If you’ve ever tasted velvety, restaurant-style hummus and wondered how to recreate it at home, you’re in the right place. This is our go-to recipe for the creamiest homemade hummus. It’s simple, wholesome, and made with just a handful of real ingredients
For more dip recipes, try our baba ganoush, mutabal, fatteh and msabacha.
How a Tiny Deli in Berlin Taught Us the Secret to Perfect Hummus
This hummus recipe is the result of years of trials in our kitchen, pages of notes from cookbooks, and visits to incredible hummus restaurants.
Back when Louise and I were living in Berlin for work, we discovered a little deli in Prenzlauer Berg called Balabait, run by a kind Lebanese chef with a gift for making unforgettable hummus and masabacha.
It was the creamiest we’d ever had—so smooth and flavorful, it almost felt whipped. Curious, we asked him his secret. “Use the smallest chickpeas you can find,” he said, “boiled until they almost fall apart.” Then he showed us his tahini: silky, pourable, made from hulled sesame seeds—nothing like the thick, gritty stuff we’d been using.
That moment shaped how we make hummus to this day. And every time we do, it brings us right back to that tiny deli on a quiet Berlin street.
We hope that this recipe brings as much joy to your table as it has to ours ❤️.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and substitutions are in the recipe box below.
- Dried chickpeas: Use the smallest ones you can find and soak them for 24 hours and boil until slightly overcooked and ultra-tender. Here’s our guide on how to cook chickpeas. Substitute canned chickpeas, but if they are hard it’s best to boil them for 15 – 20 minutes until tender.
- Baking soda: Add to the cooking water to soften the chickpeas until they’re almost mushy.
- Aquafaba (cooking water or water in a can of chickpeas): Reserve and chill—it makes the hummus light and airy.
- Tahini: Use 100% hulled sesame seed tahini—light in color and pourable, not gritty.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a little in the blend and more for drizzling on top.
- Lemon juice or citric acid: Lemon juice is great for homemade; citric acid keeps it fresh longer.
- Garlic (optional): Start with half a clove.
- Italian parsley: Use flat-leaf parsley to garnish the finished hummus.
How to Make Hummus (Food Processor Method)
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of chickpeas for garnish.
- In a food processor, combine the cold cooked or canned chickpeas, cold aquafaba (cooking liquid), lemon juice, garlic (if using), and salt.
- Blend for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the tahini, ground cumin, and half of the cold water. Blend for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and the remaining water if needed. Blend for 2 more minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust the salt and consistency by adding a little more water if needed.
🥄 To Serve
- Spread the hummus on a plate or in a bowl.
- Use the back of a spoon to create a well in the center.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, top with the reserved cooked chickpeas, and sprinkle with fresh flat-leaf parsley.
- Serve with warm pita bread, falafel, or fresh vegetables.
Pro Tips
General tips
- Chill your ingredients the day before, if possible.
- Add ingredients step-by-step, as shown in the recipe.
- Use small, overcooked chickpeas for the smoothest texture.
Equipment tips
- A food processor is best—it keeps ingredients cool.
- If using a blender, add 5 ice cubes and blend everything together for 2–3 minutes.
Chickpea tips
- Choose the smallest dry chickpeas for best texture.
- Boil with baking soda and overcook slightly.
- Chill chickpeas in their cooking liquid before using.
- If using canned, refrigerate the can in advance.
- Consider peeling larger chickpeas for extra smoothness.
Aquafaba tips
- Use the chickpea cooking water or liquid from the can.
- Must be cold for a light, fluffy hummus.
- Adds flavor and creaminess—don’t skip it!
Tahini tips
- Use light, pourable tahini made from hulled sesame seeds.
- Avoid dark or gritty types.
- Store in the fridge and stir before use.
Extra virgin olive oil
- Use a mild, good-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- A little goes in the hummus, the rest on top.
Cumin & Garlic
- Optional—start small.
- Their flavor grows stronger as the hummus rests.
- Hummus should taste mainly of chickpeas and tahini.
Questions
Yes—absolutely! Baking soda helps break down the chickpea skins, making them extra tender and creamy—perfect for silky-smooth hummus.
If you’re using larger chickpeas with thicker skins, you may want to remove some of the skins after cooking. Here’s how:
1. Place the cooked chickpeas in a bowl of cold water.
2. Gently rub them between your hands to loosen the skins.
3. Let the skins float to the surface and skim them off with a spoon. You don’t need to remove every skin—just enough to get a smoother texture.
We recommend using a food processor to make hummus because it’s gentler on the ingredients and keeps them cool, which helps preserve the flavor. Blenders tend to heat the mixture and reduce aeration, resulting in a denser, less vibrant spread.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make hummus directly in a blender. Just add five ice cubes along with all the ingredients, and blend for one to two minutes, keeping an eye on the temperature.
If you follow our tips, you’ll be able to make delicious hummus from both canned and dry chickpeas.
However, we prefer making hummus from dry chickpeas because you can:
– Control the quality of the chickpeas.
– Pick the smallest chickpeas as recommended.
– Cook the chickpeas with baking soda, making them ultra-tender.
– Slightly overcook the chickpeas to get the creamiest hummus.
