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.
Thank you for a quick way to utilize the dried chic peas (garbanzo beans) that I got en masse from the local food pantry. I have twenty POUNDS!!! Overcooking and baking soda make sense for a creamy texture. I find that store bought is most often gritty in texture – with only a few being the creamy consistency I desire.
I would rather make my own – both for flavor and texture, as well as cost. Also I will KNOW EXACTLY what it contains – and what it DOESN’T!! Just as important in my eyes.
( I have a MS in biology and have been cooking – form MANY cultures – for 62 years – a bit of a gourmet if I do say so myself)
The absolute best hummus..hands down. I’ve made it many times and it’s amazing!!
I love ALL of your recipes!!
Will a blender yield good results? I don’t have a food processor.
Yes, that should work well too. Let me know what you think!
Kate, this recipe is amazing! I might never be able to eat store bought hummus again. The tahini flavor really comes through and the texture is so silky. Thank you so much for sharing these healthy and delicious recipes.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Ava. I appreciate your review.
i just made this and this is the creamiest Hummus ever! I sprinkled smoked paprika on the finished product and and will add red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, and diced kalamata olives before serving. YUM!
Sounds like a great way to finish it off! I appreciate your review, Robye.
This was so delicious and definitely helps to incentivize eating more raw vegetables. Thanks for all of your hard work and sharing your best practices.
I have to be honest, almost skipped making this recipe. At the time it seemed like more than I wanted to do!
100% so happy I didn’t skip it!!
Made it for the second time today and it’s even better this time
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Hooray for finally making it! Thank you for your review, Yvonne.
Just what I needed! It is a hot summer afternoon and I wanted something nutritious, light and cold.
Hummus! I thought. I bought tahini the last time I went to the store and keep garbanzos on hand… veggies? Yes! Carrots, cucumber and celery anyway – a perfect lunch.
I whipped up the hummus (after cooking the garbanzos a bit to soften them up) and it came out delicious as can be. Cut up the veg and served it up.
Thanks for this delight!
I find even though the skins fall off, for best results, peel the skin. It makes it super smooth.
I’ve been using this recipe for a while with Simple Truth organic tahini and it was really good. BUT I decided to order Soom tahini on Amazon and it seriously is the BEST hummus I’ve ever made.
That’s great! I appreciate it.
If anyone’s thinking of trying this with Garbanzo flour+water and cashew butter instead of garbanzo beans and tahini, DON’T haha it’s nasty! I was craving hummus and thought I’d try but it didn’t work out.
I look forward to making it when I have the correct ingredients on hand!
Yup, this is the one. So creamy and luscious. This is the only recipe You’ll ever need.
Excellent!!!! Easy to make and delicious!!! It was a huge hit!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It makes the smoothest hummus I have ever had. I will never buy store bought hummus ever again. It makes a great plain hummus. I am looking forward to making the different variations. I found that the flavor really developed and tastes better the next day, so it can be made a day ahead. Wonderful recipe and it’s so easy.
I’m glad you loved it, Ronnie!
I just made this today..So far, only part of the family has tasted it..But they love it…Will be doing it again, I am sure.
Kathryne,
Please don’t ever take this recipe off the site. It is my absolute go-to for hummus. I swear the best hummus ever. And now I can’t buy the grocery store stuff, it simply always falls short.
I am headed out camping this week and just made a double batch to take with…. I even make hummus, tomato, and lettuce sandwiches! Weird, but it is really good.
I do always add more lemon juice – I like the tart. And top it with Zatar and olive oil, and well you get the idea.
Thanks!!
I don’t plan to have it go anywhere! Thank you for your comment.
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t tried it, so can’t say for sure. But I believe others have and didn’t mind the results.
Absolutely delicious! And not too difficult either. Thanks!
I’ve made this so many times, just as described, and it’s just unbeatable! Making the chickpeas from dry beans (1 hour on high in a pressure cooker) and making tahini yourself (lightly toast the sesame seeds before whizzing to butter in the food processor…1 cup seeds makes 1/2 cup tahini) make this so delicious, and bring the cost down to just a couple of bucks for a ton of hummus, so much better than any you could buy in the store. This recipe/method are such a winner. I’ve shared it with more people than probably any recipe i’ve ever found online. Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Chris! Thank you for your review.
This is the BEST hummus recipe! Followed instructions and it is light, fluffy and tasty. I’ll never eat store bought again. Thank you for sharing!
I’m glad you loved it, Cheryl!
