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.
My first attempt at homemade hummus and it came out awesome! I shared it with my next-door neighbor who happens to be a chef and he gave it 3 thumbs up and said that it’s so creamy! So glad I found your recipe-thank you!!!
This recipe is a keeper! Added a roasted jalapeño for a little pizza. Yum. Thanks.
I am also from Kansas City! Aladdin Cafe is my favorite hummus ever so I’m excited to make this.
I also worked at Westside Local for years :)
Absolutely great!
Looks like an awesome recipe! Can’t wait to make it. Have you ever tried making it spicy? I was thinking about making it with fresh jalapeños. Thoughts? Thanks!
Hi there! I haven’t tried it with jalapeño, but I think that sounds really delicious! Please report back if you give it a try.
Hi, I actually made the hummus with “Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce” found at Trader Joe’s. I added a 1-3 teaspoons depending on how spicy you want it to be. It turned out great!
Highly recommend! First time making hummus and it was so perfectly creamy and delish. We’re making it for the second time now in less than a week!
Finally I found a hummus recipe to rival the hummus I once made during my southern California days.This is amazing!I recommend tripling the recipe for a big gathering. The only addition I made and its just personal preference is a bit of lemon pepper and dried parsley blended in with a sprinkle of spanish hot paprika on top.Kate you never disappoint. You are my go-to recipe website.
Definitely some great tips in here that brought my hummus making to the next level. Boiling the canned chickpeas and letting the garlic mellow in the lemon juice are game changers, I’ll always do that from now on. Next time I think I’d experiment with using the “chickpea water” from the can rather than plain cold water. And I agree that at the end it needs the extra hit of salt and lemon. Thanks for this!
Delicious!
Thanks so much for the research and hummus back story! This was my first time actually making hummus and your tips were excellent! It turned out well and I agree that extra lemon juice was needed. Would it be possible to use a few drops of lemon oil?
Hi Deena! I’m not sure about the lemon oil as the lemon juice helps the garlic mellow. I’m not sure if the oil will react the same as they can be stronger.
Thanks Kate, I was thinking of adding a drop or two along with the lemon garlic juice to boost the flavor but it may be too much. Loved that lemon-y garlic tip!
This was a super yummy recipe!! I did change a few things though. I used the pre-crushed jar of garlic, Meyer lemon olive oil and regular olive oil, added dried oregano, and regular tabasco.
Best hummus I have ever had! Thanks for the recipe. A new family fav!
OH.MY.HECK!!! I’ve made homemade hummus only a few times in the past, and it came out pretty good..ya know, just ok?
This recipe is the BEST THING EVER!!! Do NOT skip the baking soda step if you want creamy hummus. Thought I could by pass it a few days ago, and it came out ok, but I feel like I blended for 10 years :) This is quick, fool proof, soooo creamy, and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!! Only thing I would add based purely on taste is more lemon flavor, but again, that’s just preference…this recipe is pretty much perfect!!
Wonderful to hear, Tamara! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
So lovely! In my haste to put everything together & taste, I forgot to rinse the cooked chickpeas. Oops! It’s so very yummy as is–I look forward to following *all* the instructions next time. :)
This turned out really, really good! I have another recipe I’d used for years, and it was just fine, but this one is FAR better and I’m so glad I decided to try something new! One note – at least half of the chickpea shells fell off and collected in the bottom of my sieve after draining the cooked and rinsed chickpeas, so I just went ahead and pulled them out to discard.
This recipe made the best hummus I’ve ever eaten! It is seriously better than any I’ve previously made or got at a restaurant or store. It was so smooth and creamy and tasted delicious. It’s a new favorite that I will be making often!
This is legit, the best hummus recipe I’ve ever tasted. I’ve sort of struggled to get consistently great hummus, until now! Wow, it’s so fluffy, creamy and addicting! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Your tips are fantastic. I especially love the trick to tame the garlic in lemon juice. Love. this. so. much.
