This classically flavoured Plain Hummus is one of those foods where the homemade version ruins you for the shop-bought kind. Luckily it is super simple to make with easy to obtain ingredients. My version is creamy, silky smooth and ready in just 15 minutes.
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Hummus has taken the world by storm over the last few years but as with many things, the homemade version is vastly superior to the supermarket ones. It makes a perfect snack, dip or side and can be gussied up with all manner of additional flavours. Once you’ve made it yourself, you won’t look back!
I was quite late to the hummus party and it was even later when I could bring myself to dip raw carrot in it. I got there eventually and now I love the stuff!
How to Make Super Smooth Hummus – Step By Step Video
The Secret to Smooth Plain Hummus
I started out by making the super-duper quick version which can be ready in 5 minutes. But that hummus is a bit chunky. I wanted to know how to make the smooth and silky hummus that I was served in Turkish and Lebanese restaurants.
I tried several recommended methods including heating tinned chickpeas to mimic the texture of soaking and cooking dried chickpeas. That version was gnarly and will never be repeated.
But then I found the simple secret? Peel the chickpeas. I know that sounds like a bit of a ball-ache but once you start popping the peas from their skins, the whole process becomes quite soothing. And I timed it. I can peel a whole tin in under 12 minutes. I tend to sit in front of the telebox and it feels like 3 minutes.
So trust me. Please. Take a couple of extra minutes and make the best hummus you’ll ever taste.
How to Spell Hummus
I might know the secret to silky hummus but I’ll never be quite sure how to spell it! Humous? Hummous? Humus? Hummus? Houmous? Whomousse?
I googled it but as it is an Arabic word (literally meaning “chickpeas”) and Arabic is written in a different script. So there simply is no direct and ‘proper’ translation in the latin alphabet.
The same is also true for ‘popadam’, ‘pappadam’, ‘popadom’ etc and all of the dim sum recipes in my repertoire like Har Gow, Fun Guo and Siu Mai.
So as there is no “correct” answer, I’ll stick with “hummus”.
How to Serve Plain Hummus
Simple and classic Plain Hummus is brilliant and versatile. It can be a mid morning snack, something to serve with drinks or part of a main meal. Serve it with enough things to dip in it and it can be a feast in itself.
I drizzle my hummus with olive oil and sumac, usually in a small bowl or even smeared over a plate. You need maximum dipping surface!
Make Hummus into a Feast
I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!
One of my favourite meals is to griddle a couple of lamb leg steaks and serve them with Griddled Courgette and peppers, the hummus, yoghurt dip and pittas. Or flatbread. Couscous is another classic accompaniment.
I have previously been inspired to hard fry some lamb mince with cumin, salt and chilli powder in olive oil. I served the crispy lamb on top of the hummus swirled out on a shallow plate. This was a great dish as part of a larger meze feast.
Don’t forget to head over to my Feast Collection pages to find all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my recipe index to create your own awesome Feast!
Ingredients for Plain Hummus
Chickpeas
I use tinned chickpeas. I don’t know anyone prepared enough to start making this the day before they need it with dried ones and I certainly am not.
And so I generally keep a tin in my cupboard. They’re handy to use for many quick recipes like a good curry.
As I’ve discussed above, my method involves peeling the chickpeas to get the smoothest possible hummus. You can skip that step if you wish, you just need to accept that you will end up with a chunkier hummus.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is best fresh but the bottled kind from the fridge is fine in a pinch.
Tahini
Tahini might sound incredibly exotic but tubs or jars of it are available in all of the supermarkets. It is simply sesame seed paste.
Garlic
Whilst I almost always use jarred garlic paste in my recipes, if I have any fresh cloves to hand, I would tend use them in my Hummus. The very fresh kind does provide a heat that the jarred version does not.
Be Flexible
There are so many variables with hummus and you can easily adapt the basic recipe to your taste. I like mine fairly heavy on the citrus and super smooth. And so I use plenty of lemon juice. But you can vary the basic seasonings to your personal taste.
For the other kind of variable, you can mix in all manner of other ingredients to create interesting hummus varieties.
I like to use roasted and pureed butternut squash and a little dried cumin. Equally a handful of fresh coriander and some fresh red chillies makes for an almost Mexican twist.
Make it Vegetarian or Vegan
My hummus recipe is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
Make it Allergy Friendly
This hummus recipe is free from dairy, egg, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Hummus
Making hummus is justification enough for my ownership of my Kenwood Mini Chopper. It paid for itself pretty quickly. One tin of chickpeas fits absolutely perfectly. My Guacamole and Caesar Salad Dressing recipes also help with the justification!
For larger quantities you can use a larger food processor. You might struggle with a smaller quantity in a larger machine as the blades tend not to like small quantities.
