Lebanese Creamy Hummus {canned or fresh garbanzo beans}

Name: Creamy Hummus
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Lebanese
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; olive oil; chopped parsley; toasted pine nuts; paprika

By Cosette PoskoApr 30, 2020 (updated Jun 17, 2025)35 Comments

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Achieving ultra creamy hummus is the dream! This Authentic Lebanese Hummus recipe combines the simplest ingredients for that authentic taste. And with the option of using canned beans or fresh, you'll have homemade creamy, dreamy hummus in no time!

I grew up eating hummus, so basically before it was cool and popular. What's not to love: garlic, lemon, creamy beans and tahini. This is a VERY classic Mediterranean version, nothing fancy, just simple ingredients that meld together so incredibly well and pack the most flavor.

Traditional Method: Soaking Garbanzo Beans

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.

Pressure Cook: 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.

Quick and Easy: 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. Some other key ingredients:

Garbanzo beans (dry or canned will work)
baking soda - this helps to soften the skins of the beans and eliminates having to rub them off
garlic
tahini
lemon juice - fresh squeezed is best

Making Hummus

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 ½ teaspoon of your baking soda to this mixture and let sit 8 hours or overnight.
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 ½ 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.

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.
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.

I hope you enjoy this hummus recipe as much as my family does. It's a classic recipe that will travel with you forever!

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!

xoxo,
Cosette

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Lebanese Creamy Hummus {canned or fresh garbanzo beans}

Traditional Method: Soaking Garbanzo Beans

Pressure Cook: Instant Pot

Quick and Easy: Canned Beans

Ingredients

Making Hummus

Instant Pot Method

Creamy Hummus

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparing Dry Beans

Making Hummus

Instant Pot Method:

Notes

More Dips & Spreads

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Traditional Method: Soaking Garbanzo Beans

Pressure Cook: Instant Pot

Quick and Easy: Canned Beans

Ingredients

Making Hummus

Instant Pot Method

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparing Dry Beans

Making Hummus

Instant Pot Method:

Notes

More Dips & Spreads

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