Make Delicious Hummus – Easy and Fast

Make delicious Hummus in a jiffy – an incredibly easy recipe, really fast to make if you have cooked chickpeas on hand. Get ready, folks…..Snack-Attack in 15 min! You will begin to wonder why you have been buying pre-made Hummus all this time!

From my very first taste of Hummus many years ago, I was hooked! Then, of course, I wanted to make it at home. A fellow grad student who was from Lebanon gave me the basic idea about how to make it. She said to just blend some chickpeas with garlic and Tahini, add lemon juice and salt, and that’s it. I stared at her blankly, thinking , “What the heck is Tahini?” She told me it was like peanut butter, except it was made from sesame seeds. The next day, she brought her jar of Tahini to show me, and burst out laughing as she saw the expression on my face when I took a little lick. I obviously didn’t like it at all! Well, I soon learned that one definitely does not eat it like peanut butter!

Hummus – The “Chutney” from the Middle-East

Intrigued, I began to experiment with this “new” dish, so very popular across the middle-East. I thought it was somewhat similar to the savory Indian chutneys, especially the ones made with coconut and/or peanuts. The nut-fat adds richness to a chutney, just as the sesame-fat in the Tahini does to Hummus. The lemon juice, of course adds a delightful tang, just as it does in various Indian chutneys. As for the garlic, I don’t think it needs any explanation, really, does it?!

However, the idea of a condiment/dip centered on cooked beans was quite novel to me at the time. In India, we make chutneys centered around nuts and seeds like coconut, peanut, sesame, etc., or around fresh leafy herbs such as mint and fresh coriander (cilantro). We certainly use roasted beans in some chutneys, to add body, creaminess and/or flavor, but typically, the dominant component is usually something else.

Hummus- A Nutritional Powerhouse

Aware of the high protein and fiber content of chickpeas and Tahini (sesame butter), I immediately saw this as a new idea to explore and embrace. And embrace it I sure did. Now I often make Hummus as a delicious little quick-fix snack that is truly a nutritional powerhouse. I also make hummus from a variety of other beans and legumes- each has its own unique texture and flavor profile. Now that I’ve written up my basic Hummus recipe, I plan to post my other “new-fangled” hummus recipes soon.

Chickpeas, sesame seeds and garlic are well-known for their many health benefits. Chickpeas have lots of fiber and protein, and are low in fat and sodium; Tahini, too, comes loaded with an impressive array of valuable micro-nutrients. Minerals such as copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, etc., help maintain strong bones and support our immune systems. Although fat-rich, the oils in Tahini are unsaturated, i.e., they are of the good-fat variety.

The Vitamin C, from lemon juice, is a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body from free radical damage. Actually, it plays yet another critically important supporting role here: it also enhances the body’s absorption of magnesium, zinc, etc., (from chickpeas and Tahini). Garlic, especially when consumed raw (as in Hummus) has long been known for its various health benefits.

All-in-all, an easy and fast win-win-win situation when you make… and eat…. delicious hummus!

Hummus and Pita Combo: High Quality Protein

The protein in chickpeas and Tahini is incomplete, because it lacks a few of the essential amino acids we need. So how to get these missing amino acids? Easy! Just pair it with a grain, and voila….. problem solved! The grain provides whatever was missing from the chickpeas and sesame. So, go ahead and slather some of that delicious hummus on a piece of pita bread. Not only is it tasty and filling, you will also get a high quality protein, containing the full complement of essential amino acids.

Special Diets

This Hummus recipe is vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. It can also be soy-free if you buy Tahini that does not have soybean oil (some commercial brands do contain soybean oil). See Recipe Notes for directions regarding how to use sesame seeds directly, rather than prepared (store-bought) Tahini, for making this Hummus recipe. If you wish to avoid using garlic, you can simply omit the garlic to create a no-onion-garlic recipe.

So… time to make some delicious Hummus to share with friends and family. That bowl of Hummus will be cleaned out, lickety-split!

Enjoy!

Make Delicious Hummus – Easy and Fast

Place cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in a food processor; add garlic, salt, lemon juice and a little red chilli powder (cayenne); blend until smooth, adding a little water, if needed. Add the tahini, a little water, and blend again till it becomes creamy and fluffy. Garnish with chili oil and crushed red pepper, some sliced olives and serve with warm pita and colorful crudites. Enjoy!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Calories 115 kcal

Equipment

• electric food chopper or food processor preferred; if not available, a manual food mill can be used too: also called Puran-Yantra – used for making Puran (for Puran Poli) and Srikhand
• Pressure cooker preferred – if starting from dry beans

Ingredients

  

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• 1 1/2 cups Chickpeas – cooked, (unsalted preferred) from one 15 oz can, or 1/2 cup dry beans, soaked and cooked; also called Garbanzo beans; Kabuli Chana
• 1/3 cup Chickpeas broth (may need a bit more) liquid from canned chickpeas, if unsalted; discard canning liquid from salted chickpeas -it has too much salt – use fresh water instead; if cooking from dry beans – use the cooking liquid
• 2-3 cloves Garlic – minced / crushed – about 3/4 -1 tsp Can omit if you wish to avoid garlic
• 1 tbsp Tahini (unsalted) Sesame-butter; if not available, see Recipe Notes for alternate directions, using 1 tbsp white (hulled) sesame seeds instead of prepared Tahini
• 2 tbsp Lime/lemon juice – fresh preferred if not available, bottled juice is OK; if not available, use citric acid -1/8 tsp (adjust as needed)
• 3/8 tsp Salt adjust as per taste preference
• 1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder adjust as per spiciness preference
• 2 tsp Olive oil Extra-Virgin Olive Oil preferred; if not available, any other mild, edible oil OK: sesame oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, etc.
• 1/8 tsp Dried Thyme – optional omit if not available; or use 1/2 tsp dried mint
• 1 tsp Dried Parsley – optional omit if not available; fresh Parsley OK too – use 2 tsp, finely chopped

Garnish

• 1 tbsp Sliced olives any kind: green, black, pimento stuffed, etc.
• 1/2 tsp Chilli oil – optional omit if not available; see Recipe Notes for how to make your own chili oil; or add other edible oil and sprinkle a little paprika into the oil

Instructions

 

• Peel and chop garlic
  
• Transfer drained chickpeas to chopper/food processor. Add chickpea broth (or water, if using salted canned chickpeas).

