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.
totally delicious, I followed your advice regarding cooking the beans for 15mins, added 3-4 tablespoons of iced water little salt, lemon and and cumin tastes better than any I have bought
This is truly ‘the best hummus!’
The tip about boiling the canned chickpeas with baking soda makes all the difference.
I don’t have a food processor but the boiled and drained canned chickpeas were so soft that hand mashing and whisking them into the rest of the ingredients was super easy!
Delicious and creamy-it will be my go-to hummus recipe.
How long can this be stored in the fridge for once made?
Hi Cle, see the last steps.
It turned out Super enjoyed
I have only a mini food processor, so may not have been able to get it quite as creamy smooth as you were, but did my best. Yummmmm!! Thank you, Kate. I love your recipes.
Fabulous! I’ve tried lots of hummus recipes and this, hands-down, is the best!
Wonderful recipe
Best hummus I’ve ever had! Thank you Kate for continuing to provide amazing recipes, you are my go-to when trying anything new
You’re welcome! I’m happy you are enjoying my recipes, Abigail.
I just made this and it’s excellent. It’s so creamy! Everything about it is perfect.
Excellent recipe! I sprout the dried garbanzos first for extra nutrition. Makes them even more “mushy” & delicious in my estimation.
I also never comment or rate recipes, but WOW. I’ve tried making hummus multiple times but this is by FAR the best I’ve tried and one I would feel confident to make for others. Thank you so much for sharing it! My toddler loves it too, which makes for a great snack during the day.
Wonderful, Becky! Thank you for sharing.
Best hummus and the only one we eat now. Once I made this I couldn’t eat store bought again. Thanks for sharing!!
Going to be printed and put in my recipe folder it is so smooth and creamy cant keep my fingers out of it (sorry)
First time for this recipe and furthermore for making hummus. I grew up in a family that is always in the kitchen and that cooks, bakes etc. so I tend to experiment on a first go with a new endeavor. However, as of late I decide to stick to the recipe as instructed and then make adjustments in my next attempts, somewhat then making it my own.
This recipe was Really amazing. I was nervous about the skins of the chickpeas because I do like to eat them as a snack out of the can and, well to be honest popping the chick out of the pea is kind of fun..so as long as it doesn’t land across the room or in the back of your throat. I didn’t even know they were there.
I could say more but I have been long winded enough. Thank you.
Thank you for this recipe
Thank you! I’m glad you loved it.
Could you please add directions for presoaked chick peas? Thanks!
Hi Midge, I’m not sure what you are referring to?
I had the same question. I am not using “cooked” chick peas, or canned, but I had dry chicken peas I soaked for 48 hours and am wondering if I have to cook them the longer time, or just the 20 min.?
Hi! See the notes about how long to boil them if you soaked your chickpeas.
I tried this recipe as I was looking for something better than my old one. I can honestly say that this is the best hummus recipe I have ever used … time to try some variations now
The besttttt hummus hands down
Thank you, Cassandra!
I just made this today. It is by far the smoothest hummus I have ever made!! I cooked the canned chickpeas as directed. It is a little thinner than I expected, so perhaps next time a little less water is needed :) Thank you for this delicious recipe of a staple in my home!!
So good! This has become my go-to recipe for hummus. I’m always a bit heavier handed on the garlic and cumin bc of personal taste and preference. But seriously… when I order out, now I order pita or chips but not hummus bc I like this so much more than any restaurants’! I always have this in my fridge! Ty!
Thank you, Etnico! I appreciate your review.
The boiling with baking soda was the absolute game changer. This was the most creamy hummus I have ever made-with the least amount of work. Now I know the secret:)
I’m vegan so you know I eat some hummus! This was amazing and will become my go-to recipe. I was out of olive oil and this was still fabulous!
That’s great to hear, Susan! Thank you for your review.
First time making hummus and because of this recipe, it will be the last time I buy hummus! I did learn one thing though, do not eat tahini straight from the jar. Never bought it before and I was curious what it tasted like. Have no idea how tahini can transform chickpeas into such a wonderful dish but, I’m glad it does. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
I have a question. Will baking powder work for it too? I know baking and baking soda aren’t the same though. Maybe baking powder mixed with something acidic?