You can of course make the paste by hand. Ideally with a large pestle and mortar but I imagine it would take a little while and I would probably hold off on adding the liquid ingredients until the chickpeas are well mushed.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
Hummus can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored covered in the fridge. But I think you probably knew that. But did you know that you can freeze hummus?
Freeze hummus in an airtight container before adding the olive oil and spice garnish. Defrost overnight in the fridge then give it a good stir before serving with any garnishes.
Leftover Plain Hummus
Leftover hummus can be frozen. Simply stir in any remaining olive oil etc first.
Equally it will last for a couple of days in the fridge. Its perfect for just dipping into. Literally!
As for the water that comes in the chickpea tin, you can drain this off, whisk it up and make vegan meringues.
Hummus Tips
The balance of seasonings is a matter of personal preference. The ratios of lemon juice to garlic to salt in this recipe are my preference. Feel free to experiment to make your Hummus perfect to you.
You can use the aquafaba (chickpea water) instead of the water in the recipe. I personally find the aquafaba makes the finished dish a little claggy. But again, this is my personal preference.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Vegan Side Dishes
The Recipe
Simple Plain Hummus Recipe (Super Smooth)
Ingredients
- 400 g Canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
- 2 tbsp Tahini Paste
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 4 tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes - more if needed
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil - optional
- 0.5 tsp Sumac/Paprika - optional
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from 400g Tinned Chickpeas. Set the liquid aside if you intend to use it elsewhere.
- Peel the chickpeas by popping the skin off each chickpea with your fingers and discarding the skins.
- Add the peeled chickpeas, 2 tbsp Tahini Paste, 1 tsp Garlic Paste, 2 tbsp Lemon Juice, 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes and 4 tbsp Cold Water to a small processor or blender.
- Blitz until smooth. You may need to add more cold water to achieve the desired consistency.
- Taste it. Add more lemon, more salt, more tahini and/or more garlic as you wish. Blitz again and repeat until you love the flavour.
- Serve the hummus swirled with 1 tbsp Olive Oil and 0.5 tsp Sumac/Paprika (optional).
Cat says
I haven’t made hummus in a while but making this for dinner tonight reminded me just how easy and delicious it is!
edward says
Butter beans make a great alternative to chick peas and there’s no need to peel them. Makes a very smooth and creamy hummus
Chloe says
Hmm that might well make a nice butter bean dip but as the word hummus literally translates to chickpea, it ain’t hummus!
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Made this for lunch today along with some homemade flat breads. I found peeling the chickpeas really therapeutic! The hummus was silky smooth and really delicious. This was my first time making hummus and definitely won’t be the last.
Chloe says
Yes! Its such a calming and weirdly satisfying activities! So pleased you enjoyed it!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Whomousse!!!! Gotta love whomousse 😀 (Though, tell the truth, I am a hummus girl at heart) I am highly amused by the idea of you timing yourself peeling chickpeas (the things we do in the name of blogging!) and wondering if that’s as fast as you could go or just your leisurely half watching TV speed??? Maybe we should have a chickpea pea peel-off at the next Productive Blogging LIVE? 😉 Eb x
Chloe says
Ha, its the kind of weird thing I’d do whether I was writing a blog post or not! I’d say leisurely but vaguely focused! I cannot wait for the chickpea-off-off next year. How hilarious would that be!!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Whomousse cracked me up!! I love making homemade hummus and I never thought of peeling the chickpeas, maybe I’ll have to try it and see the difference!
cedges says
Its going to be whomousse forever more now I think! Peeling is one of those things that 80% of recipes say “hey don’t bother peeling, it makes no difference” but I am so inclined to disagree. I guess maybe if you have a super mega blender then the difference might not be so noticeable. But for me, spending that little extra time peeling is so worth it. Let me know what you think!
Michelle Rolfe says
I love hummus, whoooomous…or whatever you want to call it! I 100% agree on taking the skins off too. The difference in creaminess is incredible. I do love making it from dried chickpeas when I’ve time but it is a faff. Just make a huge batch and I’ve frozen it well too. But sometimes I just want it there and then not the next day!
cedges says
Oh Whomousse!!! Thats good to know I have peeling friends. I just find that kind of mindless repetitive task quite soothing anyway! Ah yes, freezing some is a really good idea actually – nice suggestion!
CAMILLA HAWKINS says
Fab classic hummus recipe!I do love hummus but I don’t love that the tahini paste has to be eaten within 3 weeks so don’t make it as often as I’d like sadly.
cedges says
Tahini has to be eaten in 3 weeks?! I’ve had a tub in the cupboard for about a year which I’m still using….tastes fine, just needs a good shake/stir! I’m off to look now….!