More Than Our Story

Hummus: 5 Ways

Total Time: 20 to 60 Minutes*

Servings: Approximately 6

Plant-Based

Table of Contents

Inspiration

Hummus is a beloved, incredibly versatile dip. Great on raw vegetables, crackers or breads, or as a delicious topping to roasted meats and vegetables. This article teaches you how to make your own delicious hummus base, along with five delicious flavor variations.

Ingredients

Hummus Base

  • Chickpeas, 15 oz can, or 1½ cups cooked
  • Tahini (store bought or homemade), ¼ cup
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced (fresh or roasted)
  • Water, 2-3 tablespoons
  • Sea salt
  • Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

*USING DRIED CICKPEAS?
Before cooking you will need to soak the beans:

QUICK METHOD: (1 hour)
Add the beans to a large pot and cover with several inches of water. Bring water to a boil and continue heating for 5 minutes. Remove beans from heat and let sit in the water for 1 hour.

OVERNIGHT: (8-24 hours)
If you have the time this is the preferred method. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Let the beans soak overnight, 8-24 hours. The beans will expand so make sure there is enough water and the bowl is large enough.

Traditional Hummus

  • Topping:
    • Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
    • Roasted pine nuts, 1 tablespoon
    • Zest from 1 large lemon
    • Dash of paprika

Beet and Fennel Hummus

  • Traditional Hummus Base
  • 2 medium sized beets, peeled, cubed
  • Lemon juice or vinegar, 2 tablespoon
  • Roasted fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon
  • Topping:
    • Olive oil, 1 tablespoon 
    • Fennel fronds, diced
    • Roasted fennel seeds, ¼ teaspoon
    • Zest from 1 large lemon

*BOILING YOUR OWN BEETS:

  1. Place the beets in a large saucepan, add water to cover.
  2. Add the lemon juice or vinegar.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
  4. Place the saucepan under cold running water. Rinse until beets can be handled.
  5. Peel beets and set aside.

TIME SAVER:
You can alway use prepared cooked or pickled beets in a pinch!

5-Spice Hummus

This one is my personal favorite and very customizable – you can add as much or little 5-spice blend as you like.

  • Traditional Hummus Base
  • Chinese 5-Spice mix, ½ – 1 tablespoon
  • Lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
  • Topping:
    • Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
    • Roasted anise seeds, ¼ teaspoon
    • Dash of Chinese 5-Spice mix

CHINESE 5-SPICE BLEND:
Chinese 5-Spice blend originates from China, and typically includes a combination of cinnamon, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom and star anise.

Olive and Mint Hummus

  • Traditional Hummus Base
  • ½ – ¾ cup assorted chopped olives (pits removed) or ½ – ¾  cup prepared tapenade
  • 2 tablespoons diced fresh mint
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Topping:
    • Chopped assorted olives, 2-3 tablespoons
    • Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • Fresh mint, chopped, ¼ teaspoon
    • Dash of paprika
    • Zest from 1 large lemon

TIP:
Niçoise, Kalamata, Castelvetrano, Lucques and picholines are all great choices for tapenade.

Turmeric and Cumin Hummus

  • Traditional Hummus Base
  • Turmeric (2” long root, peeled and diced, or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish
  • Topping:
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
    • Dash of paprika
    • Lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
    • Optional: Pomegranate seeds

Preparations

Each of these recipes is going to start off the same way – with the base – from there you can create your own original recipes or follow one of the five delicious recipes below.

Olive oil is the key to getting a great texture from your hummus. Try using flavored/infused oils.

Hummus Base

  1. In a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scoop the sides and bottom of the processor with a spoon to remove excess tahini and process for 30 more seconds until desired consistency is reached.
  2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt to the tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and process for another 30 seconds. Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas and process for another minute. Scrape again, add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and smooth; 1 to 2 more minutes.
  3. If the resulting hummus is still too thick and not well blended, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until you reach the desired consistency.
  4. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Traditional Hummus

  1. Prepare topping, drizzle on top, and serve immediately.

Beet and Fennel Hummus

5-Spice Hummus

Olive and Mint Hummus

Turmeric and Cumin Hummus

  1. Add additional ingredients from your desired recipe between steps 2 and 3 of the Hummus Base preparations outlined above.
  2. Blend until mixed to your satisfaction.
  3. Prepare your desired topping, drizzle on top and serve immediately.

KITCHEN TIP:
When adding additional ingredients to a hummus base, it's not so important to get a smooth blend - in fact keeping the ingredients more intact will add to the presentation. Additionally, you will not only be able to see the ingredients better, but their taste will remain more intact.

Tips

  • Hummus is best eaten fresh! Make sure to eat your hummus within 4 days of preparation and always store in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants.
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Denise

Denise is the most positive person you will ever meet. She takes pleasure in sharing and giving and is selfless beyond imagination. She is also an animal lover and will never miss the opportunity to say hello to any four legged friends along her journey. Denise is also an advertising and PR wizard and will charm your socks off. In 2021 her journey began becoming an irreplaceable part of More Than Our Story.

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