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.
Yummy! I overcooked my chickpeas in the instant pot on accident by forgetting them after I released the pressure, they sat on the keep warm setting for two hours and made for the creamiest hummus I’ve made yet!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
This is delicious! I started with a recipe from another vegetarian cookbook but the hummus was lacking. My husband looked up this recipe and it’s right on the money. We made it twice in a week it’s so good!
Twice in one week!? That’s awesome! Thanks so much, Kris for your review.
I just made this and it is WONDERFUL… thank you. I have been looking for a good easy recipe…that is close to Lebanese style….I will be visiting your site often…I would welcome a good recipe for Baba Gaboush that has that roasted flavor of the eggplant…
I’m so lad you loved it! Thanks for the review.
Awesomely creamy and delicious!! Best hummus I’ve ever made. Will do this one again and again!!!
Thank you!
Thank you for doing all the research and testing to give us the best hummus recipe! I’ve had a lot of really good tasting hummus in my day, but this was absolutely the best hummus I’ve ever eaten! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful and that you really liked it!
Very nice recipe. Easy and very creamy. Thank you for sharing it.
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for your review, Mali.
Thanks for posting this! Used your recipe as the model for my first time making humus it turned out great!
You’re welcome, Michael! I’m glad it turned out great.
OMG, by far the absolute best homemade hummus! Followed recipe to the tee and it turned out perfectly! Can’t wait to take it to the Super Bowl party!!
Great to hear you loved it, Terry!
Hi Kate,
Having some friends over to watch the Super Bowl and I wanted to add hummus to the snack offerings. Decided to give your recipe a try. UH-MAY-ZING!!
Really good, so smooth and creamy. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Oh, give Cookie a pat on the head and a treat for me. :)
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Bob.
Hands on, the best hummus I have ever tasted in my life! And I have made, bought and tasted A LOT of it. Can barely keep myself from eating the entire bowl :D
Thank you for taking your time and putting in effort to do the research and selflesssly share it with us.
Made this the other night and it was truly amazing! Tasted just like the hummus I get at my favorite Mediterranean place. Thank you for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Lulu! Thanks so much for your review.
Made this for dinner with friends. It was absolutely yummy! Thank you for your research and your sharing! And just like everyone else, don’t think I can buy store bought hummus again!
This is the first time I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe page. But this hummus is amazing. I have only ever had store bought hummus. But then I made this and OMG it is amazing. So so so much better than what I have been buying. Thank you!
Good Morning Kate!
I have everything but the tahini on hand and there’s a snowstorm going on here; I’ve seen other recipes substitute natural style peanut butter.
Your thoughts??
This is fantastic hummus! So much better than store bought. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for the tip on boiling the chickpeas! Very helpful!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful, Kate. I really appreciate your review!
I’m going to try this. Would you mind telling me the quantity of each ingredient in grams? Thank you!
Hi! Sorry, I don’t cook in grams. I recommend using a converter online. Myrecipes has a good one from my understanding.
How many days in advance can I make this?
Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
Love this! I suddenly remembered in the middle of making another batch that I never left a review or comment. Here it is. This is my go to recipe and I’ve had many different recipes but this one tops them all! Thank you.
Thanks for coming back to review, Kim!
Truly best hummus i ever tasted. Made it exactly as written, starting with dried organic chickpeas. Used the tahini ordered from amazon which was not only smoother and a bit thinner than other tahini I’ve used, but also had a much livelier sesame flavor. Did add some extra lemon juice. Will make again today and perhaps add a little more garlic.
Hooray! Thanks for letting me know how much you love this hummus, Steve.
Lemon allergy! Can I sub aquafaba for the lemon juice?
Oh no! I’m not sure with that one as I didn’t test it. Maybe another citrus like lime or orange juice, or use half as much white vinegar or white wine? I’m not sure how these would impact the overall taste and texture.
I tried it and it was fine. A little tahini-y, but delicious none the less. Sorry I should have specified citrus allergy so orange or lime wouldn’t work. I would try vinegar next time, but it was delish just using aquafaba as a swap for lemon. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, it is really good! :)
You’re welcome, Lucas! I’m really glad you liked it.
Amazing hummus!!
Thanks, Steph!
Yes fabulous! Yummy x took mine out of jar an added more tahini … and more lemon juice ! Iced water added …. simply delicious !
I’m happy to hear that, Vera!
I noticed your comment about the Alladins guy who stubbornly refused to share their hummus secrets…I thought it was funny and ironically timed due to the fact that one of my best friends is the kitchen manager at one of their locations. We made a big batch last night and it was incredibly simple. I’ll keep his trust by not “spilling the beans” but suffice it to say that it was slightly more simple even than your recipe which…I will be trying as well as soon as my current batch is shared, eaten, and enjoyed. Looking forward to it!
You can’t blame them I guess. :) Thanks for your comment!
Holy Jeezus. I’m so happy!! This was amazing. Used garlic that I roasted in the oven till soft.. besides that, exactly as per your recipe. Amazing! Thank you!!
Thanks for your feedback, Nadia!
Honestly- I made your classic hummus and the variation with sun-dried tomatoes, and paired it with home made fresh pita bread…HEAVEN.
Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Saskia! Thanks for your feedback.
Never made hummus before….I will never buy hummus again after making this recipe. Soooooooo good and authentic. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Great, Luz!
