Creamy Lemon Hummus
Creamy lemon hummus is a fresh and velvety-smooth dip that is as easy as it is delicious. This low-fuss recipe makes the smoothest hummus you’ve ever had!
Hummus is a staple in my house. Before learning to make my own hummus, my family went through a family-size tub of store-bought hummus every week.
But I’ll be honest – it wasn’t necessarily a staple because everyone loved it so much. It was more a staple because hummus is just so convenient. It’s a perfect plant-based protein for a picnic or school lunchbox. It’s a quick and healthy snack. Everyone liked it well enough, so I never really questioned it.
Then, one week, our grocery store ran out of hummus, and I decided to try to make it myself. Well, friend, if you haven’t tried it, homemade hummus is a total revelation! This easy hummus recipe is our new weekly staple, and now we eat hummus not only because it’s convenient and healthy, but also because it’s completely delicious. Load it up with toppings and serve it at a party, put it in lunchboxes with some veggies, or sneak it straight out of the fridge with a spoon. There is no wrong way to eat this.
You Will Love This
- This easy hummus recipe is way more fresh and creamy than the store-bought stuff.
- Homemade hummus is super easy to make, with only a few minutes of hands-on cooking time.
- This healthy hummus recipe is a great way to add some extra protein and dietary fiber to your family’s diets. Serve it with veggies for dipping, and it’s a perfect simple snack.
Ingredients
To make creamy homemade hummus, you need the following simple ingredients. Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is great in this recipe, bringing a lot of bright flavor, but bottled lemon juice will work just fine too!
- Tahini: Tahini is a ground sesame paste you can buy in the nut butter section at your grocery store. The flavor of this ingredient varies widely from brand to brand, and bad tahini can sink the flavor of your hummus. A good quality tahini is a great pantry staple to keep on hand. Soom is one of my favorite brands.
- Chickpeas: If you use canned chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) like I did, make sure to drain and rinse them before boiling.
- Spices: I used garlic powder in my hummus instead of fresh garlic. My kids don’t love the bite of fresh garlic in hummus. You can feel free to substitute 1-2 cloves of fresh or roasted garlic if you prefer!
- Ice water: This is the most crucial ingredient for super creamy hummus. You want your water to be as cold as possible. If you have a high powdered food processor, you can substitute 2 ice cubes instead of water.
- Make it your own! This is a basic traditional hummus recipe, without the garlic. It is a great recipe for customizing. Add fresh herbs (dill is one of my favorites) or roasted red peppers to make this your own.
Instructions
Step One: Add a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) to a medium saucepan, and cover the chickpeas with water. You can add a half teaspoon of baking soda to the water to help soften the chickpeas, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Bring the chickpeas to a low boil over medium heat, and continue to boil for about 15 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft and start to separate from their skins. Drain the chickpeas. Rinse them if you added baking soda to the water, to get any residual baking soda flavor off.
Step Two: Add the cooked chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor with fresh lemon juice, tahini, extra virgin olive oil, salt, paprika and onion powder. Pulse the food processor for a minute or so until all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the food processor.
Step Three: Add a tablespoon or two of ice-cold water to the food processor (or 1-2 ice cubes) and blend another minute until the hummus is smooth and creamy.
Scoop your fluffy hummus into a bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, some lemon zest, some red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs.
Serve This With
Hummus is a delicious dip for all sorts of veggies and breads. My kiddos like this best with raw carrots and mini naan bread dippers. I think it’s totally delicious with leftover roasted veggies. Seriously, try this standing in front of the fridge with cold roasted broccoli or asparagus, and tell me it’s not amazing.
Use this recipe to make loaded hummus for your next party!
Creamy Lemon Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2-3 tablespoons ice cold water
Instructions
- Add a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) to a medium saucepan, and cover the chickpeas with water. Bring the chickpeas to a low boil over medium heat, and continue to boil for about 15 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft and start to separate from their skins. Drain the chickpeas.
- Add the cooked chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor with fresh lemon juice, tahini, extra virgin olive oil, salt, paprika and onion powder. Pulse the food processor for a minute or so until all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the food processor.
- Add a tablespoon or two of ice-cold water to the food processor and blend another minute. Add additional water one or two tablespoons the hummus reaches your desired consistency.
So easy and delicious!!
Love this recipe.
This is my favorite hummus recipe!