BEST Hummus

Name: BEST Hummus
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed); ⅓ cup smooth tahini*; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (plus more to taste); 1 garlic clove; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 5 tablespoons water (or as needed to blend); Paprika, red pepper flakes, and/or fresh parsley; Warm pita bread (and/or veggies, for serving)

Learn how to make homemade hummus with this easy, 7-ingredient hummus recipe! It comes together in minutes, and it's SUPER smooth and creamy.

snacks & dips / vegan / gluten free — Jump to recipe

Is there anything better than creamy, nutty, velvety homemade hummus?

I don’t think so, which is why I make this hummus recipe nearly every week. I’ve shared many hummus variations over the years (including 4 in my first cookbook!), but this recipe is the one I make most often. It’s a classic version of the Middle Eastern chickpea dip, with garbanzo beans and tahini as the key ingredients.

The recipe is super simple to make. With just 5 minutes of prep, 7 basic ingredients transform into delicious homemade hummus. It’s lusciously smooth, with a bright lemon flavor and a little kick from garlic.

Store-bought hummus might be more convenient, but it’s not nearly as good as this ultra-creamy homemade kind. Whether you enjoy it with fresh veggies, slather it on a sandwich, or scoop it up with pita chips, I hope you love it as much as I do!

Homemade Hummus Ingredients

You only need 7 basic ingredients to make this easy homemade hummus recipe!

Cooked chickpeas. Though I cook dried chickpeas on occasion, I typically use store-bought canned chickpeas in my homemade hummus, and it always comes out great. If you cook your chickpeas yourself, make sure to soak them ahead of time, and let them boil for a bit longer than you normally would. You want them to be mushy, soft, and creamy.
Tahini. A generous amount of good-quality tahini is the key to smooth hummus. I use 1/3 cup in my recipe, and I choose a brand with a smooth texture and a mild, nutty flavor that’s not bitter. My favorites are Cedar’s (available at most grocery stores), Seed & Mill (the best ever), and Soom.
Extra-virgin olive oil. I blend 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the dip, and I love to serve it with an extra drizzle of oil on top!
Fresh lemon juice. Squeeze it yourself for the best bright, zingy flavor.
Garlic. It adds savory depth of flavor.
Water. I start with 5 tablespoons and add more, as needed, to give it a delectable light, fluffy texture!
Sea salt. I use 1/2 teaspoon to heighten the bright, nutty flavors in this homemade hummus recipe.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Hummus from Scratch

Once you assemble your ingredients, you can make this recipe in one easy step. Just add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, garlic, and salt to a high-speed blender, and process until smooth. That’s it!

As you blend, add more water, as needed, to reach your desired consistency. If your blender has a baton, you may want to use it to help get things going.

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can use a food processor to make this recipe. However, you’ll likely need to blend the hummus longer, for up to a few minutes. A blender makes a smoother dip faster. You can make super creamy hummus in a food processor too, but it will take a bit more time.

Enjoy the hummus right away, or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It keeps well for up to 5 days. I love having it on hand for a healthy, high-protein snack!

Recipe Variations

If you go to the hummus section of a grocery store, you’ll find tons of ideas for seasoning it! Feel free to experiment with different flavors at home. I love it the traditional way, but if I’m in the mood for something different, I usually turn to one of these variations:

Spice it up. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or coriander adds an extra layer of flavor.
Make garlic hummus. Replace the raw garlic with 3 roasted garlic cloves. Add more to taste.
Add roasted red peppers. Blend 1 to 2 roasted red peppers into the base recipe to make red pepper hummus. A pinch of smoked paprika is great in this variation.
Blend in pesto. Add spoonfuls of pesto, to taste, to make an extra-lemony, herbaceous dip.
Go green. Blend in 1/2 cup fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil, or up to 1 cup spinach.
Turn it pink! Try my beet hummus recipe.
Make it sweet & smoky. Blend in 1/2 baked sweet potato, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, a pinch of chili powder, and more water as needed.

Let me know what variations you try!

What to Serve with Hummus

Once you have hummus on hand in the refrigerator, you’ll find a thousand ways to use it. Here are a few suggestions:

Enjoy it with veggies or crackers (or straight off a spoon) as a quick snack.
Slather it onto crostini to serve as an appetizer.
Put it at the center of your next crudité board, or serve it as part of a mezze platter with other Mediterranean dishes like Greek salad, tabbouleh, and falafel.
Add it to your next sandwich or wrap! I love it on these chickpea shawarma wraps.
Stir in water to thin it to a drizzle-able consistency. Then, use it as a salad dressing for your favorite fresh and roasted veggies!

Of course, it’s also good on its own with pita bread. If I’m serving a big bowl of hummus, I like to garnish it with a generous drizzle of olive oil, finely chopped parsley, sumac, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Sesame seeds, pine nuts, fresh mint leaves, or smoked paprika would be good too. You could even sprinkle it with Everything Bagel Seasoning!

More Favorite Dip Recipes

If you love this hummus recipe, try one of these homemade dips next:

BEST Hummus

rate this recipe:

4.99 from 198 votes

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Serves 8

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Try this hummus recipe once, and you'll never go back to buying it at the store! Served with fresh veggies and pita, it's a delicious appetizer or snack.

Equipment

Blender (I've used my trusty Vitamix for years)

Ingredients

1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
⅓ cup smooth tahini*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons water, or as needed to blend
Paprika, red pepper flakes, and/or fresh parsley, for garnish
Warm pita bread , and/or veggies, for serving

Instructions

In a high-speed blender, place the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Use the blender baton to blend until very smooth, adding water as needed to blend, and/or to reach your desired consistency.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with paprika, red pepper flakes, and/or fresh parsley. Serve with warm pita and veggies, as desired.