for dinner tonight.
Yes!
Lovely hummus. Won’t need to buy it from anywhere again. Thank you.