hummus

Hummus Recipe. All Hummus Variations

Hummus comes in pint containers in the supermarket.

Ooooops. Just kidding! But that’s how ubiquitous commercial hummus has become—a marked improvement over many other mediocre commercial offerings, but commercial nonetheless.

But wait till you see how simple hummus is, and how many hats it wears! There are so many exciting hummus variations you can make throwing in small leftover portions of some interesting ingredients.

It is super healthy, so enjoy:

as a dip or spread, or in a sandwich. My granddaughter Tsofia (above) simply couldn’t be without it! Let me also say, at the risk of appearing somewhat disingenuous, since hummus literally means “chickpeas” in Hebrew and Arabic, that you can substitute cooked tiny lentils (ready in just a few minutes) or canned white beans, and proceed exactly as instructed.

My secret ingredient for delicious basic hummus: ground coriander. So here goes!

Ingredients

  • 1 15-ounce can good-quality all natural chickpeas, liquid and all
  • 2∕3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4 large cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • Ground pepper to taste (no salt please: the chickpeas are salty!)

Instructions

Process all ingredients in a food processor until perfectly smooth. Pour into a flat platter.

Just before serving, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and minced parsley. Serve with good olives and pita bread.

Hummus Variations:

Consider these additions or substitutions at blending time, if you have any of the following on hand. As always, one at a time please!

  • Roasted garlic: Substitute 1 head roasted garlic (page 232) for the fresh garlic.

 

  • Roasted pepper: Throw in 2–3 roasted red peppers, bottled OK.

 

  • Nutty: Substitute peanut or other nut butter for the tahini.

 

  • Spicy: Make it as hot as you like, with jalapeño or chili powder to taste, and maybe some chopped cilantro and/or parsley.

 

  • Avocado: Substitute an avocado for the tahini.

 

  • Spinach: Throw in a handful of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.

 

  • Tofu: Throw in a cup of tofu, and a little more tahini.

 

  • Sun-dried tomato olive: Omit the tahini, cumin, and coriander, and throw in some good pitted black olives, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and squeezed dry.

 

  • Artichoke: Omit the cumin and coriander and throw in a 10-ounce box frozen and thawed artichoke hearts and some fresh or dry rosemary.

 

  • Roasted vegetable hummus: Throw in a handful of roasted veggies. No need to make them just for the purpose of this recipe. Just take them from a batch you might have on hand.

 

  • Beet: Throw in a medium cooked beet, and 2-3 tablespoons zaatar
9 replies
  1. chavi
    chavi says:

    Hi

    So i made the chummus and I used techina paste. I did not add water to the techina paste but just used the amount you said straight from recipe. It seemed thick and concentrated and said on the instruction to make techina from it you should add- water, lemon juice and parsley. I did not just left it plain. My chummus came out tasting very bitter and had the dominant taste of the paste.
    Was i supposed to dilute the paste?

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Chavi it is just possible that your Tehina paste was thicker than average. Normally the liquid for the can of chickpeas does the trick, but if yours was unusually thick, all you need to do is thin out the hummus with a little water.

  2. Chavi
    Chavi says:

    Is it supposed to be w per made tehina. If not Is it the diluted paste or straight from container. Made this and very bitter.

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Chavi so sorry I didn’t understand your message. Please try to edit typos and resend. Until then I can only tell you this recipe is 100% tried and true.

  3. Sima
    Sima says:

    Hi Levana,
    I just the basic hummus. I followed the instructions to the T and my hummus came out a lil runny…. what am i doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Sima, The recipe is tried and true, I and quite a few fans make it all the time, with great success. Playing sleuth here: Wondering if the brand chick peas you are using might be a grade B, with less chick peas and more water. If you would rather keep using your brand, discard some of the liquid in the can, and proceed as instructed. That will do the trick.

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