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 have been trying to make great hummus for years – to no avail. The texture and spice mixture is always off. I’ve never until now found a way to get the creamy, smooth texture of this delicious hummus. I cooked the chickpeas with baking soda, and it did the trick. So did adding the ice water. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Maci! I appreciate your review.
This is the best! Any thoughts on how to make this beet hummus?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Just made your recipe amazing I live near London England and love love humus x this was a brilliant recipe all the tips who knew thank you soo much it is delish x
I had a 29ox can of chickpeas, so I doubled the recipe. AND I’M SO GLAD I DID!!! My husband is not really a fan of garlic (Iknow, it’s seriously limiting), but he LOVES hummus. Making it myself, I can control the level of garlic, and this is definitely the best recipe I’ve tried. We ate a lot of it when he got home from work last night!!! It’s a keeper and will be on repeat in this house!
Thanks!!!
You’re welcome, Ellen!
Thank you, the trick with blending the tahini first and the ice water really worked for me… the texture is silky soft!
Omg….I’m licking everything!! It is soooo good and CREAMY!!! Awesome! Great recipe! I don’t think I ever had hummus this good! Thank you, thank you!
You’re welcome, Eileen! I appreciate your review.
The very best hummus I have ever made. Thank you
Yum. Thank you for including the info on the Tahini brands. I went with Trader Joe’s cooking the chickpeas and mellowing the garlic are awesome tips. Light, fluffy, mmmmmmmm.
Really lovely texture. A little too much tahini for my taste, but absolutely a win to cook the canned beans in baking soda, and the cold water addition made it so smooth. Just a bit too much of the tahini, all the other flavors were lost to it.
Sorry, Removing the SKINS is a requirement for the SMOOTHEST Hummus … if you don’t, you’re only kidding yourself!! This is a nice recipe, sans the SKINS!!
I love this hummus!! Made it many times. Is it possible to boil the chickpeas the day before and chill in the fridge overnight?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
My son loves hummus, but is very picky. His favorite hummus has always been Kirkland brand, I have tried and failed repeatedly with other recipes to get my hummus flavor and smoothness to match it.
This recipe has finally got my picky eater’s seal of approval! This is a keeper!
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing.
Can you freeze this? How long will it keep in the refrigerator?
I don’t see why not. Let me know if you try it!
This seems amazing and I’m really excited to make this for a large scale party I’m hosting. But I’ve got a lot going on, so I’d love to make this more than 3 days ahead. It says online you can freeze hummus recipes, is that also fine for this recipe or would the quality suffer too much? Thanks in advance.
I know others have and didn’t mind the results. Let me know what you think!
Omg I’m so happy I found this recipe! I love hummus and this is sooo good! It’s like what you get at any great Mediterranean restaurant – creamy and delish. This is a keeper and a sharer – easy to follow and make. I’ll never buy store bought again!
Great recipe, but way too much tahini. 1/4 cup and add some of the liquid from the canned chickpeas. Thanks for sharing!
My best go to hummus! Love this recipe and always double it! So delish thank you!
Made this recipe not long ago for a group gathering. I found this to be delicious but the true test… my best friend who admits that she is not much of a hummus fan typically, raved about the flavor. Currently, I am preparing it again to take to another gathering. I don’t doubt it will be a hit. You are always so informed regarding your recipes. I so appreciate the details you have discovered either by your research or from your own testing. I am a novice when it comes to cooking but I always feel your recipes allow me to feel more informed and confident when it comes to making a new dish. Thank you!
I’ve made hommus alot over my time but overwhelmed by how smooth, light, airy and tasty this hummus is. This ones a keeper and my go to. My husband even scraped the bowl!
I love that! thank you for your review, Nina.
It is the best hummus I have made and I added cooked beetroot to it as a variant and it was delicious I thought.
This was by far the best hummus I’ve ever had. My friend who spent a month in Jordan and Israel said she hasn’t had such good hummus since being overseas. One question: after boiling I noticed the majority of the peels had separated from the chickpeas. I tried to discard those but can I really just leave them in with the chickpeas? I’m so used to removing peels that it felt wrong to keep them but I’m wondering if I’m making more work for myself than need be.
I have cooked chickpeas I froze. Could I use those in this hummus recipe?
They would need to be thawed first and follow the steps in the notes to guide you. Let me know how it turns out!
I’m 73 years old and I’ve eaten a lot of hummus in my lifetime both homemade and store-bought and restaurant grade. This is the best! My tahini was fairly runny, so I did not use any extra water. I loved cooking the chickpeas with a little soda, and then rinsing and draining them. For some reason that just felt like so much better than dumping them in and out of the can. I’m going to put pitted Kalamata olives and olive oil on the top when I serve the hummus. Thank you so much.
Wonderful to hear, Barbara!
this recipe is such a keeper! thank you so much!
I’m glad you loved it, Bonnie!
