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.
I’ve tried multiple hummus recipes over the years and this one is by far the best. All the tips and tricks are priceless. Thanks for sharing your hummus wisdom!
Great to hear, Austin! Thank you for your review.
Yet another successful and super easy recipe.
I am able to buy the super smooth hummus, but it costs a lot more than the normal grainy stuff.
Now I can get the real deal at home for the price of a can of chickpeas, as I always have the other ingredients to hand. It’s about 3 mins of effort, the rest of the time is hands off, boiling the chickpeas and letting the garlic mellow in the lemon juice and salt.
I am not a vegan, but have a close friend who is and have discovered that the liquid from canned chickpeas is a great substitute for eggs/egg whites in baking. I freeze it in ice cube trays and you cannot taste the difference in most baked goods. Google aquafaba.
Thank you Kate!
This is seriously THE BEST Hummus recipe! I used dried Chickpeas and soaked overnight. I brought Tahini back from Israel, and WOW! Important to use good Tahini. I am making it for the second time today, doubling the recipe. My family just loved it. Never buying store bought again!!
I love that you tell us how to double the recipe. Thank you Kate!! I just LOVE making your recipes. SO GOOD!!
Great to hear, Audrey! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
I went out on a limb and followed your directions to a T; it did not disappoint. I added some Ras el hanout and Persian adwiya and a little more lemon. Perfection without having to peel the chick peas.
I trusted your method as I have never had a disappointing recipe from you,
Many thanks
I’m glad you loved it, Susan!
I just made a batch and added some roasted red pepper from a jar plus a heaping spoonful of fermented habanero relish from the Shockey’s book “Fiery Ferments’. It’s very difficult to stop tasting it right out of the blender.
Tried 2 other recipes, this one made amazing hummus. The others failed horribly.
Thank you so much for explaining where one could go wrong and why various steps mattered. It made a world of difference.
First time making hummus. I was surprised that my efforts turned out so picture-perfect and delicious! I used my old Oster blender (a sentimental gift from my late son during his early ‘90’s college days). After transferring the hummus to a container and making pretty swirls, I sprinkled Hungarian paprika on top. I then used a rubber spatula to clean out the blender glass and I licked off just about every little bit! It is so good! I needn’t look any further for another hummus recipe. This is it!
Hi, the hummus is really smooth but a bit watery. Maybe less water and lemon juice next time.
I made this one today and it was the creamiest hummus Ive ever made. Definitely worth the extra step to cook the chickpeas. Each ingredient was subtle and didn’t overpower any other. Thank you
Followed the recipe exactly. It is perfect! I deleted my old recipe.
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for your review.
Can you use a blender instead of a food processor for this?
Sure! Let me know what you think, Hannah.
I have never left a review on the food website before, but I felt the urge to leave one today. I just finished making my first batch of this hummus recipe and it is by far the most incredible hummus I think I’ve ever tasted, and I have eaten A LOT of hummus! OMG, this hummus is insanely delicious. It is exactly what I have been searching for. I will never buy hummus again!! Thank you, Kate!!!
You’re welcome, Adam! Thank you for your review.
The best humus recipe! Thank you so much!!
Hi Kate. Loved the recipe. It worked wonderfully and tastes delicious. I added smoked paprika as a garnish Along with the parsley. CJ
This is the best hummus I have ever tried!!
I usually never fallow a recipe completely except yours. I love how your recipes are so well seasoned and full of flavor. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes
Great to hear, Silvia! I appreciate your review.
How long can this recipe keep in the fridge?
Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
I don’t usually leave reviews but I had to with this one! It’s SO good!! I’ve tried many homemade hummus recipes and they never came even close to my favourite middle eastern restaurant and this one is as good if not better and the possibilities of flavours are endless! My kids gobbled it up so fast and asked for more! Last time I made it with some homemade olive tapenade on top and it was to die for! Thanks for sharing this will now be saved in my favourites and my forever go to!
Wow! Best hummus recipe ever. Tastes amazing and really easy to prepare. Than you!
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Finally a great hummus without a lot of bother. I am one of the crazy people who did peel each bean in a effort to get a silky product. This is so much better I have made it twice now both times excellent. The search is over.
The best hummus I’ve ever made!!!!! Never using any other recipe again. Thank You :)
Thank you for sharing this hummus recipe. Finally I can make nice smooth hummus without all the lumps. It’s delicious
Pretty good hummus. I roasted the garlic first. Used about twice as much lemon. And, added smoked paprika to the hummus. Thought it had a little too much tahini.
I’ve always wanted to make homemade hummus and this turned out great and easy! I cut up a tupperware full of celery and carrots while the chick peas boiled. I think this is a yummy, creamy base recipe. I added extra lemon juice and salt as suggested and it was not too powerful. I love this plain hummus and going to have some fun with toppings next time! Toppings I plan on trying are diced up olives with olive oil drizzle or charred roasted red pepper slices soaked in olive oil or feta crumbles with pepper or lemon juice and lemon zest.
Thank you so much, smooth delicious hummus! I’ve been trying to achieve this consistency for many weeks and great success with your recipe. Brilliant.
Great to hear, Heather! Thank you for you review.
