Name: Classic Hummus for Parties
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle East
Ingredients: 850g (30 oz) canned chickpeas; 1 clove garlic; 4 tablespoons tahini; 3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cup hot water, or more if needed; olive oil to drizzle over hummus; Poppy seeds; roasted garlic; roasted chicken wings; Green olives; Chickpeas; Chopped green onion; Cherry tomatoes; Cherries

Classic Hummus is the perfect snack that satisfies everyone’s taste buds at a party. Top it with your favorite foods and enjoy more!

Hummus is one of the most versatile dips known all around the world and you can create zillions of its versions depending on your taste. However, I want to share the classic hummus recipe with you today that I have been using since mom taught me when I was a teenager.

This classic hummus is a staple at any get-together at our home but I try to give it a different look and feeling each time using some seasonal veggies and fruit. Although it’s exactly the same recipe, nobody is bored of having it. On the contrary, it disappears within a few minutes and everyone asks for more. No party is perfect without a good hummus.

Spring and summer months are my favorite times of year because of the abundance and variety of fresh products. I feel like everything I serve gets more attractive thanks to them, especially when they are all together on a snack board. So you can understand why I started to crave for hummus when I saw all these beauties at the market yesterday.

Although I usually have cooked chickpeas in the freezer for unexpected times of my hummus craving, I won’t be telling how to make hummus from scratch. We need shortcuts in this super busy life, don’t we? Yes, I use store-bought canned chickpeas as well.

Don’t get me wrong when I call it classic hummus. It’s my classic hummus recipe. Although the ingredients are the same, it’s possible to see various recipes around the web with different ratio of ingredients. What makes this one a classic hummus recipe is that I don’t use any additional flavors. You need 6 ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin. The ratio and the consistency depend completely on your taste. So I recommend you to taste the hummus when it’s still in the food processor, make any adjustments you like and process again.

How to Make Classic Hummus Creamy

What I love about my homemade hummus recipe is that it’s ready just in 5 minutes. That means I really don’t want another step to skin the chickpeas. I don’t mind their skin at all. I find it creamy enough after my food processor does its job perfectly. If you are one of those perfectionists who want their hummus as smooth as mayo though, I found an interesting method on Cook’s Illustrated to skin chickpeas easily. They suggest using baking soda. Please go read the article to learn how.

Tips on My Classic Hummus Recipe

If you are using canned chickpeas, check if they are soft enough. If they are firm, I’d suggest you to cook them in boiling water for 10-15 minutes so that they are wonderfully tender and fall apart. Blend them when they are still hot. I find this results in a creamier hummus.
Use a food processor to have the best hummus. You won’t have a good result with anything else.
Don’t leave cumin out. Besides giving a nice subtle flavor, cumin relaxes your stomach. Your belly needs this after having chickpeas and tahini, which might cause indigestion and gas.