Looking for a classic hummus recipe that tastes ultra-creamy and delish? Well, you’ve got it! With chickpeas, zesty lemon juice, tahini and garlic and cumin, this simple recipe for hummus in the blender will be your go-to snack whenever you’re craving a healthy snack!
This classic hummus recipe was originally posted in August of 2019 but has been updated with new recipe pictures and recipe tweaks.
If you know me, you know how I love dips, especially any type of bean dip. I legit make a version every week, especially on Friday so hubby and I can have a healthy snack in the fridge whenever the little hunger bug strikes.
Hummus is basically a bean dip, or chickpea dip (to be exact), and can pretty much be found in any grocery store you visit these days, right alongside other snacks.
It’s made with cooked chickpeas and a few other ingredients and is a great healthy dip option that you can feel good about.
I’ve shared hummus and bean dip recipes with you before (and some of my favourites are green goddess hummus and buffalo hummus).
Today, though, I’m getting back to basics with an easy classic hummus in a blender.
I tested this hummus recipe about 1.5 million times to get it just right, LOL. Okay, not that many times, but a lot. What can I say? I’m devoted to food!
Ingredients for Classic Hummus
At the base of every hummus recipe, it’s core ingredients are:
- Chickpeas
- Tahini (sesame seed paste)
- Lemon juice (use fresh lemon juice, not the bottled stuff)
- Olive oil (the best you can get your hands on)
- Garlic (fresh garlic, not the powdered stuff for this recipe)
- Salt and pepper
- Cumin
- Water
Canned versus Dried Chickpeas
Chickpeas are the bean of choice for hummus. You can make hummus with dried chickpeas or canned chickpeas.
If Using Dried Chickpeas
If using dried for hummus, you just have to cook them before using in the hummus recipe to soften. Some tips to keep in mind:
If you soak before cooking, your cooking time will dramatically be reduced
It’s okay to overcook chickpeas for hummus. It’s actually better to have them overcooked than on the firmer side; it will make for creamier hummus.
Ensure chickpeas are fully cool before using in this hummus recipe. Why? When chickpeas are on the warmer side, they tend to soak up more liquid (found this out via testing).
If Using Canned Chickpeas
Canned chickpeas are my go-to for hummus.
If opting for canned chickpeas, just rinse and drain. I like to go for a no salt added variety so I can better control the salt content, but use whatever you have on hand or prefer.
Canned chickpeas typically come in a couple of sized cans: 15 ounces and 19 ounces. Around here, 19-ounce cans are popular.
Just keep in mind that this recipe uses a 19-ounce can or 2 cups of chickpeas. If you use a little less (or a tad more), you may need to adjust the water added so that you get the creamy consistency you like.
Can I Make Hummus Without Tahini?
An authentic hummus recipe calls for the inclusion of tahini.
However, not everyone is a fan (or you may not have any on hand, but really have a hankering for homemade hummus). I totally understand!
So, you can whip up hummus and just leave out the tahini. The end result won’t quite have the same richness (and you may need to add a little more liquid to thin), but it will still taste delicious.
Tip: If you are omitting tahini, I would definitely add a little cumin to the hummus to amp up the flavour.
Alternatively, you can replace the tahini with nut butter, like natural peanut butter or cashew butter. Of course, it will impart a slightly different flavour than tahini would, but will add body.
Tip: I would recommend starting with a little less nut butter and adding to taste if that’s the route you want to go.
How to Make Things Super Creamy
The first tip is highly debatable — removing the outer skin on those chickpeas. Some people don’t notice any difference, while others do. I totally think it makes a difference to remove that outer skin and it only takes about 10 minutes to do, so why not?
Remove the skin of the chickpeas by gently pinching between your thumb and pointer finger and it will easily slide off. Just discard that.
If you don’t want to pinch the skin off each chickpea, this is another tip using baking soda that you may want to use.
If you do opt to leave the skins on the chickpeas, that’s okay. However, in testing, I found that when I made with the skins on, I tended to use a little more water to loosen the hummus.
The second tip I have for making hummus super creamy is to blend, blend, blend. When you think everything is combined, blend a little longer. I’m not talking a super long time here, just probably a total of 3 to 5 minutes blend time. When you blend well, it makes things super creamy and kinda fluffy, i.e. super chip dippable!
The third tip is cold water. The water helps to loosen things up so the chickpea dip is not as dense.
Tip: Start with 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water and add a little more if you want a looser consistency. Remember, when hummus is stored in the fridge, it will slightly tighten (but will loosen again when out for about 15 to 20 minutes).
How to Make Hummus
I’ve been known to make hummus in the blender and in a food processor.
Depending on how powerful your blender is, I’ve found that the blender often yields slightly creamier results (the taste is delicious in both methods).
Note: Full details are in the recipe card below.
Blender
- Add all your ingredients to your blender (starting with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water).
- Blend to start to break things up. You may need to stop periodically to scrape the sides of your blender with a spatula. The power of your blender will make a difference here in how quickly things break down and how creamy things are.
