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 this amazing recipe! Do you have a recipe for homemade tahini too?!
Hi Brooke, I don’t have a homemade tahini. Sorry!
OMG! I’m a first-timer at making hummus. This turned out soooo Yummy! I will definitely make it again. Started from scratch on everything except the tahini. I chickened out and bought some since I couldn’t find sesame seeds sold in bulk. The next time I’m going to try roasted red peppers. Wondering: do I put the pepper strips in the processor or just fold it in manually?
Add it to the processor to get it blended in once you have your hummus established. Let me know what you think!
WOW.
I haven’t had good hummus since I left the middle east and i’ve been really sad about it.
I was nervous to try making it myself for the first time but it is SO DELICIOUS.
I’m glad you tried this and enjoyed it, Abby! I appreciate your review.
Hey Karen you can get it off amazon very easily and if you have prime it’s probably as cheap as going to the grocery store.
Can home made tahini be used?
Sure! Let me know what you think when you try it.
I’m on a continual quest for good hummus. I’ve peeled garbanzo beans (who has that kind of time??!!). My search can stop! All of the great tips in how to make it…amazing results! THANK You!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy it.
I soaked a bag of dry chic peas in water overnight and THEN found your amazing recipe lol. Now what? I usually cook them in my pressure cooker next. Your recipe has two options, canned or dry. At this point, do I use a saucepan with the baking soda or just use my pressure cooker? I make the smallest task difficult lol
Hi! I would try the pressure cooker, but I’m not sure for sure. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi, I put in 4 tbsp of water and it’s runnier than I would like. Is there a quick way to fix it? I don’t have any more cooked chickpeas, but I do have chickpea flour if that’s helpful.
I wouldn’t suggest adding flour. Possibly try processing it with more chickpeas, but you may need to adjust your flavor as well. I can’t say for sure without trying it myself. Sorry!
This is my “go to” recipe for hummus! LOVE it! If it’s a bit thin, just try refrigerating it. Mine always thickens up overnight in the fridge. Processing in a bit more olive oil at high speed can thicken it up too, but it’s not as fluffy. In a pinch, you can add some canned cannellini or navy beans you’ve boiled with baking soda. My final trick for last-minute desperation fixes: add a little bit of instant potato flakes (unflavored). They can cover up a lot of thin sauce, soup, gravy and dip issues. Just be sure to amp up the other flavors to compensate!
I love that this is a go-to recipe for you, Kayce! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I have been making hummus for years and could never figure out how to get it this smooth. This is now my very favorite recipe.
First time hummus maker. Followed your very clear directions and turned out some amazing hummus. I will be making this again.
Great to hear, Cheryl! I appreciate your review.
***** Oh. My. Word. I have died and gone to Hummus Heaven. Followed recipe exactly, including extra cooking for tinned cp’s. Absolutely astonishing. We can’t stop eating it! THANK YOU xxx
Thank you! This is quite possibly the BEST hummus I’ve ever made or eaten for that matter!
Wonderful to hear!
First step you don’t indicate whether or not you’re using dried chickpeas or canned chickpeas?
Hi Ian! See the ingredient list. This recipe calls for canned. I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe looks amazing, can I use a hand blender if I don’t have a food processor?
Sure! I hope you love it.
I’ve tried making hummus several times and although delicious it was always rather grainy. This recipe came out super creamy and delicious! Instead of ice water I added a couple ice cubes. I will definitely make this again!
Great to hear, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
This was the best Hummus ever. I would like to make a roasted red pepper hummus too. I was thinking to make this exact hummus and then blend some roasted red pepper so the pepper is a smooth paste and then blend it in with the hummus. Would that work? Or do you recommend to make it a different way with ingredient alterations? Would be so greatful on your thoughts. Thanks
You could try it. Let me know how it turns out, Lara!
Love this recipe, thank you.
You’re welcome, Cathi!
No more store bought hummus for me! This recipe rocks. I’m super picky with hummus (it’s always too thin, too chunky, not enough flavor etc) but this recipe makes an incredible batch each time that lasts for days. I sometimes think of adding some roasted red peppers or pesto to it, but always opt for plain because it’s so good lol. So simple and easy, thank you!!
Thank you for the recipe! Is this correct?
½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)
Or is the baking soda meant to be added if cooking dried chickpeas?
