Homemade Hummus: 100% Natural Equals Zero Chance of Recalls

Karen Gentry
Jun 21, 2015
2 min read

Hummus is one of those snacks that I never had any interest in trying because in my mind why would I eat hummus if I could just eat bean dip and fritos? Well sometimes we get smarter and thankfully I did because hummus is a delicious snack that is incredibly healthy.

The first time I had hummus was when I was studying abroad in Wales and one of my fit friends exposed me to it. Since I was gluten-free at that moment I ate it with carrots and found it to be an easy travel snack.

My favorite type of hummus is roasted red bell pepper. After seeing all these recalls on Saba Hummus (the type we buy once a week) I decided there had to be a simple way to make my own hummus where I control what I put in it. To be honest getting the hummus to taste good or have the righ consistency took a few tries, but after I got it done I was delighted!

First you have two options: canned chickpeas or raw, I opted for raw because they were cheaper, easy to find at my grocery store and had nothing added to it. I think the difference between the two is marginal so pick whichever fits your preference.

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil; for every cup of chickpeas you have have two cups of water. You will add the chickpeas to the boiling water and turn it to low and let them simmer for 3-4 hours. Yes that's right 3-4 hours (if you bought canned chickpeas you can cut this time in half).

2. Once you can mash the chickpeas with a fork they are ready for blending. You can blend with a blender (Vitamix) or a food processor. I am a religious freak about my blender so I use that. I blend only a cup of the chickpeas at a time so the blender isn't overwhelmed. I use 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Here is what I learned from my times of failure: it's ok to add MORE water. If the texture isn't smooth enough water is your best friend.

3. Have other flavors or items preppared to add. For instance I have made avocado hummus where I added lime juice, half an avocado and fresh cilantro. Another time (see the picture below) I added roasted bell peppers. I put bell pepper slices on a cast iron skillet and let them sizzle on medium heat and then added it to the chickpea blend with some paparika. Both times I added a pinch of salt and pepper for taste.

4. Refridgerate over night. This last step could also include added a bit more oil to the hummus before cooling, but it is totally up to you and how you like your hummus.

I think that the most important thing about this recipe is to make sure the chickpeas are soft enough and then to also add water when blending. Some recipes don't call for it but I found it to be the difference between a weird hummus and a perfect one.

Enjoy!