Green Goddess Hummus
Healthy hummus recipe with herbs! Use classic green goddess dressing herbs like me or change it up. Learn the trick to making creamy homemade hummus, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Here she is. The most green and fresh homemade hummus I’ve ever met. My standard for great hummus has risen over the years and reached a new height in Israel last fall, naturally. This one is a winner.
I borrowed the fresh herbs from classic green goddess dressing, and whipped them into the hummus for a spectacularly green and flavorful hummus.
I definitely questioned my green goddess concept while I was tossing expensive packets of fresh tarragon and chives into my cart at the grocery store, but this hummus proved its worth. That said, feel free to hold off on this hummus until your herb garden is in full swing, or change up the herbs to cut costs.
I love this hummus so much that it was one of the few blog recipes that made it into my cookbook!
Cuisinart 7-cup food processor
Citrus juicer
▸ For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my healthy kitchen!
Green Goddess Hummus
This delicious green hummus recipe is flavored with fresh herbs! Use classic green goddess dressing herbs like me or change it up with other fresh, leafy herbs. (You’ll want to use 1 cup or less fresh herbs, to taste.) Recipe yields about 1 ¾ cup hummus.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon’s worth)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
- ½ cup roughly chopped, loosely packed fresh parsley
- ¼ cup roughly chopped, loosely packed fresh tarragon or basil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh chives or green onion
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- One (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water, optional
- Garnish with extra olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs
Instructions
- Combine the tahini and lemon juice in the bowl of your food processor (a smaller food processor will be better suited to the job) or high-powered blender (i.e. Vitamix or Blendtec). Process for about 1 ½ minutes, pausing to scrape down the bowl of your processor as necessary.
- Add the olive oil, parsley, tarragon, chives, chopped garlic and salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice mixture. Process for about 1 minute, pausing to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
- Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process for until the hummus is thick and quite smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- If your hummus is too thick or hasn’t yet blended into creamy oblivion, run the food processor while drizzling in 1 to 2 tablespoons water, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Scrape the hummus into a small serving bowl. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil on top and sprinkle with additional chopped herbs.
- Store hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Notes
Hummus technique adapted from Inspired Taste. Green goddess herb mix adapted from Simply Recipes.
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.
Another great recipe, Kate! Love the tarragon flavor.
I stumbled upon your website several months ago. I was surfing Pinterest for new recipes and hoping to ditch some of the horrendous dietary habits I developed in grad school (still a work in progress, I’m afraid). Your recipes have encouraged me to experiment with new ingredients and shown me that meatless meals are anything but boring. Thanks for the culinary inspiration! Keep up the good work!
Thank you, Sarah! Thank you for sweet comment. I’m so glad you found my blog and are enjoying the recipes! Yay!
I’m crazy about green goddess flavors and will be making this for a party this week…however, I need to make a double batch..can it be doubled successfully in a 7-cup processor, or should I just do two batches? Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Hi Beth! That’s a great question. I *think* you could double it safely, but I haven’t tried.
Oh my goodness, it turned out beautifully, doubling it in a 7-cup processor. What a delicious recipe – I went a little heavy on tarragon, because I love it, and I also added some spinach, kale, and swiss chard, and it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for posting such an easy and unusual recipe.
Thank you for getting back to me, Beth! So glad to hear it turned out great. Your extra-green version sounds terrific.
definitely will be trying this. sounds so yummy. love the pic of your dog licking the plate!
Thank you, Jean! She’s an ornery one.
I totally agree with you about store bought hummus. For me, it’s pretty much always a miss. I put the exact same ingredients in mine including ratios minus the tarragon and chives although I’ve only been putting about 2 tbs. of tahini because my Arabic family and friends prefer it that way. Sometimes I put parsley and other times cilantro, or sometimes I leave out the greens altogether. I’m usually very happy with my consistency, but I almost always use fresh off the pot garbanzo beans and am never as happy with the taste when I use canned. I’m going to try the lemon juice and tahini trick to see if it makes any difference. Maybe it will make what I already love even better. One trick I learned this summer from a Palestinian woman is to stir in a little plain yogurt. I like the little twist it adds to the hummus.
