Editor's note: The recipe below is from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. For Bittman's tips on preparing a modern Passover meal, click here.
Chickpeas are among the best legumes, and this is among the best recipes you can prepare with them, an eons-old Middle Eastern classic. Generally, I'm not a big fan of canned beans, but for whatever reason canned chickpeas are not bad at all, and I always keep some on hand so I can make a batch of this at the last minute, to use as a dip or a spread. You can make hummus without tahini; it will be a little looser and less complex tasting but still good.
Ingredients
Makes 8 or more servings
Preparation
Step 1
1. Put everything except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the chickpea liquid or water as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree.
Step 2
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often find I like to add much more lemon juice). Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit more cumin or paprika and some parsley.
Leave a Review
Reviews (177)
Back to TopSo delicious. I doubled the garlic, but then I usually do, and chose paprika. Used a great big lemon, all of the olive oil, and still added a bit of the chickpea liquid. And would never leave out tasty tahini.
Linda Kentro
The Dalles, Oregon
3/12/2024
If I could, I’d give this ten forks. As written, this hummus is fantastic. Best made in a food processor, especially if smooth is what you’re after. Obviously as mentioned in the recipe, the lemon and spices are to taste, but make it, taste it and you’ll just know.
Stantonstreetkid
Sonoma
8/19/2021
It is very good but I find the olive oil a bit excessive - it may be overpowering depending on the type of olive oil you use.
aysezeynepkamis8865
Istanbul, Turkey
3/30/2020
Tasty basic recipe. I added watercress and used a bit more lemon than called for. This will be my goto for the rest of the lock down;)
michaelthomas
Reston, Virginia
3/16/2020
I made this recipe numerous times and really like it. But like everyone else, I made some changes: 1. If you use canned chickpeas, pinch them to remove the skin. The extra effort does make a difference. 2. Saving the chickpea water is crucial. I end up using half of the water for preferred texture. 3. I found two cloves of garlic is not enough. I used two cloves of fresh garlic plus 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt 4. I also add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of onion powder. This really help bring the flavours together 5. I used cumin in the mix but sprinkled on Smokey paprika on top as garnish 6. Omitted parsley. And lastly, I process the mixture in my food processor for a at least ten minutes on high. It comes out smooth! The extra Chickpea water helps with the texture to your preference.
Tbahz
Calgary
2/6/2020
Easy to make and got positive comments from my guests. What more can you ask for?
rgencur
Cleveland, OH
10/14/2019
As it is ,works good, I used a tbs. of Nouc` Mam fish sauce,and it does it fine...
nowmon
Philadelphia
8/15/2019
Rich and wonderful hummus. Simmering the chick peas added to the creaminess. Couldn’t be simpler. Another winner from Mark Bittman.
useppa
New York, NY
2/13/2019
This recipe is in my box and I make it often. However, I never could muster the ratio. The ingredients as listed, never worked for me. I always wanted more liquid, more olive oil, more lemon. The amount it yields is also too much. So I'm rating the recipe that's here. Today I decided to use half the chick peas (1 can drained) and eyeball the rest. I had almost ran out of tahini so I used about 1 heaped tbps. Juice of a whole lemon, 1 tsp salt, 1/2, ground cumin, gluged olive oil and 1 garlic clove. It's perfect and the correct amount, too! Sorry, not sorry.
Anonymous
London, UK
10/20/2018
This recipe is almost exactly like the one on my jar of Once Again organic Tahini that I made, except I used dried chickpeas and cooked then in my Instant Pot, tastes great.
CZimons
Clarksville, TN
2/8/2018
Want to make this recipe pop even more....? Add some Nutritional Yeast, to flavor! It will sing!
DrNothing
Eugene, OR
12/24/2017
I have made this many times...love it. Never a problem, always good.
alroch
Rochester, NY
10/28/2017
Using canned chickpeas (drained) and the recommended liquid measures, this is very runny. I added a second can of chickpeas to get it to a practical consistency. Also, be careful with the spices... I used about 1/2 T cumin and 1/2 T paprika, along with salt and pepper. Even with my nearly double amount of chickpeas, this is still too much cumin. If you make the recipe, I'd start with 2T olive oil and 1/2 a lemon. NO water. You can always add more if you need it. And no more than 1/2 teaspoon cumin.
Theiks
Annapolis, MD
8/9/2017
Added dill for flavor and a shot of water about half way through mixing to combine. Also made in my nutribullet and didn't have any need to peel the chickpeas first. SO good. This is a staple in my home.
rhaeredekop
Winnipeg, MB
7/31/2017
A new favorite recipe, I make this in my nutribullet, which works great - but with the nutribullet, you need to pinch the skins off the chickpeas first for creamy hummus
rlc56
New York
7/21/2017
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