I made this recipe. It was super easy and the results were just right. I will be making it again. I also added an additional 1/4 tsp salt. Thank you
So, I began to know that this hummus was going to be off the charts when, between step 3 and step 4, I tasted the bit that fell on my finger…and then got a spoon to dip in the stuff to taste some more! Mind you, this was BEFORE adding in the actual chickpeas. Oh yeah. It was good. The whole concoction, when it was finished, had me calculating how much money I could have saved over my decades of buying it thinking that great hummus only came out of Middle Eastern restaurants! Are you telling me that a fifty cent box of baking soda is going to save me hundreds of dollars over my future?? Yeah, that’s what you’re telling me.
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.
That’s great to hear, Ron!
Made this the other week. I’ve been making hummus for years and then my husband went off it. So, I tried this recipe and he said it was the best hummus I’d ever made. I used dried chickpeas and added icecubes instead of iced water. I like the fact that it has less oil than I’m used to putting in and the way that the garlic ‘softens’ its flavour by letting it rest in the lemon juice for a while. Thanks. Making it again today.
I love to hear that!
Thank you so much, one of the best hummus recipes I’ve made, didn’t leave the boiling for 20minutes due to them being quite soft…it was a little runny but maybe due to too much lemon juice..
Yummy
Literally. This is my go to recipe now!!! The *tricks are so key for the fluffiest best hummus. Highly recommend
This is everything promised! My 9 yr old got excited it was son yummy! I ate it for lunch, didn’t even wait for it to cool
when the skin comes off the chickpea should the skin be discarded?
No need to discard!
I admit I was skeptical. But the baking soda is genius and ice water is transformative. Most delicious and smooth ever. I definitely add more garlic…thx
I love this recipe. I make one batch a week in my vitamix and eat it on homemade sourdough toast for breakfast! I haven’t tried any of the variations yet as I am so taken with the original!
The best ever hummus, no lie! I leave out the garlic, which is sad but it upsets my husband. I always add a swirl of olive oil and extra squeeze of lemon at the table, and top with toasted pine nuts or pistachios. I have loved all the recipes I’ve made from your site, every one a winner.
I will certainly be using your recipe this week. My husband and I compete over making the best humous :-)
It turns out Baking Soda and Lemon Juice will go Science-Project Volcano in your blender if you don’t rinse those chickpeas thoroughly after boiling. I can’t speak on the flavor yet, but after I collect the hummus off the walls I will report back.
Did you boil the chickpeas in the baking soda 1st, then drain & rinse the chickpeas thoroughly before adding them to the blender or did you just add the baking soda & chickpeas to the blender?
I’ve made hummus using this recipe a lot recently and it truly is the absolute best hummus I’ve ever tasted!! I cook my own chickpeas because I love the smell when they are cooking. My husband has just used a spoon to eat it straight out of the bowl (so have I). I make a new batch about once a week. It’s by far the best recipe!! Thank you!!
As with your other recipes, this one does not disappoint! I’m so happy that I can now make ultra-smooth hummus thanks to you. This will go so well with your crispy falafel recipe yummy!
Yes, that is a great combination! Thank you for sharing, Dawn.
This is the best hummus I have EVER made. It is so delicious!!!
Great to hear, Linda!
Best homemade hummus EVER! I have been making the same recipe for years and this one rocks! I actually looked up the “science” behind adding baking soda….WOW, it made all the difference in the smooth creamy texture. You have some of the best recipes…..going to make your crispy baked falafel and tahini dressing to add to my plethora of delicious hummus. Keep up the great work!
P.S. I love your story, I currently have 4 boys (Monroe, Reagan, Harrison and Fitzgerald). I know Cookie is playing with all mine who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I have lots of great homemade pooch treats I would be happy to share with you.
I’m glad you love it, Meredith! Thank you for your review.
I rarely ever leave a comment but I have to thank you for this recipe. This is the best humus I have ever tasted bar none. I’ll be making this at home forever.
Oh my goodness! This recipe is simply delicious. Highly recommend spending the money on a good quality tahini like suggested. It makes ALL the difference. The only adaptations I made were to leave out the garlic as it makes me sick. Other than that, followed to a tee. Thank you so much Kate for this amazing recipe! So so so good!
That’s great to hear, Kindra! I appreciate your review.
Hey, this recipe is bomb the addition of bicarb is amazing! Thanks so much for a great recipe, I love plenty of garlic in mine. As I am cutting down on carbs, I love to replace half of my mash potato with hummus, this recipe goes very well thank you.
This is the Best Hummus Recipe Ever! It takes me back to the Mediterranean House Restaurant I went to in the 70’s. They served pickled turnips with their pita bread, which I highly recommend. They compliment the hummus and pita. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us!
I’m making it as I type this but I got a bit confused… your notes for cooking the chickpeas is 3/4 cups but your recipe is asking for 1.5 cup. Which one is the correct amount of chickpeas? .
Hi Canal, they will expand as they cook so volume is slightly different. Does that help?
It doesn’t seem like the chickpea skins completely break down. They do get very soft when boiled with the baking soda Can you confirm I can blend in what remains? Love love the recipe!
Yes, it will be cooked enough that once blended will be smooth and creamy. I hope you enjoy it!
Love this recipe! Only put in about a tablespoon of tahini, as my family and I prefer less, but love the technique and lack of grainy texture. Thanks so much!
Absolutely amazing! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Tanya!
Best hummus recipe I’ve ever tasted and I’ve made a lot. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Doris!