I love hummus. It’s great with carrots. It’s great with pretzels. It’s great as a sandwich spread. It’s all around wonderful, but it’s also kinda expensive, given the quantities I’m liable to consume in any given sitting. When I think about the amount of money I’ve spent and the number of plastic tubs I’ve thrown in the recycling bin, a little part of me dies. Assuming $4.00 per tub × 2-3 tubs per week × 52 weeks/year, that’s $600+ each year. Why was I buying this stuff pre-made?!
For one, I didn’t realize how easy hummus is to make. You basically just dump a can of chickpeas and some spices into a food processor and blend until smooth. Don’t have a food processor? No problem; use a blender. Don’t have one of those? Use a stick blender. Don’t have one of those? Sorry, can’t help you, but I can assure you that it will pay for itself after only 10-15 batches of this stuff. This recipe makes two pounds and costs less than $2. Just do the math!
Okay, so there’s a little bit more to it than just dumping the whole can in and processing, but not much. Since I doubt you’d be reading this if you wanted to experiment on your own, here’s how I do it, as precisely as possible (because cooking is more art than science).
Easy Homemade Hummus
Makes about 32 ounces (900 grams)
Ingredients
- 2 cans cooked chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
- 5 tsp olive oil (just less than 2 tbsp)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or water, if you accidentally tossed this)
Instructions
- If you haven’t already, drain chickpeas and save the “juice.”
- Add chickpeas, spices, olive oil, and lemon juice to food processor.
- Process until smooth (about 1-2 minutes), scraping sides at least once if you don’t like chunks.
- Sample and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Transfer to bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with lemon slice.
- Try not to eat the whole batch—I’m not responsible for an upset stomach if you do.
