Perfect Creamy Hummus

Small dish of creamy smooth hummus with a sprinkling of paprika, and a few chickpeas. Some raw carrots are on the side to dip into the hummus.

5 from 1 vote

The secret to creamy smooth hummus is to simmer cooked chickpeas in a solution of water and baking soda for 7 - 10 minutes. This recipe makes about 1 ¾ cups of hummus.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer or Snack, Lunch

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: creamy hummus, how to make hummus, Hummus

Servings: servings

Calories: 71.5kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Ingredients

1 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas (I recommend Goya) *see notes below if using chickpeas cooked from dried beans
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed, or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
½ teaspoon smoked paprika Pimentón de la Vera if you have it
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons ice water plus more, depending on how thick you want the hummus

For Serving (Options)

extra virgin olive oil
minced fresh rosemary
sumac
parsley or cilantro

Instructions

Place the cooked chickpeas in a medium pot over medium heat and pour in enough water to cover them by about 2 inches. Add the baking soda. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the chickpeas begin to break apart, 7 - 10 minutes.
Drain and place in the bowl of a chopper attached to an immersible blender.
Pro-tip: You can use a food processor or a counter top blender, but with small batches like this, you'll need to do a LOT of scraping the bowl in between pulses to get the hummus perfectly smooth.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until a smooth paste develops. You will need to stop the blending a couple times to scrape the sides of the container with a small rubber spatula.
Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the hummus achieves the consistency you prefer. I use 2 tablespoons, but you can use more. You will need to scrape the sides of the container a couple more times.
Serve with a good quality extra-virgin olive oil. I like to sprinkle minced fresh rosemary over the hummus too.

Notes

NOTE IF MAKING HUMMUS WITH CHICKPEAS YOU'VE COOKED FROM DRIED BEANS:

Canned chickpeas are immersed in a liquid, keeping them moist for some undetermined amount of time. Chickpeas you've cooked yourself from dried have not.

Therefore, you will need a little more baking soda to soften the chickpeas to the point of starting to break apart. I recommend ½ teaspoon baking soda.

REMOVING THE SKINS FROM THE CHICKPEAS

When drained, you will have a lot of skins that have slipped off the chickpeas. It is not necessary to remove the skins of the chickpeas before making hummus, although you can if that's your preference. The skins will be completely processed into the finished hummus, and may contribute to the creamy texture when finished.

4 WAYS TO EAT HUMMUS

Dip raw veggies such as carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower or broccoli into hummus.
Spread hummus on warm pita or na'an bread, or crackers and top with sun-dried tomatoes.
Use as a sandwich spread in a wrap with black beans, quinoa, tomatoes and spinach.
Toss a Greek salad with red onions, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and feta with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Heap on a pita round or na'an spread with hummus.

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