Who would have ever thought some simple mashed up beans could taste soooo good? Hummus is my friend. My buddy. We met years ago in Chicago, at Reza’s, the best Persian restaurant in town. God, I (sigh) miss that place. When I moved to San Francisco, there was really nothing that compared to Reza’s – not even close. So I started buying those little plastic tubs of hummus from the supermarket whenever I had a hankering for it, which basically meant I was buying a whole lot of hummus. But something never felt quite right. I missed my old buddy.
One day, I finally decided to make my own and discovered what a fool I had been. Not only could I whip up a batch of hummus in 2.5 minutes flat, but I realized I’d spent a small fortune on those little tubs. For the cost of a single tub, I could produce at least 5 humongous – more delicious – batches in the comfort of my own home. Now, I normally buy beans dried, and in bulk, but for some reason, canned chickpeas work fabulously for hummus.
Speaking of chickpeas, did you know ground roasted chickpeas are sometimes brewed instead of coffee in parts of Germany? I can’t decide if I find that fascinating or disgusting. I digress. In addition to the smokiness of the cumin, I add a tiny bit of tumeric to my hummus for an extra kick. I also happen to love the color. And like most things involving garlic and lemon – the more garlicky and lemony, the better for me. I must say, though, the best part about this recipe is that it doesn’t require you to buy a $10 jar of tahini – a good thing when you’re trying to recoup years of wasted cash spent on mediocre hummus. My old buddy is back – and here to stay.
Heavenly Hummus
Tweaked from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman
If you don’t happen to have my penchant for garlic and lemon, start off with 1 clove and 1/2 of a lemon before you commit to the dark side.
Ingredients
- 1 cup drained organic canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp ground tumeric
- Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- Paprika for sprinkling and garnish
Method
Put everything except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the 2-3 tbsp chickpea liquid (or more as needed) to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of paprika and some parsley.
Your hummus sounds amazing, in addition to the ingredients you listed, I also like to add sumac. So tasty!
oh, i will have to try adding sumac next time – thanks for tip!
Hi there :D
great post, I love your blog you are a great cook and photographer too!!
Compliments :D
Bye
Barbara
Hey there cuz!!
After reading this post, I think I’ll make a trek to Reza’s this weekend—I AM now just about 5 minutes UP THE STREET!!!
Great post!! Next time you’re in town, I NEED to take you to Semiramis. Their hummus is SUPER good…so is their Baba.
Hugs,
T.
teen!! you are killing me. seriously. killing me. can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait! :)
I have never tried hummus made without tahini, but I certainly will – this looks amazing! Yum!
Oh I am already committed to the dark side of garlic and lemon overload ;)
Thanks for this recipe, I always want to make homemade hummus but never want to buy a whole jar of tahini because I know I will never use it.
i’m glad to know i have a partner in crime on the dark side. ;)
Any thoughts on olive oil vs. tahini in hummus? I love the creamy texture that tahini gives and have been reluctant to try making hummus with olive oil. I use 1 Tbs of tahini per can of garbanzo beans. Also, I recommend boiling your own garbanzo beans – so delicious!
hi iva – the tahini definitely gives a more complex flavor profile to the hummus, but i find if you use a good extra virgin olive oil, it’s just as good in a pinch. when the weather cools down, i’ll try boiling some dried garbanzo beans and let you know how they turn out!
Love the dish that you used for this post, and I cannot imagine hummus without garlic, it’s just plain wrong!
Mmm…I am also a hummus addict. Yours does indeed look heavenly, and that dish is gorgeous!
I love hummus too. Its so good on veggies, wraps and I also like to use it in place of mayo on Veggie sandwiches. I love cumin but I have never put it in my hummus before now I am gonna try it out. I know it will be great!
You have never tasted the wonders of tahini thinned with lemon and water as a dipping sauce/dressing for felafal, cucumber salad, jasmine rice, suvlaki, on and on. It doesn’t go bad if you keep it in the fridge! However, $10 is too much. Hit a Pakistani market for good, cheap tahini.
My boyfriend has a daily hummus habit. I should make this for him – as I’m sure it’s MUCH better than the brand he buys at the supermarket.
Delicious! :) It’s been some time since I made hummus. I should make this again. However, I would usually boil the canned chick peas. They seemed too hard otherwise.
I’m gonna try this out this weekend. Thanks.
This looks so good! I love hummus.
I love your photography – even something as simple-looking as a hummus dip you manage to make it look beautiful!
