Home-Made Hummus

Home-Made Hummus

My mum has a deep love for anything made with chickpeas, so homemade hummus with warm pita bread was a regular occurrence in my childhood snack rotation (as you can imagine, my palate was quite refined).

Mum actually made her tahini paste at home, and combined with freshly boiled chickpeas, lots of garlic and olive oil, it made her recipe unbeatable. Anyone who came over always asked for her secret recipe — but she guards it closely (so don’t tell her I’m sharing this version with you).

While mum used dried chickpeas, my quick hummus shortcut uses canned chickpeas, which speeds things up significantly. I love the classic version with garlic, lemon and good quality olive oil, but you can easily customise it.

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas (preferably organic)
  • 2–3 cloves garlic
  • 2 heaped tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp Pukara Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (or more, to taste)
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1–2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 5–6 ice cubes
  • Salt, to taste
  • Sumac, Aleppo pepper and olive oil, to garnish

Method

  1. Drain chickpeas and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.
  2. Blend chickpeas, half the reserved liquid, ice cubes, olive oil, tahini and garlic.
  3. Scrape blender sides, then add lemon juice, honey, chilli and salt to taste.
  4. Add more reserved liquid or water if needed to reach your desired consistency.
  5. Serve topped with olive oil and spices.

Tips & Tricks

The ice cube trick:
Ice cubes help stop chickpeas overheating while blending and help create a smooth, creamy texture.

Use high quality tahini:
Tahini is a Middle Eastern sesame paste used across many recipes. Organic hulled tahini works beautifully in hummus.

Remove chickpea skins (optional):
For ultra-smooth hummus, remove chickpea skins. Rub chickpeas gently in a tea towel to loosen skins, then discard.

Garnish just before serving:
Bring hummus to room temperature, then drizzle olive oil and spices right before serving.

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