Stop what you are doing right this second and grab a bag of garbanzo beans and take them for a soak! Seriously, you NEED to make this hummus right away and you will thank me. I have strived to get the super creamy hummus many, many times. I will say, that having a very high powered blender or food processor is key, I recently got a Wolf Blender and couldn’t be happier with it! If you don’t have one, definitely invest in one that you can use for dips, soups, spreads and smoothies. It’s worth it!
I grew up eating hummus, so basically before it was cool and popular. What’s not to love? Garlic, lemon, creamy beans, and tahini, it’s a superfood like none other! I’m glad it’s gained popularity and people have come to realize how amazing it really is for you. There are so many variations to making hummus, some that don’t even require chickpeas! This is a VERY classic Mediterranean version, nothing fancy, just simple ingredients that meld together so incredibly well.
Traditional Method
There are definitely shortcuts to making hummus but the classic way includes an overnight soak then cooking to ensure very soft and creamy hummus. Another trick is adding baking soda to your garbanzo beans to help them soften even more, it changes the pH in the water creating a better environment for the skins to soften. The baking soda also helps to reduce the gas that beans will generally give you, bonus! With all these great tips and tricks, you are just a few hours away from beautiful and delicious hummus and you will NEVER go back to store bought.
Instant Pot
My Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances, especially with beans!!! It makes a long process super quick. The beauty of using the Instant Pot is the ability to skip an overnight soak if you forget.
Place dried beans into your Instant Pot and cover with water by 2 times. Omit your baking soda but add in your garlic and bay leaves.
Set your Instant Pot to high pressure, beans for 45 minutes.
Quick release after 5 minutes and check the texture of your beans.
They should be soft and ready to process after cooling, continue with same steps as traditional method.
Canned Beans
You can ABSOLUTELY still use canned garbanzo beans if you don’t have time to soak or just want hummus a little quicker. It is still crucial to boil down your beans, without this step you’ll be left with chunky hummus. Once boiled and cooled, you’ll follow the same steps to creating the perfect hummus.
Ingredients
The key to this recipe is tahini, tahini is simply ground sesame seeds. It gives hummus it’s slightly nutty flavor and creaminess. Many recipes call for adding olive oil to the hummus mixture itself, however, traditionally it is just used to top the hummus. The tahini is what gives it that creamy texture and depth of flavor, so be sure you are using good quality tahini when preparing, I prefer to use an Arab brand.
Garbanzo beans (dry or canned will work)
baking soda
garlic
bay leaf (optional)
tahini
lemon juice
water
salt
olive oil + pine nuts for topping (optional)
Tips and Tricks
A few things to consider when making hummus that will ensure you have the BEST results!
Process cooled beans: Processing the chickpeas when they are too warm/hot can make your hummus too thick and more like a paste instead of that creamy texture that you want. I recommend processing once your mixture has fully cooled to room temperature.
Ice cubes: Some folks may think it’s weird to add in ice cubes to make hummus but it allows the mixture to stay creamy and also gives it that bright and vibrant color.
Baking soda:Adding baking soda to your cooking beans is a old trick that helps to soften the skins. If making traditional dried beans adding it during the soak process and then again when boiling really gives the best texture. If using canned beans, adding to the boiling process helps to break down the skins – no more peeling skins!!!
Thinning out:If you process your hummus and realize it’s too thick, you can always thin out by adding some more cold water and or lemon juice if it needs a little more zing.
Instant Pot:If you choose to use the Instant Pot without soaking beans, be aware that they may cause more gas. Yes, the soaking process actually helps to eliminate some of the properties that cause gas. The hummus will still taste amazing and you’ll have wonderful results, but maybe a little more gas. More about the degassing process (oligosaccharides) from Taste of Home
Bean Texture: This process of preparing garbanzo beans is very specific to making hummus, this creates a very, very soft bean that is perfect for hummus. If you’re preparing garbanzo beans for salads or anything else, these will be too soft.