Delicious and easy! Plus, your photos are gorgeous, as usual. Ground-up chickpeas in place of coffee? Really? I think I’ll stick with coffee beans.
It looks good. I use both olive oil and tahini.. Since we don’t eat any meat or dairy- when we have hummus it is usually the highest calorie and fat item on the menu so I don’t worry about it.. but this sounds good..Will give it a shot since I am out of tahini.
Oh, I had forgotten about Reza’s! And Andie’s, and the place on the corner of Foster and Clark, and the place next to that run by the guys who owned the liquor store, and they had hookahs, and the Middle Eastern bakery across the street that had wonderful take-out falalfel sandwiches.
Is there any town better than Chicago for Middle Eastern food?
I LOVE hummus but never tried making my own since I couldn’t find tahini in our small grocery store. Now I can! We always made our own pita chips though. YUM!
Thanks for this post. I’m inspired. For some unknown reason, hummus seems to be one of those things that I just never get exactly right. I have tried it every way you can imagine…”plain”, with sauteed zuch, carrots, etc, with roasted red peppers, with fresh herbs- you name it. I realize now, this is just one of those things that needs to stay simple and left alone. I think what I’ve been missing is cumin!! Thanks for cracking the code!
Oh- I also love your photographs! (And your recipes, of course). I think your blog is definitely my favorite one that I’ve come across in a while!
Carli
http://www.velveetaaintfood.blogspot.com
I luv hummus….I am going to try yours tonight to have with a lite dinner. I make mine with Tahini but add just a little too much and it gives it an off taste. With the omission of the turmeric, it makes the Italian equivalent of hummus, Crema d’ceci.
Nice one!
I’ve been craving hummus for ages and ages, and I never liked what they served at restaurants.. some really dry stuff. Definitely agree this is one of those things best tried at home.
Gorgeous pictures!!! Puts me in a good mood just looking at them.
Love the new layout and pretty font =D
Yum! I love hummus! I could eat it all day!
OMG!!! I found you on Tastespotting, and on a whim decided to try this recipe as soon as I read it. Mainly because I never have Tahini around and I never remember to buy any! This is so awesome. Seems so wrong that it is also good for you and low cal, to boot :-)
I made it a little too salty, but I didn’t want to play with it too much, just incase I ruin the otherwise beautiful flavor.
Thanks for dinner.
Your newest fan,
Natalie
hi natalie! welcome! so glad you enjoyed the hummus…it’s quite addicting, isn’t it? the bowl is always licked cleaned when it’s made around here!
don’t think i want to try that german brew…
i’m not sure how long it’s been since i had hummus…but sure looks good!
hey you wanna trade jobs sometime? you can come play director here…and i can go cook and post blogs daily. deal?
Mashed up beans are indeed quite wonderful.I love that you can start with your recipe and play with the flavors. I love it garlicky and lemony!
great photos, that hummus looks really mouth watering! I love hummus because it’s so good with homemade pita chips and it’s also very healthy ;)
I am SOOOO making this! Thank you!
your pictures are beautiful! what a great blog, just found you and am quite impressed. Not to mention I am a HUGE hummus fan ;)
I feel your pain about having really good hummus only to be stuck purchasing those overpriced tubs. Good hummus should have oil on top, and I love that you do that here. Looks fantastic!
Okay – I just made my first batch of homemade hummus using your recipe. YUM!!!! I made it really smooth and much thinner than commercial hummus, the way I like it. Can’t wait to serve this up tomorrow when I have my friend over for lunch. She’s a vegetarian and I know she’ll appreciate some good meat-free grub like this!
hi Q. – yay! congrats on your first batch of homemade hummus, though i’m sure there will be many, many more. i’m so happy you enjoyed it! i can’t get enough of it myself. your friend is a lucky gal! :)
Hummus is my buddy, too. We must be buddies by association. It looks beautiful! I love your photographs.
I am making some hummus this weekend…so great!
Your hummus looks beautiful! Hummus is one of my favorite snacks, especially in the summertime. I adore the bowl you photographed it in as well- gorgeous!
Agreed with oysterculture. I like sprinkling sumac instead of smoked paprika, it adds a little sour note that is very pleasant.
You’re right: why waste on a $10 tahini jar? Your hummus pic is amazingly beautiful, awesome composition, I love it
Love hummus but have never tried making some my own. Sounds and looks so good!
Fantastic!
I love homemade hummus and yours look perfect – yum!