I’m going to make this recipe for the first time and I wanted to ask what brand you recommend for the extra virgin olive oil? There are so many varieties in the grocery store that it’s almost overwhelming.
Hi! I try to buy organic when I can or single origin.
Hummus turned out delicious! Thank you, will be using this recipe from now on!
I’m glad you loved it!
I’ve made hummus before, but boiling the canned chickpeas in baking soda makes such an incredible difference. I was able to make this recipe with my immersion blender (I don’t have a food processor), and it turned out sooooo smooth and creamy! Definitely a keeper!
That’s great to hear, Ellie! I appreciate your review.
How long will it last in the fridge? I’m trying to make it ahead.
My friend made this for me anc it was delicious! I’m trying to make it now too.
Thank you!
Hi Jessica! See the final step. I’m glad you loved it.
Very smooth! Love this recipe!
I love this recipe – its the best hummus I’ve ever made! I do understand what you’re saying about Tahini … the first brand I bought didn’t “ruin” the taste, but it was a distraction. Bought better Tahini and it has turned out amazing.
This recipe was amazing! For years I kinda gave up on making hummus because I could never get it to be creamy. But this recipe and the tips help debunk that and it was amazing! And the Green Goddess version was fantastic also. I have an herb garden so I had plenty of parsley and basil to test this recipe. Glad I did!
. This recipe is excellent! It was perfect on my first try. Store bought hummus is a huge disappointment after having it in the Middle East. No disappointments here!
Wow! I was looking online for a hummus recipe and when I saw that you had to boil the chickpeas, my first impulse was too much work. I am glad I read your reviews and changed my mind because this was amazing. The extra step of boiling truly did not take much time and the whole thing was very quick to make and a complete game changer. Letting the garlic rest in the lemon gave it a very smooth and not sharp garlic flavor, and boiling the chickpeas gave the consistency of the hummus a very fluffy yet hardy hummus. I highly recommend this recipe.
I’m glad you changed your mind too! I appreciate your review, Heidi.
So good! The best hummus I’ve ever made.
That’s great, Fiona! I appreciate your review.
Fabulous Hummus recipe, thank you!
Use almond butter (never peanut butter) or half almond butter and half tahini, it makes the taste really nutty and smooth.
Omg this is delicious thanks!!! Wondering if this would freeze well?
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried it. But I believe others have. I would suggest searching the comments to see what others recommend.
Would this hummus freeze well? I’d like to double the recipe and freeze some for later if so. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried it. However, I believe others have and didn’t mind the results.
Very good instructions and mine turned out smooth.I am adding some hot flavoring.
Best recipe ever!!! Very smooth and creamy I added 2 cloves of garlic(love garlic) and extra lemon juice! Just perfect!!!
Nobody peels chickpeas in any case, the very idea is silly. A better hummus discards the fascination with smoothness, & makes a more rugged hummus that has a firm grainy texture like very rough skin-on reds as mashed potato. Smoothness is related to the presumption that the hummus will be used as a dip, as Americans are trained to gorge on food carried to their mouths on other food. It’s not necessary, skip the dip idea, skip the fatty low nutrition chips, and eat the hummus as a side.
I made the recipe and it was absolutely delicious BUT but but, it was very loose. I followed the recipe exactly but I wonder if the15.5 oz can of chickpeas I used was more water than chic peas. I didn’t measure to see if the can equaled 1 1/2 cups. That might have been my downfall. I will definitely try this again.
I just made this hummus and followed the recipe. This is my 3rd recipe making it. This is very good, as were the others I made, but…it takes time, there is a lot of dishes, pans, and the blender to clean up. I still know it’s easier to just go to the store and buy some good brand hummus you like! To much work and cleaning up for me when I can get just as good hummus at the store. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Donna! I appreciate your review.
This is my go to and it’s an excellent recipe. My only reason for commenting now is this – make sure your tahini is sufficiently mixed up! For the first time my tahini had separated then after tons of shaking I THOUGHT it was mixed only to make it and find it extremely bland. When I put a spoon into the tahini…it was like cement at the bottom. Triage ensued. Anyway, great recipe!
Kate, you really pulled out all the stops for this one! It is by far the very best hummus I’ve ever tasted and, more importantly, made! Just outstanding!
Great to hear! I’m happy you enjoyed it, Prim.
Wow – Best hummus ever! My husband cannot stop eating it and keeps saying this is really good. Your recipes never fail to please – thank you!
You’re welcome, Deb! Thank you for your review.
WARNING: if you quadruple the recipe, don’t quadruple the baking soda. Wound up with useless mush.
I was thrilled to serve this to my adult family of foodies.Easy and delish! It took our vegies to a fun new place. Thanks
You’re welcome, Kathy!
I’ve used this recipe as a basis for my hummus too many times to count! It’s always good. I typically add green Tabasco sauce and a hint of lime. Friends request my hummus at their parties and swear it’s best! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
That’s great to hear, Heidi! I appreciate your review.
It’s excellent, thank you so much. Definitely much better than my usual recipe which involved skinning the chickpeas (tedious), plus includes the fibre benefits of including the skins. This will be my go-to from now on.