1. Get your chickpeas soaking in a large bowl of cold water, cover about 2″ and add in 1 tsp baking soda. Let sit overnight. 2. Day 2, drain your chickpeas that were soaking and give them a rinse. Transfer to a large pot, cover with water and add in 1 bay lead and 4 cloves of peeled garlic. 3. Be sure to skim the white stuff that comes to the top of the pot while boiling. Skim and boil for about 45 minutes to an hour. 4. Once your beans are super soft and skimmed, drain. It should be very soft. 5. Finally, begin blending. You’ll add your tahini, lemon juice, ice cubes, water and beans together into your high powered blender to process. See full details below.
I hope you enjoy this hummus recipe as much as my family does. Remember, eating healthy and balanced doesn’t need to be expensive. A bag of beans goes a long way and is a great way to enhance your family’s diet and menu.
As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Creamy hummus is the perfect appetizer. It’s naturally gluten free and vegan.
Scale
Ingredients
1 cup dry garbanzo beans (or 2 cans garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed)
1 tsp baking soda, divided
1 bay leaf
4 cloves of garlic, divided – additional as needed
5–6 ice cubs
1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice – adjust to taste
2–4 tablespoons of cold water – adjust as needed to thin hummus
1 tsp salt – adjust to taste
Garnishes
olive oil
chopped parsley
toasted pine nuts
paprika
Instructions
Preparing Dry Beans
The night before you want to make your hummus, soak your dry beans in a large bowl filled with the beans and water to cover the beans about 2″. You’ll want to leave room for them to expand. Add 1/2 tsp of your baking soda to this mixture and let sit 8 hours or overnight.
Making Hummus
Drain your soaked beans and give them a quick rinse. (if using canned beans, rinse and drain then continue as directed). See instructions below if using Instant Pot method.
Add beans to a large pot, fill with water to cover the beans about 2″ or more. Add in your bay leave and 2 cloves of peeled garlic and your additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
Bring beans to a boil on medium-high heat, continuously skimming the top foam.
Continue this process for 45 minutes to an hour on medium-high heat.
Once the beans are soft, drain (you can reserve the liquid if you’d like, this is aquafaba which is used in place of eggs in many dishes). Remove the bay leaf, keep the garlic cloves with the beans.
You’ll want to let your beans cool to at least room temperature, processing warm beans will result in a very thick and paste like consistency.
Once your beans have cooled, in a high powered blender or food processor, add your beans, ice cubes, remaining 2 garlic cloves, tahini and lemon. Blend, add a few tablespoons of water as needed to thin. You may opt to use toum garlic sauce in place of fresh garlic, it gives it a more mellow garlic flavor. I would add 3 heaping teaspoons to start and adjust to taste, same with fresh garlic.
Taste and add in salt and any additional lemon (to taste). If your mixture is too thick, thin out with some additional water, one tablespoon at a time.
Scoop out into dish, and top with your garnishes. Enjoy with pita bread, veggies or chips.
Instant Pot Method:
Place dried beans (better if soaked overnight but can be done dry) into your Instant Pot and cover with water by 2 times. Omit your baking soda but add in your garlic and bay leaves.
Set your Instant Pot to high pressure, beans for 45 minutes.
Quick release after 5 minutes and check the texture of your beans.
They should be soft and ready to process after cooling, continue with same steps as traditional method.
Notes
*Hummus can be frozen in a freezer safe container, top with a thin layer of olive oil on top, seal and can be stored for up to 4 months. Remove from freezer and place in fridge when ready to use.
Thank you very much for posting this very detailed recipe Cosette. I have a question about Hummus. There are many recipes that use skinned, dried chickpeas , and others that require the painstaking process of removing the skins by hand. Is this necessary for a smooth Hummus ?
Thank you, love your recipes!
Great question! The reason for the soaking, baking soda and LONG boil is to soften the skins. With the skins softening, there is no need to remove them…believe me, no one wants to do that!!! Give the recipe a try, I think you’ll be delighted about skipping that step with great results!