Oh my gosh!!! Just finished making this hummus and it is the best I’ve ever had!! Thank you so much for all the extra tips (I used every one). Only thing I did different is I used about 4 garlic cloves because I love garlic. Just texted my friend because she has got to try this! Thank you for posting!!❤️❤️❤️
You’re welcome, Donna!
Sheesh! I wasn’t expecting to encounter hummus heaven! Used dry chickpeas, next time I’ll try to make the tahini. Topped it with more olive oil, smoked paprika, parsley with a dollop of chili paste in the middle. Served with toasted mini pita’s! Your vegan dishes are quite the show stopper.
Thanks!
I’m glad you loved it, Jazz!
I have been using this recipe for several years and I also love it – I also sometimes put beets in, or sun dried tomatoes in oil in and skip the additional olive oil, or use half peanut butter/half tahini for some variety. :) I make a big batch (4-6 cans of chickpeas) and freeze it. Since I have used this recipe so much I figured it was time to leave a “thank you!” comment :).
What size portions do you freeze it in? And in what containers? I love hummus and I doubled this, not realizing how much it would make, but thankful I have some to freeze! Yummm!!
FINALLY! Creamy, delicious hummus! My family loves it so much I’ve had to make 4 batches this past week. LOL. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Regula! Thank you for your review.
So I received 2 cases of chic peas…I am a lover of hummus…but only from authentic restaurants! I’ve tried many recipes, and failed. I bought solomonovs Israeli soul cookbook a few years back and fell in love with it. I combined his recipe with making the tahina sauce first and your technique of boiling the chic peas for 20 minutes and it turned out amazing! I have never been so please! Thank you for sharing that. It has changed my whole world! I was so excited to finally ave achieved the silkiness of true hummus!
Not sure about this. It did turn out creamy, but also too “liquidy”. I drained the beans well. I only used 1/4 C each of lemon juice & tahini, 1T water. Maybe my brand of tahini was already super thin? Hoping fridge time thickens it up, otherwise I’ll make a dressing with it. Tastes pretty good though.
Confused. In the ingredients list it says to use the baking soda if you are using canned chickpeas. We loved the kalamata olive hummus recipe but to make it I was in a big hurry and threw all the ingredients (minus tahini for health reasons) in the ninja smoothie cup including uncooked canned chickpeas and baking soda which reacted with the lemon juice to make a little hummus volcano. I realize we butchered your beautiful recipe but we actually loved it so fluffy. Everyone devoured it and now I have to make more! I’m just wanting to clarify why the ingredients list includes 1/2 tsp baking soda if using canned chickpeas? Thank you!
Hi Gillian, I’m sorry to hear that! See step 1. It helps to achieve a creamy texture. You want to boil the chickpeas and baking soda in the sauce pan. I hope that helps!
Hummus volcano sounds pretty delicious actually! Hahaha! Sounds like you added the baking soda to the blender with the lemon juice. Baking soda should only be added to the canned chickpeas while in the pot cooking. It is all rinsed off at the end of the cooking process in step one. No additional should be added to the blender.
It really is the best hummus recipe!! We have made this several times and everyone raves about it. And it’s so easy to make. I love knowing the ingredients I am using to make the hummus as opposed to what is added in the store-bought version!
Yum! I did a bit of searching through hummus recipes a year or so ago and landed with this one. Have made it quite a few times now and it is always a crowd pleaser. I have been using the Soom tahini – going to try the Trader Joe’s at some point. Love this hummus. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Hi,
Thanks for a great recipe! Sadly I’m allergic to sesame seeds and wondered whether you can recommend any replacement for tahini in hummus?
I wish I did, sorry! I haven’ tried it with another option. But I do know others have tried cashew or almond butter. Not sure how it will turn out, though.
Hi Kate, my hummus came out a little more liquidy than my liking. Flavor is great, just texturally a little off.
Would you suggest doing less water next time?
Hi Julia, when did it start to get creamy? Yes, less water could help.
This is the BEST tasting hummus I’ve ever had!! The trick of over cooking the garbanzos makes it so creamy! So good with the Soom tahini. Thank you for sharing this recipe! My new favorite appetizer to bring to dinner parties.
i’ve made hummus a few times but it’s was always too grainy for my taste, but this recipe fixes all that with boiling the beans – thank you for the great tip. i haven’t seen the suggestion on other recipes although it appears to be the secret for really smooth hummus.
i also use a mixture of PB, mayo and greek yogurt (and leave out the water) instead of tahini as i don’t use that ingredient often enough to keep it on hand. it’s probably not exactly right but it tastes just fine to me.
I was looking online for a hummus recipe that doesn’t require the peeling the chickpeas as well as not requiring an insane amount of oil to make it silky smooth. This was awesome and truly is easily changeable to your taste. Thanks for all the hard work and research to find the perfect recipe! Will definitely be making again
That’s great to hear, Frieda! I appreciate your review.
I’ve been making this every week since I’ve found the recipe. My son pointed it out to me as the most fool proof delicious hummus. Thank you for waking us all up to the the best hummus ever !
Very good recipe for a plain hummus, though I ended up having to add a lot of water for some reason. Directions are very easy to follow.
I usually buy a container of hummus and throw away half … never a fan, but it’s a good vegan option for my daughter. However, this is the best humus I’ve ever had. So easy and cheap to make and best of all, delicious! Other than roasting the garlic, I followed the recipe exactly. Great dip for all the summer vegetables. I would give this 10 stars if I could. Thank you.
I had to use aquafaba for a vegan recipe, and I happened upon your recipe to use the chickpeas! WOW! This is definitely the best recipe I’ve used for hummus! Excited to share it tomorrow at a cook out. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Stacie! I appreciate your review.
I used your recipe and it’s delicious. My first time making hummus… I used 1/4 cup of roasted red peppers…thank you for all your hard work to put out this recipe that this 70 yr.old lady made it easy Peezy.
Thank you for your review, Bonnie!
Hamdoullah ! Wow ! This is knock you dead incredible ! My husband is Moroccan and we lived there for awhile and hummus was a standard evening snack for us. I have never made it myself and find that I can be intimidated by some of these traditional recipes because, well, I’m from Texas and it just wasn’t something I felt comfortable trying ….but that all ended tonight ! This hummus is so creamy and delectable and it’s just perfection !!!! Thank you for sharing this ! I think my husband is going to be so happy!!!
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Janet.
Too much lemon. I used only 1/2 what was suggested and it was still too much. I used the canned chickpeas right out of the can – it is just as smooth as I want. I let it meld an hour before serving – I think any recipe with raw garlic needs that to mellow and blend the flavors.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it as is, MaryAnne. Thank you for taking the time to review.
“Creamy oblivion” indeed! Excellent recipe, Kate. As a first time hummus-maker you did not lead me astray and I thank you from the bottom of my pleasantly full stomach. Store-bought hummus is no longer a staple in my fridge thanks to your very detailed and wonderfully illustrated recipe. I did a quick Google search of hummus recipes and yours was the only one that employs a famous Israeli chef’s tip to use “mushy chickpeas.” Boiling them before blending them is the secret indeed. Next time I make this, I will add roasted garlic as you’ve suggested.
I love your recipes. You can always find my homemade Humus and Baba Ganosh (I have a big big egg plant plant) r in my fridge. Thank u.⚓
This is a great basic recipe for hummus. I’m trying to think of some items which would make it more spicy and give it more of a Mediterranean kick!
I have made this a few times in the last couple of weeks. Such an easy recipe to follow and so delicious! Everyone loves it too!
Just made this recipe…my first time making hummus myself, and it is so incredibly close to that my mother made…I am in heaven! Thank you so much for sharing, and all of your tips and tricks!
This is a great recipe. It is not grainy and having the garlic mellow really helps the flavor. Have gotten a lot of compliments and requests. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for your review, Mary! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
My bad, I used herbed tahini from Trader Joes – ended up soup. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Will try again with 100% tahini.
I will never buy hummus again. This is perfect! And this is the perfect starting point for add-ins like roasted red peppers or pine nuts.
Great to hear, Sally! Thank you for your review.
Yep, this is the “best” hummus recipe! Didn’t have tahini so made my own, so my hummus wasn’t as nice and smooth as pictured (because I can’t seem to get my tahini to be that smooth with my food processor). This wasn’t as quick and easy as some other recipes that use canned chickpeas (especially when you don’t have tahini on hand), but it’s worth the little extra effort! Thank you!
Kate – once again, you’ve created a recipe that I will soon commit to memory. My husband has always liked creamy, silken hummus, and I have struggled to find a recipe that was a hit that didn’t include LOTS of olive oil. Thank you!!
I love to hear that, Eve! Thank you for your review.
This was my first time making hummus and it turned out amazing!! Def will be making again, thank you so much for sharing!
Just made this and I love it! It is so creamy, exactly the way my entire family likes it best. I won’t be buying hummus at the store again. I am in Costa Rica and so I had to substitute a limon (green on the outside and orange on the inside) for the lemon, and it is wonderful. Thank you!