The Best Creamy Hummus Recipe

3.79 89 Published Sep 19, 2024 There are a ton of different hummus variations out there like this beet hummus, sweet potato hummus and lima bean hummus, but the recipe I’m sharing today is your traditional creamy hummus that requires just eight simple ingredients (plus water). It’s mellow in flavor, light, smooth and oh, so creamy! If you’ve never made your own hummus before, get excited because this recipe makes smooth and creamy hummus, just like store-bought, but better. You’re going to love it!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Smooth and Creamy – This hummus is incredibly smooth, thanks to the addition of baking soda, which helps break down the chickpeas for that perfect texture. It’s restaurant-quality creamy! Quick and Easy – This hummus comes together in about 30 minutes (if using canned chickpeas) with only 8 main ingredients. Versatile – Hummus is incredibly versatile! Serve it as a dip with baked pita chips or veggies, spread it on a sandwich, or add it to all your favorite grain bowls like this falafel bowl or buddha bowl.

chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans. I prefer to use canned chickpeas for ease, but you can definitely cook your chickpeas from scratch. I share instructions below for how to do this. When using canned, you simply rinse, drain and add them to your food processor. baking soda – this helps to break down the chickpea skins while boiling so there’s no need to individually peel the chickpeas for this recipe! tahini – tahini is made by grinding sesame seeds into a smooth paste. It can be found by other nut and seed butters in most grocery stores or you can make homemade tahini. Tahini is a key ingredient in classic hummus recipes so I highly recommend using a good high-quality brand when making this recipe. Here are some brands to look out for: Soom, Seed + Mill, Once Again, 365 by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best! extra virgin olive oil – the liquid that helps everything process together smoothly. I also love drizzling extra on top for serving. garlic – adds the perfect amount of savory flavor to the hummus. I like using 1 clove but if you love garlic you can add more. ground cumin – a common spice found in hummus that adds a nice, subtle flavor. salt – to bring all of the flavors together. cold water – using ice cold water is a game-changer when it comes to the texture of your hummus and helps result in light and fluffy hummus. If your hummus is too thick and not smoothing out, just add in some additional water.

How to Make Hummus

The process for making hummus is quite easy, but there are a couple steps if you want your hummus really smooth and creamy.

Beet hummus – check out my beet hummus recipe. Spicy hummus – add in some crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy variation. Roasted garlic hummus – skip the fresh garlic and use a few cloves of roasted garlic instead! I love the mild flavor that roasted garlic gives hummus. Sun-dried tomato hummus – add a 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes to your food processor to make a sun-dried tomato hummus. Roasted red pepper hummus – add a smoky sweetness to your hummus by adding 1 roasted red bell pepper (or about 3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers) to your food processor. Save some extra for topping! Roasted pine nut hummus – roast about 4 Tablespoons of pine nuts. Blend half into the hummus and use the remaining pine nuts for topping.

How to Serve Hummus

There are no wrong ways to serve hummus! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:

With pita chips or fresh veggies – I love enjoying hummus as a snack with pita chips or fresh veggies! It’s also a great addition to any mezze platter! As a spread – hummus is delicious used as a spread on pretty much anything! Some ideas: vegan tortilla pizzas, egg, spinach and feta breakfast wrap and hummus avocado toast. Falafel – the perfect dip for baked falafel! Israeli Salad – if you’ve never added hummus to a salad, you’re missing out! I like to spread hummus across the bottom of my bowl and then top with this Israeli salad for deliciousness in every bite. Za’atar Chicken Bake – make this simple sheet pan meal and serve it with hummus! Quinoa Tabbouleh or Traditional Tabbouleh Salad– another salad that’s delicious paired with hummus. As a dessert – if you’re a hummus lover you could use this hummus to make my peanut butter hummus brownies! Just skip the garlic and reduce the tahini to 1 Tablespoon if you’re going to use it to make these brownies.

How to Store Hummus

This creamy hummus stores really well in the fridge so I always love making a batch over the weekend to have on hand for snacks or meals throughout the week. Store any leftover hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-7 days.