It doesn’t get much better, food-wise, than creamy, dreamy hummus! Chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic are whirred together until lusciously smooth and so good with pita, fresh veggies, on sandwiches (or avocado toast!), or – quite honestly – eaten right off the spoon. 🙋♀️
We’ve all seen a lot of hummus recipes pop up over the years. I know I’ve created a bunch of spins on hummus, personally! And they’re all great, but sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics. Traditional, classic hummus is classic for a reason – it’s the best!
Clearly this hummus recipe is not an original, Kitchen-Treaty-exclusive recipe. Chickpeas have been around for 10,000 years, and hummus, a Middle-Eastern creation, wasn’t far behind (source).
I’ve seen a few hacks and secrets and surprise ingredients that apparently help lead to the best hummus ever, and if you want to make use of any of those, go for it! Me, I’m lazy. Some would say efficient! Some would say lazy.
Most notably, the whole peeling-your-chickpeas thing. Apparently it results in the smoothest, creamiest hummus you’ll ever lay your mouth on. But can I just be honest and say no thanks? Who has time for that?!
I find this Simple & Easy Hummus recipe to be perfectly silky just the way it is, peels and all.
I’m all about the easy.
And the tasty.
We are getting back to the basics with just 5 ingredients for hummus – and that includes the salt. We’ve also got a few extras, if you want – notably, cumin if you’d like to add it to your hummus, and a few toppings/garnishes.
This is also an oil-free hummus recipe, making use of the chickpea liquid to thin it out instead of olive oil. Note, however, that I do love a good drizzle of olive oil over the top of mine. But that’s totally optional!
We’ve got:
First, add the chickpeas to a high-speed blender without any of the liquid. Add the remaining ingredients and blend together, adding the bean liquid about 2 tablespoons at a time to keep everything moving. Keep blending for a good minute or two until the hummus is completely smooth and forms stiff peaks, kind of like whipped cream.
Then, just smooth it into a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and paprika, and serve!
Serve your hummus alongside veggies and pita wedges, or use a dollop on your veggie burger, spread a bit on your avocado toast, scoop a bit into your grain bowls, even use it as an oil-free salad dressing substitute. Yummus! (Sorry. So sorry.)
Transfer your hummus to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. It will last for up to a week. Did you know you can also freeze hummus?! In fact, I wrote a whole recipe around making a big ol batch of hummus and freezing it until you’re ready to enjoy.
Mix it up with these hummus variations!
First published on November 21, 2009. Updated and republished June 6, 2016.