Unfortunately, it won’t have the same result.
I was skeptical about the skins from the chickpeas but this worked great! Came out smooth and delicious! I added additional lemon juice and salt at the end too. Thanks for the recipe and tips!
This is a great recipe! One little tip regarding the chickpeas that I use. After I have boiled them and drained them in cold water, I put them back in the pot and add more cold water, let the skins float to the top, and then drain them off. I do this several times until there are no more skins left. Makes the hummus that much more creamy — and very easy to do. Again, this is the absolute best hummus recipe!
Excellent tip! Thank you!
I wish you could put the recipe at the top of the webpage so I wouldn’t have to scroll through a novel of your life story of how you came up with this humus recipe.
Hi Jordan, there is a jump to recipe option at the top. I hope that helps!
Hi. Certainly in the right direction.
Drop the garlic, it’s a hummus killer. Cumin, only as a garnish on top. If you add to the hummus – please very little.
Mushy cooked hummus is good but it has nothing to do with baking powder (which you should use in order to reduce stomach gas). It has much to do with the type of chickpeas used. Some cook to become soft, some don’t even after hours of cooking. Way to guarantee softness is use a pressure pot for 20-40 minutes (careful not to over cook). Canned cheakpeas? Why not canned ready hummus then?
Never use canned cheakpeas if you want a real, great fresh hummus.
Secret #1, add a bit of lemon salt (citric acid). It is a natural ingredient that adds an acidy bite unmatched by lemon juice (hummus comes from the Arabic/Hebrew word hamutz = sour) and all resurants in the region use it but often do not disclose.
Secret #2 fresh pita bread! Do not compromise on the bread! Bake them at home if you can’t find fresh soft pita. Hummus will never be perfect without it.
Hi Alon, thank you for sharing your approach. I do hope you try mine and see if you like it.
We can’t find fresh ones if you can give the recipe please. Thanks for the post.
Great recipe! Just way too much lemon for my taste, I would recommend halving the amount in the recipe. It overpowers the flavor. Otherwise this is a GREAT hummus, great texture, and easy!
Delicious! Best hummus I’ve made so far!! Definitely going to be my future go to recipe for hummus. Had a few issues adding the ice water to the tahini first but in the end it sorted itself out and is lovely and creamy smooth.
I was wondering though if I wanted to make a beetroot hummus (my mums fav and she’s coming to visit soon) how would I best go about that quantity and flavour wise?
Cheers x
Thank you! I’m glad you like it, Briar. I haven’t tried beet root hummus so I can’t say for sure. My friend Dana at Minimalist Baker has one I think!
Dear Kate,
Thank you so very much for the wonderful Hummus recipe, I have tried so many and didn’t like them, either too bland or bitter or just not right. But your recipe is dreamy and delicious I even had a non hummus lover eat it and love it.
I have cancer and my protein levels are too low, I cannot eat meat as it is making me feel sick or gives me tummy pain because of the cancer and the treatments. I was told to chickpeas and do like them so I am very grateful that I found your recipe, I just need to add a smaller clove of garlic next time wowsers im killing vampires far and wide with my breath hahaha. Hugs and all the best wishes to a healthy life.
Hooray! I’m glad this one was a winner for you. I’m sorry to hear about your cancer and thinking of you!
Delicious! Absolutely recommend.
Thank you, Keyla!
This is the best recipe ever for hummus! Easy to make and always get huge compliments…and never any leftovers!
I also have been to Alladin’s and love their hummus. This did indeed make it creamy and delicious! Thanks for doing the research and sharing the recipe!
I’m excited you know what I’m referring to! Thank you for your review, Dianne.
Yep, you cracked the code! Smooth, creamy and delectable hummus. My partner and I have been craving hummus for months. Finally found dried chickpeas and tahini in the house, at the same time, and followed your recipe to the T. Brava! Thanks for sharing it. Yum.
This looks great, but doesn’t adding baking soda destroy the vitamins? I used to hear that but maybe it has been debunked?