Thank you!
Hi! Yes for the canned. See the post for more of a description. I hope you love it!
About to make this recipe – I thought canned chickpeas were already cooked?
Hi! You need to make sure they are soft enough to get you the best creamy consistency. I hope you try it!
Absolutely love this recipe! The only thing I do different is add ice cubes instead of ice water and a pinch of sumac. Like you, I also add a bit more salt and lemon juice at the end. Excellent!!
so, so good. Amazing flavor. I agree with everyone else, so more store bought, ever.
Thank you for all the secrets of this amazing hummus.
You’re welcome, Jolie! I appreciate your review.
I wanted to make homemade hummus instead of store bought and ran across your recipe. While it was more complicated in the procedural sense, I had all the ingredients at home so I made it and was incredibly pleased with how fabulous it turned out. Thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Jojo! I appreciate your comment and review.
Absolutely perfect – followed steps as written and this is the best hummus,ever! Reduced the liquids – lemon juice and water [very] slightly as can only buy 14oz tins of CP’s in Canada. :)
Hello! This is the first time I’ve made hummus and I followed all of your special steps. Thank you!!! I am very happy with this texture!! I found the flavour to be very mellow but it’s up to each person to add their own toppings, so I put a dollop of chili garlic sauce on top and it’s so good!! Thank you for all of the little tips!!! This is going in my permanent recipe collection! Peace :)
This recipe turned out so wonderful that I bought containers and gifted it with crackers to friends for Xmas.
This recipe was perfect! I made no changes and it was great!
Hello from Australia, just found you – keen to try. Ate shop bought hummus once, never tried again. Would luv to make for Christmas for kids so checked your site for beetroot hummus. Any chance you have this recipe in your repertoire at home. Need something colourful to entice.
Thanks
Looking fwd to making…when do i add the chickpeas to blender?
Hi! See step 5. I hope you enjoy it!
Finally smooth creamy hummus. Thank you for the secret. The best!
Great recipe, Thank you sooo much. Question is this recipe freezer friendly?
Hi! I haven’t tried it. However, I think others have and didn’t mind the results.
This was delicious… just made this tonight.. I work in NYC and there is a vendor who sells Mediterranean food around the corner from wheee inwork and I never knew hummus could be that good.. all the recipes I tried were always thick mushy and grainy… but this recipe was almost exactly the same….next time I would add a touch less lemon and less water but I was looking to duplicate what I was trying to replicate..also the extra salt mentioned is needed but OMG thank you and my wife thanks you as well!
You’re welcome, Matt! Thank you for your review.
I did the plain hummus tonight Monday, December 19,2022. I agree 100% you have written the best instruction to make hummus. I am a very picky reader and I give credit when credit is due. My husband loved the hummus and we both enjoyed the conversation on how I found your site. I usually read so many recipes first before I would try a recipe. For the first time I found you and was hook from your explanations how you ended up having a delicious hummus. I never look for any other recipe at all. This one is a winner in writing, photography, instructions and healthy recipe. Now I will do each of your suggestion for variety next time. Thank you. Great job. If I may have to give the recipe award tonight, you are it.
Hi Kate. I have just made a triple amount of this absolutely delish hummus. My four beautiful grandchildren are coming to our farm for Christmas….I can’t wait….and they all loooove hummus with julienned veg. I’m about to sit down with a cuppa and a few crackers…with guess what else? Thank you for such an easy and yummy recipe.
Happy festive season to you and your family from me ‘down under’xx
Omg the best hummus I’ve eaten my first time making it too ! Perfect
Thank you for the recipe and awesome instructions. This is the smoothest hummus I have ever made. Brought it to a party and had many compliments. : )
I’ve made this numerous times and it is fabulous! Not much tweaking was done, except a little more garlic, which is amazing since I am always changing up recipes.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Patti! Thank you for your review.
Wow! I’ve finally found the best hummus recipe I’ve ever tried making, and will never buy it again. The texture is so smooth, fluffy, and creamy! I only made one batch, but, now that I know how perfect it is, I’ll be making much more!
I followed the recipe exactly, and topped it off with chopped fresh parsley that I picked from my herb garden, as well as a drizzle of olive oil and a little paprika. I want to experiment with other toppings eventually, but I’m going to savor this classic version a while longer first.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe, and Happy New Year!