More Dips, Spreads, and Salads
If you tried this Hummus recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas or 3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 cup / 200 grams dry chickpeas + 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ⅓ cup aquafaba the liquid in a can of chickpeas or the cooking liquid of chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup cold water add more if necessary to reach your desired consistency
- ⅓ cup tahini from 100% hulled sesame seeds, light in color, and of pourable consistency
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ clove garlic or more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin optional
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of chickpeas for garnish.In a food processor, combine 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas (drained), ⅓ cup aquafaba, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ clove garlic, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Blend for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add ⅓ cup tahini, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ cup cold water. Blend for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil and some more water if needed. Blend for 2 more minutes, until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the salt and consistency by adding a little more water if needed.
- Spread the hummus on a plate or in a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to create a well in the center. Drizzle with olive oil, top with the reserved chickpeas, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley.
Notes
- Chill your ingredients the day before, if possible.
- Add ingredients step-by-step, as shown in the recipe.
- Use small, overcooked chickpeas for the smoothest texture.
- A food processor is best—it keeps ingredients cool.
- If using a blender, add 5 ice cubes and blend everything together for 2–3 minutes.
- Choose the smallest dry chickpeas for best texture.
- Boil with baking soda and overcook slightly.
- Chill chickpeas in their cooking liquid before using.
- If using canned, refrigerate the can in advance.
- Consider peeling larger chickpeas for extra smoothness.
- Use the chickpea cooking water or liquid from the can.
- Must be cold for a light, fluffy hummus.
- Adds flavor and creaminess—don’t skip it!
- Use light, pourable tahini made from hulled sesame seeds.
- Avoid dark or gritty types.
- Store in the fridge and stir before use.
- Use a mild, good-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- A little goes in the hummus, the rest on top.
- Optional—start small.
- Their flavor grows stronger as the hummus rests.
- Hummus should taste mainly of chickpeas and tahini.
Nutrition
Don’t Lose This Recipe
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We're here to share easy, healthy, and delicious recipes 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Excellent recipe, it amazing good. The best recipe in the world. Thank you formsharing
Wonderful, Margot – thank you so much for your kind words 🎉🥰
This hummus equals the hummus I get at our Persian take away restaurant, especially the texture. It’s nothing like supermarket hummus, and by far the best I ever made myself!
Please add sodium to your nutritional assessments.
Thanks!
Hi Melanie,
thanks for your feedback. I have added the estimated sodium amount.
I hope this helps,
Nico
Delicious! I made your roasted pepper recipe and added them to the hummus as suggested. With veggies and naan for dipping, and a Greek salad, it made a complete meal.
Are there some tahini brands that you recommend? Preferably organic?
Hi Pamela,
this depends greatly on where you live. We use Al-Rabih – which is an imported brand from Lebanon. It is not organic though.
We generally find that brands from the middle east (especially Lebanon) are the best. But they are not organic.
What’s important with tahini is that is made from 100% sesame seeds (the only ingredient on the label), of a runny consistency, and light in color.
Often western organic brands are thick and dark, and they taste bitter.
Hope this helps, and if you find an organic brand that tastes good let us know 🙂
Nico
Greetings from Ont. Canada, Nico…I had to put more salt & lemon juice in mine and yet there’s something else that could be missing in this when I remember eating in Lebanese Restaurant, their hummus was so addictive, but nevertheless it’s still delicious, I guess everybody has their own version
This recipe is AMAZING ! My 1st time making Hummus 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly ~ using canned chick peas & I used 1 huge clove of garlic
I used a high speed pro Blender .
Next time I will only use 3 ice cubes to start ~ I def didn’t need any additional liquid .
Looking forward to trying a different Hummus Flavour next time
Fantastic Cat, I’m super happy you had a good hummus experience. There’s nothing better than a creamy homemade hummus 🙂
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment here. All the best,
Louise
Hi I love all your recipes and I follow you around. Just want to say that I love them.
Im from a Aruba a small beautiful island in the Caribbean.
Im not a garlic onion and salt eater so I skip all that in the recipes and all taste great.
Hi Meredith,
Thanks so much for your message, we’re so excited you liked our recipes (also without garlic)!
So kind of you to say hi, many greetings from both of us here on the Italian countryside.
Kindest, Nico & Louise
Is there a particular brand of tahini that you use or would recommend? Many thanks!
Hi Kellie! I always look for hulled tahini, as it doesn’t taste bitter (and makes the hummus a lot smoother). We use Baron’s organic tahini or Trader Joe’s organic tahini 🙂 I hope that helps. Cheers, Nico
Hello guys! I absolutely love all your recipes, just wanted to say thank you so much! There isn’t anyone else’s food blog I like as much as yours! I live in Sicily with my husband who is Italian! I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated your Italian and English recipes.. the how to prepare and cook artichokes I found so helpful! As I never used them in England!!!!! Thank you grazie mille..Jaz (and Emilio!) Please write a cookbook!!!!
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Hi Jazmine (and Emilio)! Oh, thank you so so much for your kind words – that means so much to both of us!
That reminds me that we have to go back to beautiful Sicily soon, there is just no better place for fantastic granita, gelato, and amazing people 🙂
Lots of love from both of us, e grazie ancora, Jazmine!
All the best,
Louise
Hubby is going to love this when I send it to him! 😀
Oh, I’m delighted to hear!! <3
Hi I try today ac it’s goes really awesome thankyou for the awesome racipe