Thanks, Janet! It’s not easy to find good store-bought hummus. Your version with freshly cooked chickpeas sounds great. Let me know if whipping the lemon juice and tahini makes it any better! I like your yogurt addition.
I just came across this recipe and am going to make it for an upcoming party. It looks delicious! How far in advance can you make this? I would like to make it the day before.
Thanks!
Thanks, Sarah! You could definitely make this the day before and store it in the refrigerator. You might wait to add the chopped herb garnish until just before serving.
Kate, I just made this glorious hummus and had it on a piece of freshly baked sourdough bread. Such a good snack. I just discovered your blog two weeks ago and have made several of your recipes. They all came out awesome and my entire family loves them! Looking forward to your future posts!
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try.☺
I would like to make the but can’t seem to get fresh tarragon (in NZ) is there a good substitute please? Or would it be okay if I just left it out all together? Thanks
You can leave it out!
There is a secret you don’t know about hummus ….you don’t need to peel it, before processing it. Cook it in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes, in a low heat. Then, process it alone and hot with the lemon juice. Then, take this pâté and pass in a sieve, squeezing and rubbing with the back of a large spoon. The shells will remain all in the sieve. Discard them. Place the tahinne in the microwave for 15 seconds and again with the back of a spoon chop it and add to the grain paste nozzle and lemon. Add the other ingredients and control the texture by adding the cooking broth of chickpeas. Ready.
This green hummus looks great. I am so pleased you shared the secret to getting hummus creamy and smooth. I am wondering…could you use a bullet blender like a Nutribullet to blend the tahini and lemon juice?
Thanks, Winnie! I think you could use a bullet blender for blending the tahini and lemon juice, but I’m not sure if it would be able to handle the addition of chickpeas.
Kate, This is just fantastic hummus! It is beautiful, delicious and nutritious–the perfect triple threat. My husband described it as ‘crazy good’. I found your terrific website a few months ago and absolutely every recipe I’ve tried has been wonderful! Because I am an old woman, it’s highly likely I’ve been a vegetarian for more years than you’ve been alive. Your new ideas and flavor combinations are very inspiring to me. And, I love your writing too! Thank you!
Oh my! I have loved anything Green Goddess since my mother used it on salads in the 1970s. I am going shopping tomorrow to make this ASAP. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Have you ever made a tahini-free hummus? Our daughter is allergic to tahini (but not sesame seeds! weird!), and I have tried several recipes, but none are that great. Maybe it is just not meant to be. Just thought I would ask! We love your website and can’t wait for the cookbook!
Hi Amanda, that is so interesting that she’s allergic to tahini but not sesame seeds. Hmm. I don’t love hummus made without tahini; it’s not as thick and savory. I wonder if perhaps you could try replacing the tahini with sunflower seed butter? Or maybe almond butter? Almond butter with sun-dried tomatoes instead of herbs might be good! Can’t wait for you to get my cookbook!
wow! Kate all your recipes looks good. I’m a vegetarian living in Sri Lanka. I can’t get some of the ingredients here in my little town. May be I can substitute with something else!! I love the variety! Thanks. I must try this asap.
Hey, Jay! Hello from Kansas City! I’m sure you could find some good swap-outs– I try to make it easy to use ingredients you have at home, so be sure to check the comments and see what other readers used as substitutes!
I don’t usually comment but this was so, so good! I’m gutted because I had an allergic reaction to the herbs (boo!), but I’m sure it’s still going to be delicious if I make it without them. Looking forward to the cookbook :)
Oh no! I hope you are recovering, Alice. I’m sure it’d be just as delicious.