Hooray! I’m excited you enjoyed it, Jessica. I appreciate your review.
Lovely recipe Kate. Thank you.
Yes, I do soak the chickpeas overnight and I peel the skin off. I add cumin and some pepper powder too while blending.
I add cold water too, to blend the Tahina. I leave some whole chickpeas to garnish.
Lovely recipe Kate. Thank you.
Yes, I do soak the chickpeas overnight and I peel the skin off. I add cumin and some pepper powder too while blending. I pressure cook the chickpeas, so no use of baking soda was required.
I add cold water too, to blend the Tahina. I leave some whole chickpeas to garnish.
I should have read the actual recipe part, and not just the ingredients list. Turns out if you add all of this (I think in particular the lemon juice and soda) to a nutribullet and blend it then it will explode with some force when you open it up. Science is painful sometimes.
Just made this recipe using Bush’s kick-start Tuscany chickpeas and it is SO GOOD! I drained & boiled the chick peas as directed, reserving the olive oil, tomato & herb sauce they were packed in, then added 2 Tablespoons back in at the end (with extra lemon juice and a touch of salt. Yum!!!!). I love your recipes! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
I loved the way this hummus turned out! It was creamy and the perfect consistency! I used a ninja blender for it and made the Tahini too (its not hard at all)! Thank you for this great recipe!!!
Great to hear, Katie! I appreciate your review.
Thanks for the great hummus recipe. I bought a Kenwood food processor to do this, and although it wasn’t that great and my hummus didn’t come out 100% smooth, it is still delicious and there aren’t any hard bits because of your clever suggestion to cook them till soft. The only tahini I could find was from M&S (England) and was disappointingly slightly bitter. I’ll be making my own for the next batch.
When do you add in the extras, like olives,red peppers, etc? Do you blend altogether so no pieces left, or just fold in after all blending is done?
You are right!!
The best recipe for hummus!
I’ve used it many times now, and posted your link in my FB page.
Thank you very much!!!
You’re welcome, Uldra! I appreciate your review.
I made the hummus and it was AMAZING! I made it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving and my family couldn’t get enough! You rock! T
OMG! I just made this and it’s outstanding. So creamy and smooth, and great flavour.
Your advice was CRITICAL – failed attempts in the past omitted the baking soda/skin step and this is truly a game changer. Thank you for outlining the importance of it!
Wonderful to hear, Aleks! I appreciate your review.
Hands down the best hummus my family has ever eaten, complete with a lot of mmms, sighs, and eye rolling. This is THE hummus recipe and I can’t wait to try some of the variations suggested. This was so special that we also looked up a authentic way to heat pita bread. Thank you such a wonderful experience! Now I’m off to sign up for your newsletter!
I read several recipes for hummus, and I could tell this would be the best. However, most of the recipes added ground cumin, which I did, for depth of flavor, but it’s a matter of taste — there are endless variations, and this is the best basic recipe.
Help!
I boiled the canned chickpeas for 25 minutes (put them in cold water and) but they turned grey and smelled like eggs. I threw them out but have another can to try again. What did I do wrong?
I can’t wait to try this recipe but would hate to spoil another batch. Thank you!
I’m sorry to hear that! You may have had ones that were bad. I haven’t run into the issue.
first time I made this recipe it was delicious since then I find it bitter tasting any guesses what I might be doing or not doing?
Truly swoon-worthy – I am not buying sad tubs of hummus ever again! This was creamy and delicious. I will attempt to cook the Garbanzos from scratch one day, but I can see making this regularly. Thank you for a great recipe.
I love to hear that, Judith! Thank you for your review.
I’m a little confused. After boiling, I have kind of a loose mush of beans and skin. Am I supposed to include the skins in the recipe?
Hi! No need to remove the skills. You will add them to the processor when stated. I hope you enjoyed it!
I had the same question! I’m glad you asked. I picked the skins out last time, next time it will be even easier. Love this recipe!
Wow!!! Amazingly smooth. I will never go back to store-bought. Now a quest to find a better tahihi here in New Zealand…
Tastes amazing! Very easy to make, smooth and addicting. I am doubling the batches from now on, it disappeared way too fast. I am going to try making own own tahini next time to save some $. Thanx bunches Kate