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.
This hummus is so good!!! I had been looking for a recipe for extra creamy hummus after trying some at a local Mediterranean restaurant. After trying this smooth, creamy version, I can’t go back to the courser texture. I kept adding ice water to get the consistency I was looking for and it turned out perfect. Amazing
I love to hear that, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
Wow wow wow. I make hummus weekly and I think I have tried about 50 different recipes over the years but I don’t think I’ll ever try another! So simple (hooray, no chickpea peeling!) but the texture is PERFECT. I can’t wait to try a bunch of variations of this. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Really excellent Hummus!I followed your Recipe, and really like it! Easy to make and tastes fantastic!
Hey Kate! Big thanks to you and Cookie for sharing this recipe, it really is a winner…..absolutely delicious. A quick tip…..dont throw away the chickpea water (if canned or jarred being used) I drain them over a bowl before washing them and then used the aquafaba to make delicious chocolate mouse or ice-cream. No one ever believes its made using chickpea water! Also in the hummus, next time I’ll use just a little less lemon juice. Thanks again Kate. I’m a massive fan of your site and always recommend it!
Very best and warm regards, Mel :)
Mel! Goy any recipes for aquafaba chocolate mousse or ice cream? Tell me more!!!!
I made this recipe today – wanted to try a different way of making hummus. For me personally, the ratio of tahini was too high. I would try this again but back to a more traditional 50/50 tahini to live oil ratio. Maybe more garlic and more lemon juice! This recipe made incredibly smooth hummus.
I’m glad you loved it, Sharon! I appreciate your review.
Ignore all the other hummus recipes you found on google and just use this one. I tweaked the amounts to my tastes (less garlic, more lemon) but the ingredients and the technique are spot on. I used chilled chickpea liquid instead of water, but I’m sure either works fine.
I’m glad you loved it, Amanda!
This is really an amazing recipe! I make a double batch every couple of weeks. It’s a great midday snack and keeps me away from the chips. This last time I made it, I skipped the ice water and used some of the water from the cooked chickpeas. Came out great.
This Hummus Recipe has only one Flaw, as far as I can Tell…
The Hummus is So delicious, you can’t stop eating it!
I’ve already made a second batch, to share with Family. I did add the Zest from one Lemon, to the second Batch, too…it really adds that yummy, Citrusy Zing. Thanks for sharing your delicious Recipe!
This recipe is perfect!!!! Next time though i will either go a litter lighter on the tahini, or try another brand, as the Wegmans brand made this so bitter. I add some cayenne pepper to mine as well. Thanks for sharing this!
I’m glad you loved it, Becky! Thank you for your review.
This is such a creamy and delicious recipe! A few extra steps involved by boiling canned chickpeas – I can see how easy this would be if I were making it from dried beans. At first, I found the amount of tahini a bit overwhelming. After it sat overnight in my fridge (and after I compared the nutritive value of tahini vs olive oil), the flavors and textures melded, making it so delicious! I might add even more lemon juice and more garlic. This is an updated review from my initial thoughts now that the flavors have melded. When can I make this again?
Great, Sharon! I hope you love it again and again.
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Joel! Thank you for taking the time to review.
OK, my apologies for sending this a third time – I have upped my stars. I made this recipe the first time – delicious and creamy. I couldn’t wait for my meal or snack to have some. But I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t cook the canned garbanzo beans and still upped the tahini per the recipe. (I like to experiment in my kitchen, too.) And cooking the garbanzo beans wins hands down! I’m tossing all my other recipes for hummus and will stick to this one going forward. Thanks for bringing this unique technique to all of us!
Thank you for coming back! I’m glad you enjoyed it this round. I appreciate you sharing!
This is FANTASTIC!! The texture of the hummus is 100% perfect. This is the first time I made it, so I just did plain hummus. I roast my own peppers for vinegar peppers, so the next time I roast some, I will leave some out for roasted pepper hummus. The flavor is so mild and delicious. I do a lot of Asian cooking, and I love the taste of sesame oil, so this is just great! When I make roasted pepper hummus, do I just add the peppers after the hummus is made? And will that give the roasted pepper flavor? Thank you for doing all the research and for sharing this perfect recipe. I LOVE IT!!!!!
Best hummus recipe. Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jeanie.
I made it it came out delicious!! And thanks for the tips!!
You’re welcome, Maria! I appreciate your review.
This really is the best hummus recipe! Boiling the chickpeas makes all the difference. Thank you for this fabulous recipe:)
You’re welcome, Marilee!
This is awesome! So easy and quick to make!
Thank you for sharing, Nicki! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Great recipe! I’ll never go back to store bought. Could you please provide nutriinal information for the recipe (calories per serving, grams of fat etc.)
Thank you,
Curtis
Delish! Delish! Delish!
The tahini I purchased was eh, the oil didn’t taste great, so dabbed it all off the solid thick paste part and used it, it was fine.
I think I’m going to buy a larger food processor so I can make multiple batches at a time.
I had to add more water to get to smoothness we wanted (probably bc I wiped all the oil off tahini).
Too much lemon, unfortunately
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe, Petra.
This is the best hummus recipe I have tried! It is a bit thick for me so I will be adding more ice water next time.
I have made this hummus a number of times before, and it has never let me down. It is the best hummus recipe I’ve ever had. Thank you so much Cookie and Kate for taking the time to perfect this recipe and share it.
This is the creaminess Hummus I’ve ever had, SO yummy, thanks fir sharing!
You’re welcome, Virginia! I appreciate your review.
Oh my gosh!! I began looking for a hummus recipe because I’m living in South Carolina and I miss my favorite hummus in the world….from Aladdin’s in San Diego!!! It is simply the best. Thanks for posting this, I will give it a try.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Jennier.