Stop what you are doing right this second and grab a bag of garbanzo beans and take them for a soak! Seriously, you NEED to make this hummus right away and you will thank me. I have strived to get the super creamy hummus many, many times. I will say, that having a very high powered blender or food processor is key, I recently got a Wolf Blender and couldn’t be happier with it! If you don’t have one, definitely invest in one that you can use for dips, soups, spreads and smoothies. It’s worth it!
I grew up eating hummus, so basically before it was cool and popular. What’s not to love? Garlic, lemon, creamy beans, and tahini, it’s a superfood like none other! I’m glad it’s gained popularity and people have come to realize how amazing it really is for you. There are so many variations to making hummus, some that don’t even require chickpeas! This is a VERY classic Mediterranean version, nothing fancy, just simple ingredients that meld together so incredibly well.
Tahini ~ Sesame Paste
The key to this recipe is tahini, many recipes call for adding olive oil to the hummus mixture itself, traditionally it is just used to top the hummus. The tahini is what gives it that creamy texture and depth of flavor, so be sure you are using good quality tahini when preparing. This process of preparing the beans is very specific to making hummus, this creates a very, very soft bean that is perfect for hummus. If you’re preparing garbanzo beans for salads or anything else, these will be too soft.
Traditional Method
There are definitely shortcuts to making hummus but the classic way includes an overnight soak then cooking to ensure very soft and creamy hummus. Another trick is adding baking soda to your garbanzo beans to help them soften even more, it changes the pH in the water creating a better environment for the skins to soften. The baking soda also helps to reduce the gas that beans will generally give you, bonus! With all these great tips and tricks, you are just a few hours away from beautiful and delicious hummus and you will NEVER go back to store bought.
Canned Beans
You can ABSOLUTELY still use canned garbanzo beans if you don’t have time to soak or just want hummus a little quicker. It is still crucial to boil down your beans, without this step you’ll be left with chunky hummus. Once boiled and cooled, you’ll follow the same steps to creating the perfect hummus.
Instant Pot
My Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances, especially with beans!!! It makes a long process super quick. The beauty of using the Instant Pot is the ability to skip an overnight soak if you forget.
Place dried beans into your Instant Pot and cover with water by 2 times. Omit your baking soda but add in your garlic and bay leaves.
Set your Instant Pot to high pressure, beans for 45 minutes.
Quick release after 5 minutes and check the texture of your beans.
They should be soft and ready to process after cooling, continue with same steps as traditional method.
Tips and Tricks
A few things to consider when making hummus that will ensure you have the BEST results!
Process cooled beans: Processing the chickpeas when they are too warm/hot can make your hummus too thick and more like a paste instead of that creamy texture that you want. I recommend processing once your mixture has fully cooled to room temperature.
Ice cubes: Some folks may think it’s weird to add in ice cubes to make hummus but it allows the mixture to stay creamy and also gives it that bright and vibrant color.
Baking soda:Adding baking soda to your cooking beans is a old trick that helps to soften the skins. If making traditional dried beans adding it during the soak process and then again when boiling really gives the best texture. If using canned beans, adding to the boiling process helps to break down the skins – no more peeling skins!!!
Thinning out:If you process your hummus and realize it’s too thick, you can always thin out by adding some more cold water and or lemon juice if it needs a little more zing.
Instant Pot:If you choose to use the Instant Pot without soaking beans, be aware that they may cause more gas. Yes, the soaking process actually helps to eliminate some of the properties that cause gas. The hummus will still taste amazing and you’ll have wonderful results, but maybe a little more gas. More about the degassing process (oligosaccharides) from Taste of Home
I hope you enjoy this hummus recipe as much as my family does. Remember, eating healthy and balanced doesn’t need to be expensive. A bag of beans goes a long way and is a great way to enhance your family’s diet and menu.
