Homemade Hummus

Homemade Hummus is easy and so much better

Hummus in the grocery store is ridiculously expensive. That is why Homemade Hummus makes so much sense.

I just checked and even the store brand is nearly $7/lb right now. That’s crazy – for that much money, I can make 3 or 4 times as much of this stuff!

Hummus is NOT hard to make

You can make hummus yourself, if you have a food processor, even a little one. And it is probably going to taste better. You’ll know exactly what is in there, because you control what goes in there. Chickpeas, tahini [more on that in a minute], lemon, garlic, olive oil and salt.

The ingredients are easy to find

I first had hummus back in college, at a middle eastern restaurant not far from where we lived. It was a revelation to a small town girl [not to mention a very long time ago]. We never had anything remotely like falafel or tabouleh where I grew up, and I fell in love. There was no tahini in the grocery store either. I had to have a friend pick some up for me in the city if I wanted to make hummus back then. Now – it is super easy to find everything you need.

Tahini is key

Half of the flavor in hummus comes from the tahini. I don’t have any trouble finding it locally now, but if you do there are lots of brands available online. Tahini is sesame seed paste, and the deep, nutty flavor is a must-have in hummus.

Garlic and Lemon

Garlic and lemon are the other two main components that add distinct flavors to the chickpeas that make up the bulk of this dip or spread. Try to find ripe, somewhat heavy lemons for their size, and garlic that fills the papery skins. This is a good time of year to find freshly harvested heads of garlic at Farmer’s Markets.

I don’t just use the juice from the lemons. If you use the type of citrus reamer in the picture above, you will actually be able to get the fruit out of the rind, which adds more flavor. It is going to be thoroughly incorporated in the processor, so you won’t get any bits of sourness in your Hummus.

Keep running the food processor until the hummus is completely smooth

This is important, along with getting rid of some of the skins from the chick peas. I explain how to do that in the recipe card, below. Once all of the ingredients seem well blended, put your food processor on medium speed and let it run, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times if needed. When you drain the chickpeas,, you’re going to reserve that liquid, so that you can add a bit of it back to the food processor if needed.

How to make Homemade Hummus

Homemade Hummus is a great snack or appetizer

Serve with style

I recently made hummus to serve as an appetizer for a casual get-together and want to do something a little special. These tall shot glasses were perfect, along with some veggie sticks – so cute!

Looking for more appetizer ideas?

• Puff Pastry Rosemary Garlic Twists
• Spicy Toasted Almonds
• Tomato Cheese Crackers
• Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms