My first memories of hummus are pretty damn good. I grew up with a close Lebanese friend whose mom loved to make fresh hummus for us - her family’s recipe.
Thus, with an acquired taste for fresh, authentic hummus, I’ve struggled over the extremely inadequate store-bought tubs that always seem to show up at every Southern California get-together (in addition to the hipster trend of alcoholic Kombucha, which admittedly I don’t complain about).
Some tubs are decent, but quite frankly most of them suck. Even if they don’t suck, they still definitely don’t taste like hummus.
The worst of all Sabra hummus, an unfortunately popular company which aside from selling gross hummus, is also complicit in human rights violations. To the extent that universities are removing the product from their shelves.
Plus, many store bought tubs of hummus have a slew of preservatives and unnecessary ingredients, when true hummus is really only made out of four - chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.
Looking for a homemade Pesto recipe too?
Here we give you two, one Vegan and one Non-Vegan
Another reason to make your own hummus? Since it seems to be trending, especially in health food stores, mediocre store-bought tubs of hummus can get quite expensive. You’re welcome to purchase a $6 tub at Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) but I 100% don’t recommend it.
As long as you own a blender or food processor, hummus is very easy and inexpensive to make. For the size of that $4-6 tub, you can make your own fresh hummus for no more than $1.50.
One important note before you start: the tahini is important. If you have access to a Middle Eastern market, I definitely recommend going there for higher quality and greater variety.
If not, you can typically find it at any major grocery store, just ensure the only ingredient is sesame seeds since “tahini sauce” is different and contains added flavors. For more information on tahini and how to purchase a good one, read here.
From my friend’s Lebanese mom to you, here’s the recipe:
1 can of chickpeas (save some of the juice)
⅓ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice (FRESH)
2-3 cloves of garlic (also FRESH)
Pinch of salt
Method
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor, aside from the canned juice from the chickpeas, and begin to blend.
Slowly add more juice from the jar to create your desired thickness of the hummus.
Then, with the addition of toasted pita bread, top the hummus with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and paprika (and some pine nuts if you can afford them).
Also, if you enjoy getting creative with the recipe, something I’ve discovered on my own is roasted hummus.
Roasted Hummus Recipe
Preheat your oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit. After draining off the canned juice from the chickpeas (still, save it for later). Rinse the chickpeas, toss them in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and lay them out evenly on foil with some 3-4 cloves of garlic. Place them in the oven for around 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden with a few toasty brown spots.
After your roasted chickpeas and garlic have cooled a bit, add the same ¼ cup lemon juice, ⅓ cup tahini and typically just one fresh clove of garlic plus a bit of smoked paprika. Sometimes I even toss in just a few slices of fresh jalapeno for a spicy roasted hummus and it’s fantastic.
Fresh hummus even has about the same shelf life as the store bought kind, around one week.
So, please stop buying tubs of hummus, especially Sabra. Support human rights while saving your taste buds and introduce yourself to this fresh (and cheap) authentic Middle Eastern recipe.
Enjoy!
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