As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Get your garbanzo beans soaking in a large bowl of cold water, cover about 2″ and add in 1/2 tsp baking soda. Let sit overnight.
Day 2, drain your chickpeas that were soaking and give them a rinse. Transfer to a large pot, cover with water and add in 1 bay lead and 4 cloves of peeled garlic.
Be sure to skim the white stuff that comes to the top of the pot while boiling. Skim and boil for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Once your beans are super soft and skimmed, drain. It should be very soft.
Let your beans cool to room temperature.
Finally, begin blending. You’ll add your tahini, lemon juice, ice cubes, water and beans together into your high powered blender to process. See full details below.
The night before you want to make your hummus, soak your dry beans in a large bowl filled with the beans and water to cover the beans about 2". You'll want to leave room for them to expand. Add 1/2 tsp of your baking soda to this mixture and let sit 8 hours or overnight.
Making Hummus
Drain your soaked beans and give them a quick rinse. (if using canned beans, rinse and drain then continue as directed). See instructions above if using Instant Pot method.*
Add beans to a large pot, fill with water to cover the beans about 2" or more. Add in your bay leave and 2 cloves of peeled garlic and your additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
Bring beans to a boil on medium-high heat, continuously skimming the top foam.
Continue this process for 45 minutes to an hour on medium-high heat.
Once the beans are soft, drain (you can reserve the liquid if you'd like, this is aquafaba which is used in place of eggs in many dishes). Remove the bay leaf, keep the garlic cloves with the beans.
You'll want to let your beans cool to at least room temperature, processing warm beans will result in a very thick and paste like consistency.
Once your beans have cooled, in a high powered blender or food processor, add your beans, ice cubes, remaining 2 garlic cloves, tahini and lemon. Blend, add a few tablespoons of water as needed to thin.
Taste and add in salt and any additional lemon (to taste). If your mixture is too thick, thin out with some additional water, one tablespoon at a time.
Scoop out into dish, and top with your adornments. Enjoy with pita bread, veggies or chips.
Recipe Notes
*Hummus can be frozen in a freezer safe container, top with a thin layer of olive oil on top, seal and can be stored for up to 4 months. Remove from freezer and place in fridge when ready to use.
I can’t wait to make this. Your recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda. In the directions I only see one teaspoon being used. When do you use the second teaspoon of baking soda?
Gah! Thanks for the catch Nancy, it’s in the boiling pot of water, I made the edits. Let me know if you have any questions! Sometimes my brain moves faster than my hands. Hahaha!
For the baking soda? 1 tsp total divided. The instructions will let you know to use 1/2 and 1/2 at 2 different stages. One for soaking and one for cooking. Hope that helps!
I made this hummus with the lamb skewers. It was good but not great, but I’m almost sure it was because of the products I used. I use canned beans but not a brand I’m familiar with. These were given to me so I figured I’d use them; the tahini I used was a cheap brand from the supermarket near home and I might’ve used too much lemon. I found a Mediterranean market nearby so I’ll be getting the tahini sauce from there, to get a more authentic product and I just might try the bagged beans if not the brand I’m used to. Definitely trying it again, cause I love hummus! 😋
Sorry it wasn’t the greatest for you, the Tahini has a lot to do with it for sure! If you have a Middle Eastern store near you, definitely check out those brands (not to mention usually cheaper). You can always adjust your garlic/lemon to your taste as well. ♥️
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Thank you very much for posting this very detailed recipe Cosette. I have a question about Hummus. There are many recipes that use skinned, dried chickpeas , and others that require the painstaking process of removing the skins by hand. Is this necessary for a smooth Hummus ?
Thank you, love your recipes!
Hi friend,
Great question! The reason for the soaking, baking soda and LONG boil is to soften the skins. With the skins softening, there is no need to remove them…believe me, no one wants to do that!!! Give the recipe a try, I think you’ll be delighted about skipping that step with great results!
xoxo,
Cosette