Cannot WAIT to make this! Will be going to Publix tomorrow for herbs & rest of ingredients not already in my pantry & fridge…BTW, the pics you posted of Cookie (I’m assuming?) are the CUTEST! Hope you have them framed, or up somewhere in your home!
I hope you love this, Jennie! And yep, my house is full of Cookie’s glamour shots. :)
Just made this today! I love green hummus recipes as it’s a great way to give it some flavor and heavy metal extracting properties. Really yummy! I don’t use tarragon often so it was an interesting subtle dimension of a licorice like flavor. Love it.
Yes! Thanks, Michelle!
Is it weird that I’m commenting on a recipe from 2015? I don’t even care – I love this hummus. I was on a similar journey, disappointed with my lumpy homemade goop, but concerned that the store-bought variety didn’t have any protein (howwww does that happen with real chickpeas and tahini?). I’m also dreaming up other herb combos – this will be a staple for me.
Not weird at all, Emma! I get comments from older posts all the time. :) I’m so glad you found a good homemade hummus recipe! Enjoy experimenting with different herby combinations.
I love making a quick hummus in the food processor. This green hummus looks amazing. I wish I had the ingredients already because I would make it right now. I’ll make it soon, can’t wait, it looks so yummy.
Super easy to make and tastes delicious. Thank you for providing a twist on traditional hummus recipies.
Thank you, Melanie for your review!
I saw this after coming back to nab your guacamole recipe again (it was perfect!) and I saw your dog – forget the hummus, give me the dog!! So cute!
But in all seriousness I can’t wait to make this one – thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your Welcome packet.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the review.
really tasty! Loved a different spin on hummus – made for a party and everyone really like it. I used more herbs than called for chives, basil, parsley and only a little tarragon (mainly because my plant is still little).
Happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks for your review.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for all the amazing recipes. I tried blending the lemon and tahini first as instructed but that made the hummus bitter. Any tips ?
This hummus is amazing. I love traditional hummus but decided to try something different with this green one. I’m so glad I did because now I’m going to make this one all the time! I grow fresh herbs in my garden so it’s great to be able to use them in this recipe.
Hooray! That’s great, Didi. I’m so happy it will now be your go-to. Thanks for the review.
This recipe was absolutely delicious!!! I made it and brought it to the office and everyone loved it, even at home my 8 yrs old loved it.
Great!
I realize this post is from four years ago but I thought since I’m a rookie, my end result and findings might be of interest to you. Followed your recipe using basil as my base and while my hummus was good, it just didn’t “Wow” me as the hummus from our local Mediterranean deli does. Since I am new to the cooking world, I’ve learned it’s ok to be creative with any recipe so I set about trying to find the ingredient that I was missing. (My wife told me to leave it alone as she thought it was already 5 star.) I tried more salt and green onion but it still wasn’t there. Frustrated, I added two tsp. of kalamata juice from a jar I had in my refrigerator to the entire batch and reblended. Kate, it made all the difference in the world in my final product as it was now off the chart and really good. I was so happy! Also, I was worried about getting the right consistency but it was perfect. I used 1/8 cup of additional water to get the consistency I like. So glad I found you on Pinterest and looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Thanks for sharing, Thomas!
This is not simply the best hummus I’ve ever made (and my Parmesan-jalapeño is a winner) but this is
THE BEST HUMMUS I’VE EVER HAD. FULL STOP.
Herbaceous with the tarragon hitting the top note and the harmony of all the parsley (I used curly parsley), green onions, garlic and lemon juice- divine.
The only changes I made were adding 10-12 leaves of basil to up the brightness and a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin to give it more depth.
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer.
My niece is a new vegetarian and I bought your cookbook for her for Christmas. This hummus recipe has been made many times and is one of our favorites. The herbs add a wonderfully refreshing flavor. We love it!
Thank you for sharing, Marea! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Yes it was Amazing.
Great to hear, Bridget!