Hey! Great recipe! I just noticed that the taste drastically changes based on the sesame seeds I use. I usually make my own Tahini due to limited resources (esp during this lockdown). Would it be possible if you also link to your own homemade tahini recipe? Is the taste also affected if I use ordinary sesame seeds? (I used a Japanese one, since I’m from an Asian country) or do you suggest to use only specific kinds of sesame seeds?
Hi! I don’t have a tahini recipe sorry. I wish I could be of more help!
Wonderful hummus recipe! Tried it once and now make this all the time.
My first time making hummus .. and using my food processor:) This was great. We made homemade pita chips and felt like we were on vacation in Greece. Doubled the cumin and added red pepper flakes.
This made the most delicious, creamy hummus. The only change I made was to brown the garlic in a pan with olive oil and adding the cumin and lemon juice to it while warm and then blending with the cooked, rinsed beans. I served it warm in a small cast iron dish with hot pepper oil drizzled on top and it was delicious!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and all the good tips! My question: what kind of cumin do you use?
Hi Maya, I really like Frontier Coop brand.
Made this hummus and it was so very creamy! However, I found the flavour to be a bit bland, which leads me to my next question as I eye a new can of chickpeas … how much garlic is too much garlic? :) Thanks Kate!
Hi Annie! I’m sorry you found this bland. You could always try a variation I suggested to increase the taste. As for too much garlic, did you use fresh cloves?
Creamiest hummus I ever made. Thanks for the instructions
Hi Kate, I made my first ever batch of Hummus today using your recipe, and it turned out very well smooth and creamy. :-) Thank you!
I have an abundance of tahitian limes at the moment and so I substituted these for lemons and it seems quite fine.
I used a stick blender which struggled a bit but got there in the end.
Do you have any tips for making it last longer in the fridge? I made a double quantity and have put a small layer of olive oil on top in one container to keep air away.
Hi Jeremy, I don’t sorry! I wish I did. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
Did not work at all — horrible. Nothing stayed together it all fell apart
My first hummus, thanks for share your recipe. My family said excellent!
I wish to compliment you with this recipe. The technique is flawless!
I have made bad hummus for years and thanks to you, I make the best hummus ever. Thanks for your study and efforts. Jim
This is my go to for hummus. I have made it adding various things like parsley, roasted red peppers, horseradish mustard and horseradish and all are great.
One question…why the baking soda if using canned chickpeas?
Hi David! 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.”
Can you freeze this?
Hi Tara, Hummus doesn’t typically freeze the best. Sorry!
CRAZZZY good!!! Never buying store bought again. Thank you!!!!
Wow !! Yummy!!! Thanks for putting in the effort and making it easy for us to find the bang on best ever humus. Cheers from Squamish B.C. Canada
Perfection. I didn’t add the cumin and I only use one garlic clove. Fantastic recipe, a must for anyone that like hummus!
Delicious! This is going to be my new “go to” recipe for hummus. So good! Thanks for the great tips/recipe.
This really is THE BEST HUMMUS! Taste just like my favorite hummus that comes from our local Mediterranean restaurant.
Hi Kate,
I’d love to try this recipe but I only have a small size food processor (Kitchen Aid) and mine does not come with the attachment to add liquids to the processor while it’s running..do you think it would still work?
Hi Samantha, you could try adding a little at time while it is off, process and then add more. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I freakin’ LOVE this hummus recipe! An absolute STAPLE and it turns out amazing every. single. time. I added some smoked paprika last time and highly recommend it!
Unfortunately, my attempt did not turn out so well. I followed the recipe exactly– and all I could taste was the tahini–very sad about the outcome
Amazing hummus recipe! I made this for lunch today, am snacking on it again, and am contemplating making another batch while the food processor is out. It’s that good! This is the creamiest hummus ever – thank you!
You’re welcome, Jodi! Thank you so much for sharing.
After cooking the chickpeas with the baking soda, the skins were clearly separate from the chickpeas themselves. Was I supposed to pick out those skins and discard them, or just incorporate them into the hummus along with the (skinless) chickpeas?