Amazingly good! I began searching for a smooth hummus recipe after my local grocery store increased the price of boars head to six dollars (too much for too little IMO). Your recipe is 100% spot on and will note that I agree that a little extra salt and lemon juice adds the correct amount of twist… Thank you
You’re welcome, CJ!
Best recipe ever! I’ve shared this multiple times and always am asked, how I got it so smooth!
Thank you
You’re welcome, Barbara!
I have been trying to come close to duplicating Zahav’s warm hummus but continue to fail. Until today when I made this recipe with canned chick peas. I used the baking soda technique to soften them. Also let the garlic mellow in the lemon juice. The only better textured hummus I’ve ever had was at Zahav itself.
I’ve tried a few hummus recipes and this is by far the best one! It’s so creamy and fluffy and smooth. I only had a quarter of a lemon but it’s still very tasty. Definitely better than store bought. It will be my go to hummus recipe. Next time I will make sure I have enough lemons on hand!
I’m glad you love it, Karen! Thank you for your review.
I want to share this recipe with everyone I know! I am obsessed and will be making it for the foreseeable future. I could live off of this and fresh veggies alone. No need to try another recipe this is perfection.
Thank you for sharing, Codi!
Just tried this recipe it’s perfect the best thanks for sharing
You’re welcome, Col! I appreciate your review.
I truly dislike tahini – can I substitute a nut butter?
Hi Penny! Others have tried it and didn’t mind the results.
Success! I never would have guessed about the ice water, but that was KEY. I sometimes give up eating hummus because it’s expensive at the grocery store. Now I will eat this hummus for dessert–I love it so much. Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Sarita!
great texture! got a little confused and used a bulb of garlic instead of a clove! very garlicky as you can imagine! i bet it’s normally very good! will be making a second attempt!
Thank you, Zed!
Can I use Potassium bicarbonate instead of baking soda? I cannot use any salt products. Thanks!
Hi Donna! This recipe is best as written. I hope you try it!
SO creamy! My family devoured this hummus and my husband kept asking how I made it taste so good :) Thank you! This will be a new go-to recipe for me!
Great to hear, Kelly! Thank you for your review.
Hands down best hummus recipe so far! The baking soda tip is with me for life. Here I was thinking the 5lb bag of chickpeas I bought had something wrong with them, I would boil them for hours and spend 40 min to peel them and my hummus was still grainy. Not this time! Spent a fraction of the time and have the smoothest hummus! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Clarissa! Thank you for your review.
The best hummus we’ve ever tasted … and the texture is amazing.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Pamela.
I’m a hummus fanatic and am constantly on a quest to find the perfect recipe. THIS is it! Thank you for sharing such a perfect recipe and the techniques to make all of our hummus dreams come true!
Thx for the best hummus recipe ever! Cooking the chickpeas made a big difference. My hummus was so smooth and fluffy. I added the extra salt & lemon juice. I also added some Zà tar (Mid-Eastern spice) for more depth. My hubby is a hummus snob, now he won’t eat any other. He requested some w fresh pesto swirled on top and it’s an awesome combo.
I’m glad you loved it, Ginny!
I have made this recipe and it is fantastic. I personally have always loved hummus, my husband has never been a fan. After making this, he eats it every time I make it and loves it.
I do have a question, I want to make it with roasted garlic (as 1 I love garlic period and 2 roasted garlic is the absolute bomb), do I use the roasted garlic in place of the regular non roasted that is used in this recipe; or do I add the roasted garlic to the garlic already listed in this? Thank you for your time and have a wonderful day.
Best hummus ever! And my Israeli friend gave it high praise, so you know it’s true :-) I used canned chickpeas and boiled them with baking soda, as you instructed. When I drained them, I skimmed off most of the skins. This technique, plus extra lemon juice and the ice water, made the creamiest hummus. I sprinkled a generous amount of sumac on top before serving. Thank you for a keeper recipe!
Second time making Hummus and it keeps getting better
Loved the recipe as a foundation but tweaked it a bit. We always cook our own beans for everything: my wife is Brazilian. Soaked them overnight to reduce gas a bit and cook faster. The other basic trick is to use a Vitamix to pound the ingredients to baby food texture.
I used 2T more garbanzo beans, 2 big cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch more cumin, and 2 T fruity organic olive oil. Oh: everything was organic.
Maybe if I had better tahini I wouldn’t have been moved to increase everything else. I’ll try your Somali stuff. Thanks!
HI there, which Tahini is best for this recipe Hulled or Unhulled ? I gather you use Hulled as the dip looks lighter in colour.
Thank you, Take care.
Marisa
I have made this before and it’s done great, but this was the first time I added ice water to the tahini first, and it made it get really chunky and separate. Did I do something wrong?
Try to add a bit more. Sometimes it does seize up.
Hey Kate,
Would it be alright to leave out the cumin altogether? Am not a big fan of it. What could I use instead? Thanks .
Shamani
Hi Shamani, you can omit, but I recommend this best as written. I haven’t tried a substitute spice.
It really is the best.
Love this hummus recipe/method! Thank you so much for working it out and posting. It’s my go to, as is your granola recipe.
I love to hear that, Jeannie! I appreciate your review.
Perfect!!! Just love the recipe!!!
I make this recipe all the time as is it so easy and so smooth. I just finished making it again. I saw your other add ins and wondered is it too late to add black olives once it is smooth?
I couldn’t get the tahini to thicken up using a high powered blender. I used the Yahuda brand of tahini. Is a food processor absolutely needed? Still tastes good though
I’m sorry to hear that. It may have been your tahini. I’m glad you still enjoyed it!
Thank u! This is the best! It is so creamy and soft. I’m addicted!
That’s great to hear, Bethina!