You can get hummus these days in pretty much any grocery store and the taste ranges from meh to delicious. The truth is, though, that the ingredients in hummus are very inexpensive, meaning that you can make your own big bowl of hummus for the same amount of money as that little container at your local grocer. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups, or about 6 servings. It keeps for a week in the fridge, so it might be worth your while to start making it yourself. If you think you’re not going to eat that much in a week, then get the store-bought kind for everyday and save this recipe for a party.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice (1 large or 2 medium lemons)
1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini
1 (or more!) garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil (plus more for serving)
1/2 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
1 1/2 cups (250 g) of cooked chickpeas, well-rinsed
Salt to taste
Ground sweet paprika (for serving)
Directions:
Put the lemon juice and tahini in a food processor and whir for a minute. Scrape the sides of the processor and whir again.
Add the olive oil, garlic, cumin and about 1/2 tsp salt. Whir, scrape, and whir like above.
Add half the chickpeas. Whir, scrape, and whir.
Add the second half of the chickpeas and whir until it’s very smooth. (Up to 2 minutes)
If you think it’s too thick, turn the processor on and slowly add up to 3 tbsp of water until it’s the consistency you want.
Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
To serve: Spread on a plate, swirl it with the back of a spoon so it has little channels. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. You can serve hummus with pita wedges, warmed in the oven or straight out of the package. You can also serve it as a dip with raw veggies.
Options and extras:
- You don’t need to be fancy when you serve it. Just put it in a bowl.
- Dried chickpeas are the most cost-effective and they keep for a long time. You have to think ahead, though. Soak them overnight and either boil them in water on the stove until they are cooked through or use a slow cooker (if you have all day) or a pressure cooker (if you don’t.) You’ll need about half the volume of dried chickpeas to make the amount of cooked chickpeas that you need. In this case 3/4 cup dried chickpeas.
- You can use canned chickpeas for convenience. Rinse them very thoroughly.
- You can leave the tahini out, but it’ll be a bit boring. Tahini lasts a good long time in the fridge, but if you’re worried about it going rancid before you’ve used it up, buy the smallest jar available.