Hi Carey! I just leave the skins in there since they are so soft at that point (they also contain some healthy fiber and nutrients).
Best Hummus, Restaurant-Quality, thanks for the recipe!! Superyummy!
I can vouch for Aladdin Cafe’s hummus being incredible, and so is this recipe!
Fantastic! Truly the best hummus recipe.
I added some cayenne for a little kick.
Thank you so much!
Hi Kate, I’ve also tried a dozen hummus recipes and this one by far is the best! I’ve now made it twice and can’t get enough. I’ll have to double the recipe next time. Thanks so much for your perseverance in perfecting it.
Catherine
Just tried this. My first home made hummus. Made mine in a “bullet” type blender. After tasting I put in 3x more garlic, doubled the Cumin (but I love love love Cumin), and added 1/2 tsp of applewood smoked salt. And…WOW! So easy to make. I will bring this to parties. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store bought again.
Need to blend the chick peas first so it isn’t chunky.
Great recipe! I used a Vitamix blender and the first couple of steps were tricky because the blender blades were sitting above the level of liquid… This made the lemon juice/garlic and tahini steps difficult to blend properly. Things got easier once I added the water and chickpeas, but in the future I would probably buy a food processor to make this recipe. Fortunately it still turned out great in the end! Thanks Kate.
I just made this tonight and I used a Vitamix too, and had the same challenges you described. But it still turned out great! It is the smoothest, creamiest hummus I have ever made. Is the recipe even better with a food processor? I love my Vitamix, especially for hummus, and wondered if and how Kate would adapt the instructions for a Vitamix?
Hi Laurie and Crystal! Love that you got this recipe to work in your Vitamixes. I think you might end up with even creamier hummus in a high-powered blender than a food processor. I’m assuming you both have the newer wide-base Vitamix models (I do, too, and I honestly wish that Vitamix would have stuck with their skinnier/taller blender containers because those can blend smaller volumes more easily.) I’d probably use a garlic press and let the lemon juice/garlic mixture rest in a bowl. Then transfer to the blender and add the tahini. If it’s still tricky to blend with the tahini, you could add the water sooner or even a small amount of the chickpeas.
I haven’t used the baking soda – can’t find it in lockdown yet – but boiling got off the creepy ‘shells’ and will try when I can. I really love the taste and texture of this hummus. Nice tang. Thank you very much.
How do you get a slightly thicker final product? Mine was very creamy almost soupy… Tasted great though!
Hey Chad! Be sure to drain your chickpeas very well after rinsing, and be sure to stir your tahini well before using.
Truly the creamiest, most delicious hummus recipe I’ve ever made.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, including the tip about overcooking the chickpeas. I’ve made hummus only a couple of times before, but this recipe is the best I’ve tried. I basically followed the recipe as directed, except that my garlic clove was ginormous and I used the whole thing, and added about 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Yummy stuff!
If you have the time, would you recommend making it with dried chickpeas? Have you noticed a better taste with dried ones than canned ones ? thank you so much, I’m gonna make it for my dad’s birthday and I really want it to be perfect!
Hey Clementine! Happy birthday to your dad. :) This recipe turns out fabulously as written and it’s honestly easier than boiling your own, so I’d just stick to canned chickpeas!
Lovely hummus- thank you (tried with and without cumin – prefer without, but that’s just personal taste). Also added more salt and slightly more olive oil – but best recipe by miles (and I’ve tried a lot).
Great tip about soaking the garlic in lemon juice
So great. Retired chef. Made mine with dried garbanzos soaked over night cuz that’s just how I roll. Used fresh cut garlic scapes from my garden instead of cloves. It’s the best I’ve ever made. Made the recipe X5 because I have lots of family gatherings. Best tips were the TJs tahini and south. Read every word of your research and it’s saved me from having to do the same process. I trust you now! Thanks.
Thank you for sharing what you did, Sharon! I appreciate your review.