I made a double batch of this wonderous hummus for a Canada Day pot luck. I did boil the chickpeas with baking soda and the end result was gorgeous and velvety. I discovered scooped lentil chips that enhanced the lovely flavours and held a lot of hummus. Parsley, dill and tarragon were the herbs of choice. The guests were gluttons and this large lovely bowl was gone within an hour. Thank you Kate! Tomorrow I will be making your gazpacho!
Let me know what you think of the gazpacho, Pam! Thank you for your review on this one.
Hi Kate,
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I would like to. I’m wondering if there is a way to make the recipe without any added oil. Do you think omitting oil would leave an acceptable result?
You really want the oil here.
When increasing size of this recipe, why is the amount of everything EXCEPT chickpeas increase? Shouldn’t that also be proportional?
Hi Penny! Yes, everything should be proportional. I’m not sure why that is acting that way, my apologies. I will look into it right away!
Wow this really good a whole new demension. I
Would processing the fresh herbs into store bought hummus also work? If so how much hummus for the amount of herbs you’ve listed? I have some WF original hummus and a bunch of fresh herbs that need to be used.
Hi Jay, You could try it. The serving size is 1/4 cup and it serves 7. I would work based off that :)
So yummy. Made twice in 2 weeks. Your instructions are just so precise. Never eaten before but saw your recipe which I thought looked delicious.
Just made a batch of green hummus with mint leaves only this evening. I did not add any other herbs. Tastes so good. Of course I added the rest of the ingredients in your recipe. Thanks for great recipe.
Just love this
Just made it with fresh herbs from my garden. It turned out amazing!! I added a little less than the 1/2 tsp salt and it was perfect. I used basil instead of tarragon. Definitely saving this recipe and making again!
So good! I used parsley and basil. It tastes so delicious and fresh!
Sounds delicious, Beth! Thank you for your review.
I never comment on anything, but I have to say that this is one of the best online recipes I’ve ever found!! This one is going to be bookmarked forever. It’s perfect exactly the way it is. The tahini is such a good call, it really makes it so creamy and flavorful. I brought it to a cookout and everyone was upset there wasn’t more. Thank you so much!!
Kate, I truly feel guilty for always referring to your website for recipes and inspiration for free!
I have purchased your fabulous cookbook.
You must publish another or, what about posting a favorite charity that us users can make a donation in your name, or Cookies?
Seriously!
Doris and my dog, Rosie
Hi Doris! I’m delighted you keep coming back. Thank you for your support and review!
Can I use dry parsley tarragon and green onions. All dry. Also do the greens have to be blended in/ ground into the chickpeas.
Loved this hummus! Full of flavor ! And how fun, the beautiful green color was a bonus !
This is my go-to hummus recipe! Also love making it without the herbs too!
If I wanted to use the method and recipe you provide in your traditional hummus recipe (which I made yesterday and have already gone through half of it…), would I just follow that recipe and add the herbs you include in this recipe?
Hi Emily, that should work here. Let me know what you think, Emily!
I’m planning to make it this weekend, so I definitely will. Thanks!
Hi Kate,
I am not a fan of chickpeas, how do you think this would be if I used a basic white bean instead?
Thanks!
Barbara
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tried it. This is specifically designed for chickpeas. If you try it, please let me know what you think!
I’ve been making my own hummus since college BUT didn’t know the secret to making it super creamy. Thanks so much Kate :)
Excited to change up my recipe and test out the herbs!
Hummus is one of my favorite foods and this recipe is my favorite of the favorites. So delicious and very adaptable. I just made it with parsley, dill and scallion. I don’t have a food processor or high speed blender and just make it with an immersion blender. It is not as smooth but works great.
Made this with red lentils instead of chickpeas and it was delicious!!
I’m allergic to sesame so no tahini for me. What could I substitute for?
I don’t have a great solution for you. Maybe another nut butter. But, I haven’t tried it. Sorry!