Oh my my!!! The best hummus E V E R! I barely veered from the recipe but I did add a bit more garlic and lemon but not much. I’ve been making hummus for years and never realized I was making mediocre hummus. I’m blown away at how amazing this recipe turned out. Thank you for doing all the trial and errors and saving us from having to figure out all the little details. It truly IS the most amazing recipe! I will never go back to that old recipe I used to call hummus!
Best hummus for the win! Thanks for sharing, Ramona. I’m so glad you agree and love this recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! I followed it exactly per the recipe and your tips and it tastes like “the one.” I ALWAYS end up tweaking recipes I find online, but I will not touch this one. You made this pregnant lady excited about food for a little bit!
This makes me so happy to hear, Laura! Thanks so much for your review.
You are a genius! The trick in letting the garlic mellow with the lemon is amazing! This is the best hummus I have ever eaten! Thank you so much for “cracking the hummus code” and sharing it with the world! Best of luck to you in your future cooking endeavors!
Thanks, Susanne!
This is by far the best hummus I’ve ever had, I’m no aficionado but I know when something tastes good and this recipe just works. I’ve made it twice now and both times it was awesome.
That’s great, Mark! Thanks so much for your review.
I really don’t think I can resort to eating storebought hummus again after eating this—I was licking it out of the bowl it was so good. Not that I anticipate having much left over, but I am wondering how long you think it can keep in the fridge once made?
It’s so good, Shannon! I’m glad you agree. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
creamy hummus, go figure! Thanks Kate,taste and texture is right there. Thanks for doing all the work.
You’re welcome, Dennis!
This hummus recipe is literally amazing! I have made this probably once a week since discovering this recipe, my daughters love this as a snack. And it’s so much easier not having to peel the chickpeas!
I’m glad you all love it, Hayley!
At last!!!!! I finally made hummus that tastes good! Thank youuuuuuuuu! It was perfect and creamy.
Hooray! Thanks, Madame!
This is the best hummus recipe by far! Thanks for this! Love the tip of cooking the canned chick peas. Worked like a charm.
Great, Stefania!
The tips and tricks on this post are awesome! And yields a super smooth hummus. But the recipe calls for way too much cumin. It is completely overwhelming. Next time I will use my own spices to correct the problem. Thanks for the tips though!
I’m happy you found it helpful, Karissa! Thanks so much for your review.
Would there be a good substitute for the lemon? That is one of the foods my husband is supposed to avoid…but this recipe is so good with the lemon.
The lemon helps make this! Sometimes vinegar works(1/2 the amount) in place of the lemon, but I’m hesitant to say that here. Maybe try it with and without as you test it? Let me know!
Hello,
I just made this and I am enjoying it.I wanted to try it exactly as the recipe states first. Next time I will double the garlic, salt and add a tad of cayenne. The texture was good the flavor needed more for my liking. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Dianne! Thanks for your review.
Omg , this is the best. I’ve tried and failed several times. This came out perfect.
Great to hear, Terri!
This hummus recipe is absolutely fabulous. I made it according to directions and got a lot of raves from my friends when I served it at a get-together. My only regret is not making it a day before. I think the flavors on the second day were so much better. I will use this recipe whenever I want to make hummus; it is delicious! Thank you for sharing all the tips. I loved the creaminess of the finished hummus.
Love to hear it was a hit at your gathering, Kirsten! The flavors do really get more delicious as it sits.
excellent – boiling the chickpeas did indeed make a creamier hummus. I upped the salt, cumin and garlic a little and added a good handful of parsley. Delicious
Thank you, Carol!
This receipt of yours is really the best! So smooth and it has a beautiful taste. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Thank you, Lynn!
I love this hummus recipe, and it is the best one that I have tasted. I make this recipe all the time. I use the organic chickpeas and tahini from Brandless and this last time, I was out of fresh lemons, so I used fresh lime juice and liked the flavor a lot. Thank you for this recipe. I don’t use any other!
Thank you, Kirsten!
This recipe is excellent. I’ve never left a comment on a recipe page before, but I feel I have to for this one.
I made a double batch, following the recipe closely, except I doubled the garlic :). I don’t have a food processor, just a regular blender, so it did take a few extra rounds of blending and scraping to get the proper texture, but I think it was still well worth it. The ice water and boiling the canned chickpeas really make this recipe.
I brought this hummus to a friend’s housewarming, and it was a huge hit! I will definitely make this again, maybe adding some other herbs and spices next time for fun.
Tip: For those looking to find Soom tahini in Chicago, you can find it at Plum Market.
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, Shelby. I’m excited you loved it.
This is SO good. How many days will it stay fresh in the fridge?
Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. I’m glad you liked it, Ali!
Mine was very creamy, but a little bitter. I added some mirin to blanance it. After reading the comments here, I tasted my tahini and I think that’s where the bitter is coming from. I’ll have to try again with a different brand. Thanks for the insight!
Thanks for sharing, Ellen! The tahini has so much to do with the final product. Let me know what you think when you try it again!
Made it; love it! It took a bit more water than what is called for though. I added sundried tomatoes with some of the oil; awesome!
Thanks for sharing, Sandra!
I searched best hummus recipe and yours was the first one that came up and and for good reason! I have been making my own hummus for many years but homemade hummus always seem to be lacking something I couldn’t find in the store-bought brands. Boiling the can of chickpeas made all the difference in the world and I will never have to buy store-bought hummus ever ever ever again! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and all the tips along with it!
I’m so happy you came across my hummus and loved it, Sondra! Thanks for your review.