Instead of using tahini, you can substitute peanut butter if you want to try something different. Personally, i don’t think it is as good, but it still works pretty well. I have never tried it without either peanut butter or tahini.
I love hummus too. Love it! I also lived in Chicago- not far from Reza’s in Andersonville. I think that was the name of the ‘hood. Can’t really recall, but I can recall how awesome that food was. And, they deliver anytime anywhere. Gotta love the midwest for that!
Your blog is so lovely!! Im thrilled to have found you…and this hummus recipe, I have been looking for a good one for awhile (and am guilty of buying the ho-hum tubs too). Just for reference/planning–how long have you found that a batch of this keeps?
hi hannah – to be honest, every batch i’ve made gets finished that day. but if i had to guess, i’d say 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
I remember the first time I made it I misread the recipe and put in so much parsley it turned green — it was a hit and my friends kept asking me for that particular variation…once I showed up with the usual taupe-coloured stuff and they were so disappointed!
j
I usually just don’t make hummus if I’m out of tahini, but will definitely have to give this a try! I’m also particularly keen on pairing hummus and pesto on a sandwich. Mmmm. Double the garlic, double the fun!
Wonderful photography!
I can’t wait to try this recipe out…
Wow – amazing hummus! I meticulously peeled off all of the skins to make it smoother, used a little over a teaspoon of jarred minced garlic (it’s all I had on hand), about 3/4 of a lemon, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tbsp of the bean liquid. The cumin really spices it up and the turmeric makes it such a nice color! I’m putting this in my recipe box. :)
I just made this tonight – delicious! Now what to do with all that left over tahini;)
I’ve been thinking about making a hummus without tahini and here it is–looks perfect! Thanks.
This looks amazing, I’m a HUGE fan of hummus (as in I can eat it with a spoon from the jar) and will be trying this out soon! Never thought of putting tumeric in so thanks for the tip!
Wow~ What a beautiful presentation
[…] and I had been meaning to get some tahini so I could blend up my own batch….Until I found a recipe on the blog Kiss my Spatula for tahini-free hummus. I made some for lunch today. I will just say […]
I just finished licking the bowl…perfect lunch with pita. Delicious!
just made this recipe for the first time, LOVED IT! I added sesame seeds for a crunch but otherwise perfect and yummy :)
Just found your website and I have to say I am intrigued!! I am definitely going to try this!! I always have chickpeas on hand for my Moroccan chick pea stew but I am going to have to steal a can just for this!!! You have also inspired me to make other things as well and I put your link on my site!!! I’ll update you on how we make out!
Oh, man. I can’t wait to make this. I love hummus on toast in the morning, but I don’t make it often because good tahini is so expensive. Wow, am I glad I found your blog. (It’s beautiful, by the way!)
I love your website and your recipes. I have been making Hummus for ages (at least 10-15 years) and can never get enough. The other day, I had a nice smallish butternut squash that had been calling to me to try something new, so I made Butternut Hummus. Just subbed the cooked Butternut for the chickpeas, squeezed in lots of lemon and about three cloves of garlic, added my olive oil and tahini (I use quite a bit), added salt to taste and whirred it all up in the processor. OMG, what a delicious treat with pita chips and fresh veggies. I even made a hummus sandwich for lunch one day. With the tahini, the butternut hummus tasted similar to peanut butter with that sweet nutty flavor. I buy my tahini from the local Indian market and keep it in the fridge for as long as it lasts. Just make sure you stir it well to get all the yummy ground up sesame paste at the bottom.
hello….new to your great site!
luv – luv hummus… your recipe sounds delicious. The only thing I always find differant with store bought and homemade is the supreme smooth texture of store bought, no matter how long you wiz it at home it’s not the same….until now. I finally found the secret ingredient of store bought.
Add 2 Tbsp. of chick pea flour to the party and voila….perfection!
Enjoy!
This hummus was delicious! You’ve rescued me from my fear of making it. Love your blog too!
[…] heavenly hummus from kiss my spatula […]
I just made a batch of hummus without any recipe, and it wasn’t good at all, I am going to adjust it using your recipe, and adding lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, etc. Thank you again for sharing.
Re: what to do with the extra tahini, I use it as a sauce for a chinese noodle recipe called Dan Dan Mein. I use peanut butter & tahini, add chicken broth & water, into a gravy. Top it over spaghettini, add crispy bacon bits & green onions, that’s a meal for vegetarian. To make it even better, dry toast some sesame seeds, crush some roughly and sprinkle onto your noodles.
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