  Note: Follow the alternate procedure described in Recipe Notes if you do not have prepared Tahini
  
• Add minced / crushed garlic.
  
• Add seasonings: salt, red chilli powder and lime/lemon juice (use 1/8 tsp citric acid granules, if lemon juice is not available).

  Pulse blend first, to mix ingredients, then blend till smooth.
  
• Add Tahini and oil; continue to blend until it becomes smooth and fluffy. (See Recipe Notes for using sesame seeds directly, instead of prepared Tahini.)

  You may need to add a little water, if it is too thick to process (up to 1-2 tbsp total: add only 1 tsp at a time, as needed)

  The Hummus should be thick and fluffy: it should not be pourable like a batter.
  
• Mixture blended smooth. Ready to serve.
  
• Stir in: a pinch of thyme (or dried mint or parsley); alternatively, stir in 2 tsp of finely chopped fresh parsley.

  Shown here topped with chilli oil, crushed red pepper (chilli flakes) and sliced, pimento-stuffed green olives;

  Serve with Pita bread and crudités – bell pepper strips, carrot sticks , celery sticks

  See Recipe Notes for more serving ideas.

  Enjoy!
  

If starting from dry beans: Need an extra 10 hours (mostly hands off) to soak and cook the dry beans

• Rinse the beans – scrub gently to remove any surface dirt. Drain in a colander and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and set aside overnight (about 6-8 hours).
  
• The beans swell to more than double their size
  
• Add 1/2 cup water and a bay leaf, broken into 2-3 pieces. Push the leaves under the beans; place on a rack in the pressure cooker, and cook for 25-30 min at full pressure. Let pressure release normally.
  
• 
• Place a colander over a bowl. Transfer the cooked chickpeas to the colander, the cooking liquid collected in the bowl is the chickpea broth, to be used while blending the ingredients to make Hummus. Remove the bay leaf pieces before making Hummus.

Notes

No Tahini available? Use Sesame Seeds instead:

• Lightly roast 1 tbsp white sesame seeds (hulled) on a heated skillet for 1-2 min Do not over-roast. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Brown sesame seeds OK too; do not use black sesame seeds
• Boil 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan, or in a cup in the microwave.
• Add 2 tbsp boiling water to the roasted sesame seeds in the bowl. Cover and set aside for 5 min.
• Place the soaked sesame seeds, garlic and 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas in the food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Add a little chickpea broth if the mixture becomes too stiff while processing. It should become fluffy while blending.
• Now add the remaining chickpeas and seasonings and blend until smooth and fluffy.
• Hummus is ready!

 

How to make chili oil:

• In a small glass bowl or bottle, place 1 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne) – with good color
  • do not use old, dark colored chilli powder.
    • Kashmiri Chilli powder and Byadgi chilli powder are both excellent for color and flavor, and are not overly spicy
  • use Paprika if you want good color and flavor, but without the spicy-kick
    • do not use old, dark colored Paprika
  • you can also use crushed red pepper instead of chilli powder
    • the color will not be as intense as with chilli powder
  • you can also use 2-3 whole dried red chillies – break each into 2-3 pieces
• add 2-3 tbsp edible oil – I like to use Peanut oil.
• Stir, cover and set aside.
• Chilli oil is ready to use in a couple of hours; the color and flavor will be better the next day
• Keep the chilli oil away from direct sunlight –
  • it is good for 3-4 weeks at room temperature, possibly even longer.
    • I usually make a small batch ( 2-3 tbsp), then make more as needed.
  • If the oil begins to smell rancid, please discard!

 

Other ideas for serving Hummus:

• Use as a spread for sandwiches, burgers, etc.
• Spread on a tortilla before adding filling, when making quesadillas.
• Spread on a tortilla/thin wrap; add finely shredded cheese (sharp cheddar is excellent), finely shredded lettuce, finely chopped pickled jalapenos; roll up tightly and slice, pinwheel style. Serve as an appetizer or snack.

 

Storing leftovers:

Refrigerator:

• Place in a covered glass/ceramic container (avoid plastic)
  • Use within 2-3 days
    • Stir well and add fresh garnish before serving

Freezer:

• Place in a shallow, covered glass/ceramic container (avoid plastic)
  • shallow container makes it easy to thaw
  • good for up to a month, possibly longer
• To thaw frozen hummus:
  • Remove container from freezer, loosen the cover and set on the counter for about an hour.
    • stir, if thawed, to mix well.
    • if not yet thawed, place container in the microwave, and heat on defrost setting (30% power) for 3-4 min, till thawed and can be easily stirred.
    • Stir well, whipping it a little (with a whisk or a fork) and add fresh garnish before serving.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 255mgPotassium: 239mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 75IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Chickpeas, Garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, Mint, Olives, Sesame, Tahini, Thyme

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