Ah hummus! I’ve said this a million times, but it truly is a vegetarian’s best friend! It is creamy, versatile and healthy! I make myself a batch of hummus pretty much every weekend to go on salads, sandwiches or to dip with veggies or pita chips.
I don’t think hummus needs much of an introduction, but for those who may not know for some reason, it is a middle eastern chickpea spread, typically eaten with pita bread.
Five reasons why you SHOULD be making your own hummus every week:
- It is healthier. Fewer preservatives and you get to control the ingredients!
- You can customize it however you want. Add some roasted garlic for roasted garlic hummus. Add some harissa for supremely spicy hummus. Add some sriracha and carrot for carrot sriracha hummus. The list goes on and on!
- You help reduce plastic waste. When I think about how many plastic containers of hummus I’ve gone through I shudder. Multiply that by the thousands of people purchasing hummus every week. To make your own hummus you only need a can of chick peas, which is completely recyclable, or dried garbanzo beans.
- It is cheaper! 1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans is only $0.69 at my local store and a bag of garbanzo beans is only around $1. The tahini and olive oil I buy lasts me a long time. Comparatively, one 10 oz. container of hummus is around $4 and doesn’t give you nearly as much. I haven’t done the exact math, but making your own hummus is way cheaper!
- It is way more delicious! I say this from experience! Absolutely no taste of preservatives and the natural flavors really come through!
Classic Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz can low sodium garbanzo beans or 1.5 cups cooked beans
- ⅓ cup tahini paste
- 3-4 tbsp aquafaba (reserved chickpea liquid)
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- A pinch paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse and drain garbanzo beans.
- Place garbanzo beans in a food processor with tahini paste, a few drizzles of olive oil, aquafaba, garlic and sea salt.
- Pulse a few times and check consistency.
- If it is not pulsing smoothly, add a few tbsp aquafaba to thin out the mixture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning and consistency. Stir the mixture to ensure all chickpeas are getting equally pureed.
- Pulse until completely smooth and creamy.
- Serve in a bowl, sprinkled with paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.