This is the perfect hummus! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Just bought land in a very remote area off-grid and although I do have solar power there are seasons (like monsoon season) when we have overcast skies with little to no sun, so I mashed the garbanzos and mixed by hand. Also, tahini or even sesame seeds/oil are near impossible to find here so I used natural peanut butter (1/4 cup) instead, juice and zest of 2 lemons, tripled the amount of cumin and olive oil, same amount of sea salt your recipe called for, and only 1/3 teaspoon baking soda when boiling the canned beans. I boiled the garlic (5 cloves – I love garlic!) with the beans then picked out the cloves and used a garlic press. After boiling I rinsed the beans in cold water and picked the skins out before mashing. I skipped the ice water, and added a generous sprinkling of tabasco sauce stirred in before serving. Although I could still taste the peanut butter it was very subtle. Turned out pretty decent. I will continue my search for tahini but if no luck I know Safeway carries sunflower seed butter which I’ve read (after my trip to town 20 miles away) is a very good substitute. Thank you for your recipe. It inspired me to do something with all those cans of garbanzo beans in my pantry
This was delicious- thank you so much for sharing! My family loved it.
This is an awesome recipe! I used cumin and paprika. Great tip on soaking the raw garlic in lemon juice!
Love the recipe. Cooking the peas did make for a great hummus. However, it took me forever to pick out the peels. Mine did not just float to the top, and I even cooked them a little longer. Sometimes, I had a difficult time telling the skin from the pea. Was it this hard for others?
Hi, no need to peel next time. The baking soda helps to break them down. I hope you try it again and don’t worry about peeling.
At first I thought I couldn’t be bothered with the extra steps in this but I’m so glad I did! By far the best hummus I’ve ever made
I’ve made hummus tons of times, and boiling the chickpeas is a game changer!
Great recipe that turned out so well the first time! (Gave up on hummus for a long while because I could not get the texture right and the garlic was much too pungent.) Kept it simple on this round but will use again and add in additional spices. (Did not use olive oil in the processor to keep it lower calorie and used extra Lemon juice, so delicious!!)
I love this recipe! It is the first and only hummus recipe I’ve tried. I make this about 10x per year and it’s always a hit. I can’t go back to store bought hummus. A must try!
This is definitely a wonderful recipe! So rich and creamy, and I love the emphasis on the zingy lemon juice. I haven’t made hummus in years- now I remember how much better homemade is than its’ store bought counterpart! Thank you and YUM!!!
Great! Thank you for sharing, Melissa.
I will never buy from the store again. This is then best recipe I have tried. Delicious and so fluffy!!
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Nicola.
I just made this hummus, and it is so so good. When I looked at the garbanzo’s after I cooked them for 20 minutes with baking soda, I had a “yuck” moment at how they looked. But after everything was put together, it turned into a “Wow” moment immediately. Tasty, Creamy and Wonderful.
I like a little bit of spice, so I added Calabrian cut up chilis. You can buy the Bomba Italian Chili’s at Trader Joes, or the Che Fico Calabrian Chili Bomba from Milk Street. Both are excellent additions. Add the amount you like according to your own taste.
I’m glad you were able to enjoy it, Emily!
Most often I prefer to use dried chickpeas and/or dried black beans.
I use my VitaMixer to grind the dried beans into a very fine powder, then simply reconstitute it all, add everything else in, blend well and ENJOY!
Sometimes I will add into the mix of the powdered dried beans and a small amount of blended canned beans for a mixture of textures.
It was perfect! So glad I took the extra time to make it this way. *whispers* I ate all of it by myself
This is the best ever! And easy. I used the dried bean fast-cook method and it worked 100%. Seems like you can’t mess it up because the goal is to overcook. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Lin! Thank you for your review.
One of our all-time favorite recipes.
I’ve made it several times now!
Thank you x
Oh my Goodness. Thank you for the Great recipe. I had given up on making hummus because it never was what I like. This recipe fits the bill. Absolutely Delicious. Thank you so much!
SO SMOOTH WOW
Made this last night, last minute decision but worth the extra half hour. So delicious with fresh parsley from my garden! Dessert was your healthy banana bread, we’re eating like Kings thanks to you and Cookie!