Hummus from Scratch

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Hummus from Scratch

Who was it who suggested I cook my garbanzos rather than open a can of them? Maybe it was my friend Stephanie, when she took me on a tour of the fabulous Gonzalez Northgate Market. As I picked up a bag of dried garbanzo beans, she urged me to try them. So, I bought them, kept them in the pantry for a bit, then decided to cook them up for a batch of hummus.

There’s nothing to cooking them, just a soak and an hour or two of slow stove-top simmering. Cook your beans according to the package directions. I made mine a day ahead of the actual hummus prep, another easy assembly. Tahini, a thick paste made from sesame seeds, can be found in most supermarkets. I found organic, unsalted tahini at Sprouts, a natural food market chain here in San Diego.

I served Larry and his friend a bowl of this after they finished their game of boule, along with a cold beer. Hummus is great with veggies, chips or pita bread.

There are lots more interesting hummus recipes than this bare bones version, but I wanted to keep the flavors simple so I could, hopefully, decide whether or not my home-cooked garbanzos made a better dip than the canned ones. To tell the truth, I couldn’t taste any difference, but was happy, as always, to have a low-salt version recipe on hand for the future. I think I’ll add a little heat next time, maybe a little sziracha or tabasco…

Hummus from Scratch
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Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2½ cups
 
Homemade hummus made from dried garbanzo beans, rather than canned.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ⅓ cup tahini (sesame paste)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil (optional garnishes)
Instructions
  1. Using a food processor, purée the cooked garbanzos, garlic and salt for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for 20 seconds more.
  2. Add the lemon juice and water, then process for 20 seconds.
  3. Add the tahini and process for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
  4. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil.
  5. Spoon the hummus into a bowl garnish and serve.

 

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22 Responses to Hummus from Scratch

  1. Stephanie, The Recipe Renovator May 28, 2013 at 10:02 am #

    Thanks for the shoutout Liz! I love hummus sooo much. If you use my Beany Brothy Deliciousness method for cooking beans, you might see a difference in the taste. 🙂

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 10:13 am #

      Will try that, Stephanie –

  2. Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious May 28, 2013 at 10:48 am #

    OK, looks GREAT, and I agree dried garbanzos make the BEST hummus. So, I want you to make your hummus, and THEN do this to it: http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/hummus-with-caramelized-onions-and-portobello-mushrooms/

    It’s a flavor-packed version, new to me from a cooking class I just took, and I’ve been eating it every single day!

    Cheerio!

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 12:04 pm #

      I’ll give it a try after our vacation – busy packing.

  3. Sippitysup May 28, 2013 at 12:40 pm #

    I do think there is a difference between dried and canned garbanzo beans. The texture is better, but that may not matter here. GREG

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 1:16 pm #

      I’m going to keep on experimenting.

  4. Mary Platis May 28, 2013 at 12:56 pm #

    Liz, this looks delish! I love making hummus from dried beans , I think it has more flavor!
    Mary

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 5:16 pm #

      Remind me that I have an olive oil question for you later…

  5. SallyBR May 28, 2013 at 1:39 pm #

    What a coincidence, I just made an avocado hummus yesterday and it turned out great, but I used garbanzo beans form a can… (sorry!)

    I love hummus in any shape or form – I heard that if you peel the garbanzo beans the texture is smoother and better – still have to try that sometime, I ended up peeling about half of mine yesterday but then ran out of patience…

    I think your version with Meyer lemons is close to perfection!

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 3:02 pm #

      Thanks so much – I’d love to see your recipe using some avocado with the garbanzos – and I’d never have the patience to peel them, but it makes sense.

  6. Lynda - TasteFood May 28, 2013 at 3:36 pm #

    I’ve always taken the lazy route with canned garbanzos. I think I’ll try from scratch now.

    • Liz May 28, 2013 at 3:37 pm #

      Oh, good – thanks for making me feel better. Signed, Lazy Liz

  7. TheWimpyVegetarian May 28, 2013 at 10:00 pm #

    I confess I cook mine from dried form all the time. I almost always have a batch I’ve recently cooked in the fridge and freezer. Congrats for taking the leap!! And your hummus sounds wonderful! I love that you included Meyer lemon juice in yours 🙂 I still haven’t made my own, but keep meaning to. Have a wonderful vacation dear friend.

    • Liz May 29, 2013 at 6:59 am #

      Aloha, Susan – X0

  8. Jayne May 29, 2013 at 11:13 am #

    I love hummus! One of my favorite things! I have trouble with dried garbanzo beans (call them chick peas here!) it seems no matter how long I cook them for they remain tough, I wonder why? I love that you sneaked Meyer lemon into your recipe!

    • Liz May 29, 2013 at 12:09 pm #

      Do you soak them before you cook them? I boiled mine, then let them soak 2 hours, changed the water and then cooked them according to package directions.

  9. Lisa @ Whisk & Cleaver May 29, 2013 at 12:16 pm #

    I love hummus, especially homemade! I make mine in the Vitamix. I haven’t made it in ages though, so will have to give your dried beans route a try.

    • Liz May 29, 2013 at 12:48 pm #

      Using the Vitamix – great idea. Easier to clean and more efficient than my stone age processor.

  10. Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy May 30, 2013 at 9:05 am #

    Hi Liz- thanks for sharing a delicious recipe and for starting an interesting conversation. I had a similar experience making white bean dip. Previously, I had made it with canned beans. One day I saw heirloom freshly dried white beans at the farmers market. I had high hopes that these special beans would make a superior tasting dip. I was disappointed when I did not detect any difference in taste or texture. I think Greg is on to something– maybe the beans get so whipped up from the food processor that the texture difference is lost. Otherwise, I think we should try Stephanie’s bean cooking method before we give up on dried beans in dips. Happy cooking, Dana

  11. Oui, Chef June 10, 2013 at 6:17 pm #

    We make our hummus with canned beans (will try dried next time) and chipotle chilies, they add nice mellow heat and a great smokiness.

    • Liz June 11, 2013 at 9:08 am #

      Nice touch, Steve –

  12. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com December 27, 2014 at 6:16 am #

    Liz, I love hummus, the plain kind. I’ll eat ones with various additions *out*, but I prefer and make only the original basic hummus. Haven’t tried it with dried beans because I like it just fine with canned beans, but I keep intending to. I like that you use plenty of tahini, not quite as much as I do, but a lot more than most recipes I’ve seen. Hummus was the second thing I posted on my blog when I started it in February 2010! I hadn’t learned yet about the best way to name posts on a food blog, so it was called a more creative but less effective “Enough Already With the Garlic!”

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