This creamy oil-free homemade hummus recipe takes minutes to make with five vegan ingredients for a delicious dip or spread that's better than store-bought.
Hummus is a delicious dip or spread made from cooked chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, and spices. It's a traditional condiment in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cuisine, but it's beloved around the globe. And once you learn how to make this easy oil-free hummus, trust me, you'll never buy it at the grocery store again.
There are infinite variations of traditional hummus with different spices and flavors. A few of my favorite recipes are hummus with harissa, caramelized onion hummus, and creamy sweet potato and chickpea hummus.
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Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Homemade tastes better, fresher, and gives you complete control over the spiciness and texture.
- Unlike many recipes, I use ground cumin, which is a game-changer in flavor.
- Made with no added oil, preservatives, or additives.
- Make your own hummus in less than 10 minutes using simple, plant-based pantry ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans). I recommend using canned chickpeas for this recipe because the liquid, aquafaba, replaces oil and creates a creamier texture. The best substitute for chickpeas is white beans, which make a yummy white bean spread. However, it won't officially be hummus because hummus, my friend, is all about chickpeas.
- Tahini. Look for tahini with no added oil (yes, oil is sometimes used in processing). If your tahini contains salt, wait to add salt until after blending and tasting.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic adds zest that can't be replaced with garlic powder, although you can use ½ a teaspoon in a pinch. I used 2 cloves, about 1 heaping teaspoon of pressed garlic. Use more if you like it extra-garlicly.
- Lemon juice. Use a fresh lemon, ¼ cup of lemon juice. You can also use the bottled kind (100% pure lemon juice) as a substitute.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Wait, Denise, Does Tahini Contain Oil?
The topic of tahini and oil and the label 'oil-free' comes up often, so let's take a moment and address it. Pure tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds (sometimes roasted, sometimes not). When you make homemade tahini or buy high-quality tahini, you may notice that oil forms on the top of the container after it sits. That is the natural oil from the nutrient-rich sesame seeds, which represent 'good fats'.
When we talk about oil or oil-free, we're talking about adding ultra-processed oil -the kind that comes in a bottle, has little to no nutritional benefit, and is 100% fat per calorie.
How to Make Hummus
Add the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons aquafaba, ¼ cup of tahini and lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more aquafaba until your hummus is creamy and has a consistency you like.
Pro Tips
- If you like chunkier hummus, use the pulse button on your blending device. You can also make hummus with a potato masher or large, sturdy fork. In this case, it won't blend as smoothly, but it gives the chickpeas a crushed consistency, similar to vegan tuna.
- Blend the hummus after adding more aquafaba, or if you like a more lemony flavor, after adding more lemon juice.
- Hummus gets thicker as it sits. If you've made it ahead or have stored it, let it warm to room temperature, vigorously stir it, and add a little lemon juice if necessary to thin it.
Equipment Tip
I like using a food processor or a blender with a detachable base so transferring the hummus and getting every tasty bit is easier. For small batches and easy clean-up, I’ve started using my recently purchased Nutra Bullet, which I absolutely love.
Garnish Ideas
I’m happy to dig into hummus straight from the food processor (yes, that happens). If you want to make a pretty presentation, set aside a few whole chickpeas to add to the top. Other garnishing ideas include a little lemon zest, chopped parsley, or a smattering of red chili flakes.
Serving Suggestions
Hummus is an all-star favorite to serve with pita chips, veggies, or tortilla chips. It offers a morning protein boost as a quick breakfast smeared on toast, warm whole wheat pita bread, or sweet potato flatbread. Use it to make quick veggie wraps or as the base to pile on veggies to make Greek salad pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I don't recommend freezing hummus.
Absolutely! You can omit tahini, using extra aquafaba for blending. Or, substitute tahini with sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or another nut or seed butter. I don't recommend peanut butter because it can overwhelm the flavor.
Add crushed red chili or a little cayenne pepper for a spicy flavor or smoked paprika for a richer, smoky flavor. For a Middle Eastern vibe, za'atar is a great spice blend for hummus. Add a pinch or more of sumac if you like a zesty hummus.
It is not necessary to peel chickpeas. Thin chickpea skins add fiber, so they have a nutritional value. Peeling chickpeas is a time-consuming and tedious enterprise with very little reward in terms of texture. If you cook chickpeas from scratch, some of the skins will naturally fall off, and you can discard them. Otherwise, get to making that hummus!
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Creamy Oil-Free Homemade Hummus
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas - 1 15-ounce/400-gram can with liquid reserved (see note 1)
- 4 tablespoons aquafaba - (liquid from chickpeas) as needed
- ¼ cup tahini - (see note 2)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Important: Reserve at least ¼ cup of the liquid from the chickpeas and set aside.
- Add the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of aquafaba (chickpea liquid) in a food processor or blender.
- Add the rest of the chickpeas and blend until your hummus is smooth. Test the texture and flavor.
- Blend until smooth, adding more aquafaba, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired texture.
- Garnish with a few whole chickpeas, chopped parsley, a pinch of cayenne pepper or crushed red chili, or fresh lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- If you use cooked chickpeas from scratch, use the cooking liquid to replace the aquafaba. If you don't have the cooking liquid, add cold water.
- Look for tahini that contains no added oil or make tahini using toasted sesame seeds.
- Store hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I don't recommend freezing tahini.
- You can easily customize the flavor of hummus using dried spices like red chili flakes, cayenne pepper, harissa paste, sriracha, or za'atar seasoning blend.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Rainey James
Hey Denise why don’t you use the aqua faba from the can of chic peas?
Denise
Hi, you most certainly use aquafaba. I find it a bit heavier in consistency; however, it's better if you chill it. You can even stick it in the freezer for a few minutes. Great idea. Thanks!