- Once the chickpeas are broken down somewhat, start drizzling in more water until everything is creamy and you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Tip: If you want a looser consistency, drizzle in more water. And, if you want more seasoning (aka salt), blend more in.
Food Processor
If you don’t have a blender, you can use a food processor to make hummus (which I often do too).
There are various ways to do this (i.e. how the ingredients are added).
Add All Ingredients At Once
You literally add all ingredients to your processor and process until you’ve reached the consistency you like (drizzling in more water, as necessary, while the machine is going).
Add Liquids and Seasonings First
In this method, one would add tahini, lemon, water, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic first to make somewhat of a paste and a ‘whipped’ texture. Then, chickpeas are added and processed. You can add a little more water, if necessary, to loosen things.
Add Chickpeas First
In this method, the chickpeas are added and processed first. Then, the remaining ingredients are processed until the desired consistency has been reached. Again, add more water if needed.
Tip: In testing, I found that making hummus in the blender required a touch more water than in the food processor.
Bottom line: Use what you have and make it work. Your hummus will still be delish!
How to Garnish
Some delicious garnish ideas are:
- Chopped parsley (or cilantro)
- Sprinkle of paprika or smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Chickpeas
- Pine nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Finely diced hot pepper
- Hot sauce adds a lovely oomph or a sprinkling of chili flakes
- Drizzle of olive oil
Tip: Lemon olive oil works lovely as a garnish. If you don’t have, regular olive oil works too!
How to Enjoy
Serve hummus with any of these for a delicious snack:
- Chips
- Veggies, like carrots, bell pepper, celery, cauliflower and broccoli
- Naan
- Homemade tortilla chips
- Use as a sandwich or wrap spread
Tips to Make Hummus
- As mentioned, remove the outer skin of hummus. It may take a little time, but so worth it. Your hummus will be so much creamier if you do this.
- Blend, blend, blend and then blend again. Did I say blend? You get the picture. As mentioned above, blending ensure the hummus whips up super creamy dreamy.
- Hummus will firm a little in the fridge.
- Depending on how much you like garlic, you may use 1 to 2 regular-sized cloves. If you like things more garlicky, add more. If you like things less garlicky, consider adding just 1 clove or a smaller one.
- Use the best quality ingredients you can get your little hands on. After all, this is a simple, basic hummus recipe and every ingredient really does stand out so you want to use the best — meaning good tahini, great olive oil and real lemon juice.
- A high-powered food processor will help make this classic hummus recipe super duper creamy!
More Yummy Dip Recipes
If you make this classic hummus recipe, please leave a comment below!
Classic Hummus in the Blender (super creamy!)
Ingredients
- 1 (19-ounce) can no salt added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced (depending on how garlicky you like things)
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, from approximately one lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
- 4 to 8 tablespoons cold water, use more for a looser or thinner consistency
Garnish Ideas (optional)
- Olive oil, regular, lemon or chili oil
- Paprika
- Ground cumin
- Chickpeas, you can reserve a few from your can of chickpeas
- Sesame seeds
- Cilantro, chopped
- Parsley, chopped
- Pine nuts
- Jalapeno, sliced or minced
Instructions
Instructions for Making Hummus in a Blender
- Remove and discard outer skin of chickpeas. This is not necessary, but I find it gives a smoother consistency to the hummus. You can skip this step if you like or are pinched for time.
- Place chickpeas, salt, black pepper, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and water (start with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water) in a high-powered blender and blend, stopping to scrape sides of blender, as necessary, with a rubber spatula.Note: If you like, you can reserve some chickpeas for garnish.
- With machine going, slowly drizzle in more water (a tablespoon at a time), as necessary, and blend until you've reached your desired consistency.
- Transfer hummus to a serving bowl and garnish to taste (if desired) with any of the garnish ideas. Serve and enjoy!Note: Enjoy immediately or properly store in an airtight container in your refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
Instructions for Making Hummus in Food Processor
- Remove and discard outer skin of chickpeas. This is not necessary, but I find it gives a smoother consistency to the hummus. You can skip this step if you like or are pinched for time.
- Place chickpeas in a food processor (if you want to garnish the hummus with some, reserve a few for later, otherwise they all go in the processor). Process for about 1 minute. Once stopped, scrape sides of processor with a rubber spatula.Note: If you like, you can reserve some chickpeas for garnish.
- Add salt, pepper, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin. Process again for another 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of processor, as necessary.
- With processor going, drizzle in water (start with 3 to 4 tablespoons) and process for about 3 minutes. When everything is smooth, creamy and combined, taste for seasoning and blend in a little more if you like. Also, if you want a looser or thinner consistency, blend in a little more water.Note: As mentioned, start with 3 tablespoons of water and add more later if you want things looser or thinner. It's easier to add than take away. If you didn't peel the chickpeas, it is likely that you will have to add a little more water.
- Transfer hummus to a serving bowl and garnish to taste (if desired) with any of the garnish ideas. Serve and enjoy!Note: Enjoy immediately or properly store in an airtight container in your refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
