Whether it’s spread in a falafel wrap, piled on a salad bowl or used for dipping chips or veggies, good hummus is a revelation. When making it at home, it's sometimes pureed in a food processor, but it's perfectly possible to make it in a blender.
If you do it right, you can get even smoother results in a blender than you would in a food processor. Once you've perfected your recipe, you'll never buy it from a grocery store again.
How to make hummus in a blender
Gather your ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and water. For this recipe, you'll need them in the following quantities:
- 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup of water or liquid from your can of chickpeas
Mix garlic and lemon juice
Mince the garlic, and mix it with lemon juice and salt. Leave this to sit for at least 10 minutes or while you carry out the next step. Raw garlic can sometimes taste overly sharp and overpower the flavor, but mixing it with lemon juice in this way mellows it, giving it a more balanced taste.
Skin your chickpeas
Bad news if you were hoping to just stick all your ingredients in a countertop blender and go wild, but for the smoothest hummus, you need to remove the skins from your chickpeas. This is an optional step, but it's worth it if you aren't in a hurry. It's less time-consuming than it sounds. It should take around 10 minutes, which is just the right amount of time to let your garlic mellow out in the lemon juice.
Start by draining your chickpeas if they come in a jar or can. Reserve this liquid to use later. Tip the chickpeas into a bowl and lightly massage them with your fingertips. You'll find the skins come off easily. Remove the skins from the bowl as you go. Keep going until you've removed all the skins or as many as possible — if there are a few left it won't affect the texture significantly.
Mix lemon juice and tahini
Pour your lemon juice, salt and garlic mix into the blender, and blend the ingredients until they form a smooth paste. The tahini will take on a paler color, and the mixture will be thick and creamy, not stiff and grainy. If it's too stiff, add an extra tablespoon or two of cold water and blend again.
Blend your hummus
Now add your skinned chickpeas and 1/4 cup of water or liquid reserved from your can of chickpeas. Don't add the extra-virgin olive oil at this point because it turns bitter when blended and can ruin the flavor. Blend the mixture until it's smooth.
You may need to add extra water or chickpea liquid at this time to reach your desired consistency, but increase the quantity of water by a tablespoon at a time. There's a fine line between smooth and watery hummus.
Add olive oil
Transfer the hummus to a bowl or container of your choice, and add 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Stir thoroughly to combine, but don't be tempted to blend it into the hummus to avoid bitterness.
Taste and adjust seasonings
Give your hummus a taste and see how you like it. You may find you need to add an extra pinch of salt or an additional tablespoon of lemon juice to brighten it.
Serve
You can get creative when serving your hummus. Try drizzling it with some extra-virgin olive oil, adding a sprinkle of paprika or za’atar or topping it with a few whole chickpeas or a handful of toasted pine nuts.
FAQ
What blender do I need to make hummus?
A. You can use any blender, from cheap hand blenders to top-of-the-line high-powered blenders. However, the more powerful the blender, the easier it is to get a smooth result, especially if you don't want to peel your chickpeas.
How long does homemade hummus last?
A. Kept in a covered container, it can stay fresh for three to four days in the fridge, but you'll be lucky if it lasts that long given how tasty it is.
Do you need to cook chickpeas before making hummus?
A. Unlike falafel, which is best made using soaked but uncooked chickpeas, hummus must be made using cooked chickpeas. You can either buy dry chickpeas and cook them yourself or use jars or cans of cooked chickpeas.
Cooking your own chickpeas will give you the best results, especially if you overcook them until they're slightly mushy. Otherwise, find high-quality, ready-to-use chickpeas. Those sold in jars are usually larger and more tender than canned varieties, but you can find some decent canned chickpeas.
What you need to buy for making hummus
Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender
With this high-speed blender, you'll have no trouble making super smooth hummus, even if you can't be bothered to remove the skins from your chickpeas.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Sur La Table
Nature's Greatest Foods Organic Canned Chickpeas
These USDA-certified organic chickpeas come in a pack of 12 cans that are 15 ounces each.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Soom Foods Single-Source Pure Tahini
Poor-quality tahini can ruin hummus. This stuff is silky smooth, and it is made from high-quality Ethiopian sesame seeds.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
As with tahini, it's worth splurging on a quality olive oil to give your hummus the best flavor. This is cold-pressed and has a rich, fruity taste that's delicious but not overwhelming.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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