Creamy, smooth, perfect hummus, the kind you get at your favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, bears little resemblance to the tubs you buy at the grocery store, or even make at home using canned chickpeas. With a little planning ahead, it’s easy to make perfect hummus at home.
The secret to making the best tasting hummus is to start with dried, not canned garbanzo beans, which require soaking.
In a large bowl, add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2″. Set aside overnight, or for at least 6-8 hours.
In a large bowl, add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2″. Set aside overnight, or for at least 6-8 hours.
Drain water and rinse beans. They are now ready to cook.
Fill a pot with 6 cups cold water and add beans. Simmer gently covered with lid ajar for about 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours until beans are very tender, almost mushy. Add additional water as needed to cover.
| How to Make Perfect Hummus |
Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: Makes 5 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked garbanzo beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of 4 lemons, or to taste
- 3/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1-1/2 t. kosher salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper, (optional) if you like a little heat
- reserved cooking liquid
Instructions
- Purée beans in the bowl of a food processor, adding a little of the reserved water if necessary. Then add tahini, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Process for about a minute, then with machine still running, add olive oil in a stream. Add the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
- Serve with carrot and celery sticks, olives, and pita chips.
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Serve with carrot and celery sticks, olives, and pita chips.
I totally LOVE hummus! And although I usually ‘cheat’ and use canned chickpeas, this one is truly the perfect recipe
I just started using dried beans Paola and they really do make all the difference. One you go dried, there’s no turning back!
I’m so excited to see this post! I have a bag of dried garbanzos I want to use for hummus, but kept forgetting about! I’m going to soak them tonight, and tomorrow, I’m gonna get my hummus on!
Yay Julia! Hope you enjoy it.