How to Make Hummus

Published by

How to Make Hummus

You enjoy the chickpea paste so much, you’re thinking you might want to learn how to make hummus. Well, this is a great decision! It’s easy to make and healthier than whatever you can find in supermarkets. All it takes is a few ingredients and some very simple steps!

Chickpeas are so healthy and even if they weren’t, I would still love their earthy texture and taste, a deep layer they bring to any dish they participate in. And hummus has got to be one of the most famous dishes you can make with chickpeas. It’s tasty, it has a rich taste and you can combine it with some other ingredients, to give it a more chunky or savory texture. As always, it depends on your creativity.

What can you use hummus for, except as a delicious spread? Well, this Middle Eastern invention works in various chicken dishes, in casseroles, pizza, as a dip in deviled eggs and even pasta.

Chickpeas are a sweet legume which is very rich in that precious mineral we all need in our daily lives: zinc. Half a cup of cooked chickpeas contain about 1.3 milligrams of zinc, but also have resistant starch, fiber, iron, protein, and the healthy kind of fats. They can improve your blood sugar levels and lower your cholesterol levels.

How to make hummus in 10 easy steps

1. Gather your ingredients

There are five classic hummus ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, sesame tahini, garlic, and lemon juice! You will also need some salt and pepper, to taste. But you can add a few personal touches, like paprika or cumin. You can experiment with different flavors at your own pace!

2. Soften the chickpeas

How soft is soft enough? Well, when you can mash the chickpeas easily with your thumb, that’s when they’re ready! In order to soften them up, boil water in a small saucepan. Add the chickpeas from a can, undrained. And simmer for 15-20 minutes.

If you are cooking with dry chickpeas, then you need to put them in a large bowl, cover them with cold water and leave them overnight to soak in the liquid. Then dry the water, rinse them, and then put them in boiling water and cook them until they’re very tender. The same test applies.

3. Remove loose skins

Check the chickpeas after softening them, make sure there aren’t any loose skins. Now, if you want super perfectly smooth hummus, then you can start to peel every chickpea’s skin off. But it would be a way too industrious labor and you probably don’t have the time for that. Don’t worry, your hummus will turn out great either way.

4. Drain chickpeas

Use a strainer to strain the chickpeas, but reserve the liquid, which means, save it for later, don’t throw it out.

5. Smoothen the tahini

Tahini isn’t probably the most common ingredient you cook with. It’s a ground sesame seeds paste used mostly in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Of course, you can make it yourself, but we’ll get to that in another how to article. You can also buy it. And you need to smoothen it also. Use a whisk or the food processor on the tahini, so the paste incorporates some air before combining it with the other ingredients and the chickpeas.

6. Add garlic, lemon juice, and salt

Add about a clove of garlic to the food processor with tahini in it, some freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt. Process them all together for a short while, but make sure you pause a little and scrape the walls of the bowl with a spoon. So you don’t miss any delicious mixture.

7. Add olive oil

Slowly add olive oil to the mix and incorporate it fully with the help of the food processor.

8. Add the chickpeas to the mix

We’re going to incorporate the chickpeas slowly. So add half of the chickpeas to the food processor, along with some of their liquid. Not too much, and keep an eye on the consistency of the resulting hummus, so that it’s exactly what you want to eat.

When incorporated, add the other half of the chickpeas and process that until everything is smooth.

9. Check the consistency

If it’s too stiff and you need more liquid, add some more reserved chickpea liquid or water. You can also use olive oil or a bit of lemon juice, let your taste buds and instinct make the decisions. But do it little by little and incorporating every bit of it with the processor, so it doesn’t end up too runny.

10. How to serve

Place the hummus in a serving bowl. You can add a bit of olive oil on top. Maybe even some paprika.  Hummus goes great with pita bread, but you can also have it with chips, carrot sticks, bell pepper slices, or cucumber sticks.

About The Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top