This Quick and Easy Classic Hummus takes mere minutes to make the creamiest, smoothest hummus ever! It’s made with canned chickpeas instead of dry, and is healthy, vegan, and packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Eat it as a snack with whole wheat pita bread or veggies, as a spread on sandwiches or a base for chicken salad.
By the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you have had a wonderful start to your 2018. I’ve been busy cooking up lots of Mediterranean-themed recipes to kick off the year with some really healthy and delicious recipes. I’ll be posting them all through the month of January, starting with this delicious hummus!
The Mediterranean Diet has long been touted as the healthiest overall diet there is, and again came in at the number one spot according to US News. While I personally think each individual has different needs that can be met with different kinds of foods, I love that the Mediterranean Diet is basically just eating whole foods and real ingredients (which is the basis for this blog!).
The Mediterranean Diet consists of lots of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, seafood, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil. Oh, and a little red wine is fine too! It tends to stay away from red meat, dairy, and poultry, but also doesn’t completely omit them (which I love- I hate strict diet rules and can NEVER follow them).
You could technically follow the rules of this diet with foods from regions other than the Mediterranean. But when I think of Italy, Greece, Morocco, Israel, Southern France and Spain… all I can think about is the delicious cuisine that comes with them! I’m just as excited about the delicious flavors of the Mediterranean as I am about all the healthy ingredients. I hope you continue to follow along in January for more Mediterranean inspiration!
Traditionally, hummus is made from chickpeas that have been soaked, cooked, and – this is the hard part – removing the skin from EACH INDIVIDUAL BEAN before mixing together. I’ve tried this method before and I have to say- I don’t believe it’s worth the extra time and labor involved. You can easily use canned chickpeas with their skins intact as a shortcut, with a few tricks help emulsify it to make it ultra smooth and creamy.
I can’t BELIEVE I don’t already have a simple, easy classic hummus recipe on the blog already! I have roasted garlic and lemon hummus, roasted sweet potato hummus, and sweet and spicy sriracha carrot hummus. All of these are delicious and you should totally make them. For a non-chickpea version, try this frozen pea purée/hummus.
But this classic hummus is SO easy and has such few ingredients – just chickpeas, fresh lemon juice, garlic, tahini (which can easily be substituted with almond or peanut butter), and olive oil, with cumin and kosher salt for seasoning. You already probably have most of these things in your pantry.
I used a food processor to make this, but if you don’t have one, you can use a blender. The trick to making it smooth and creamy is to slowly drizzle the liquids in while the machine is running, helping to emulsify it (see more about this in the recipe below).
Use this hummus in this Mediterranean Seven Layer Dip or on veggie wraps!
Here’s the printable recipe for this super quick and easy classic hummus recipe!
Quick and Easy Classic Hummus
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from about 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup tahini (see notes)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- extra olive oil, sesame seeds, whole chickpeas, chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, smashed garlic clove, cumin (1/2 teaspoon), and kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon) to a food processor. Press on until everything is chopped very finely and blended together (about 1-2 minutes).
- Slowly drizzle in the lemon juice (1/4 cup), then water (2 tablespoons), while food processor is running.
- Scrape down the sides, add the tahini (1/4 cup), and process again.
- Scrape down the sides, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil (1/4 cup) while food processor is on.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes, which will help infuse the flavors and thicken the hummus.
- Serve drizzled with more extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with whole chickpeas, sesame seeds, and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- If you want to use whole chickpeas as a garnish, be sure to reserve some from the can before adding them to the food processor.
- Tahini substitution: Don't have tahini, or can't find it at your store? Substitute with almond butter or peanut butter.
- Storage: The prepared hummus can be stored in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
- If you don't have a food processor, a blender will work as well.
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The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Jennifer
This is so easy to whip up and tastes so great! Perfect flavor and just the right consistency.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!! My favorite way to make hummus- it’s so easy!
Amy
One of my favorite snacks … that I’ve never made! You’ve inspired me to give it a go!
Elizabeth
OMG you need to make it! It’s so ridiculously easy. And cheap. And delicious. Literally there are no cons to it (besides cleaning the food processor… but it’s worth it) :-)