Hummus

Name: Hummus
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 can (15 oz) Chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved; 4 tbsp Tahini; 3 tbsp Bottled Lemon Juice; 1 tsp Garlic; 2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; ½ tsp Cumin; Sea Salt, to taste

Whipped pale and fluffy, bright with lemon and garlic softened in the juice. Five minutes in a blender and it's done.

Hands-on 10 min Total 10 min Serves6 Ingredients7 Cost / Serv.$0.32 Calories161 Contains Sesame

Servings

6 servings

×1

Ingredients

Everything here is already in your pantry.

Chickpeas 1 can (15 oz) 253 g
Tahini 4 tbsp 60 g
Bottled Lemon Juice 3 tbsp 45 g
Garlic 1 tsp 5 g
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 2 tbsp 27 g
Cumin ½ tsp 1.1 g
Sea Salt to taste to taste

Ran low on something?

What swaps in

Chickpeas: Dried, cooked ¾ cup dried ≈ one 15 oz can drained
Tahini: Sunflower seed butter sesame-free; sweeter, so pull back any syrupAlmond butter sweeter and thicker
Bottled Lemon Juice: Fresh lemons 1 lemon ≈ 3 tbsp; brighter, but keeps days rather than months
Garlic: Fresh cloves 1 tsp jarred = 1 clove
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Butter 1:1 for cooking; browns at a lower temperature, and it sets solid once coldRefined olive oil higher smoke point, less flavorAvocado oil neutral, very high smoke point
Sea Salt: Kosher salt coarser, so more by volume; the ratio depends on the brandTable salt finer and denser; use about ¾ by volume

No close substitute for Cumin.

What you'll need

Method

In a food processor, blend the 3 tbsp45 g lemon juice, 1 tsp5 g garlic, and salt, to taste, together, then let them sit for a couple of minutes — the acid softens the raw garlic’s bite while you gather everything else.
- Bottled Lemon Juice3 tbsp45 g(45 g)(3 tbsp)
- Garlic1 tsp5 g(5 g)(1 tsp)
- Sea Saltto taste
Add the 4 tbsp60 g tahini and whip for a full minute, drizzling in a splash of ice water, until the mixture turns pale, thick, and fluffy — this aeration is the secret to light hummus.
- Tahini4 tbsp60 g(60 g)(4 tbsp)
Add the 1 can (15 oz)253 g chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved, ½ tsp1.1 g cumin, and 2 tbsp27 g olive oil. Blend a full two minutes, loosening with the reserved chickpea liquid a spoonful at a time, until silky and smooth.
- Chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved1 can253 g(253 g)(1 can)
- Cumin½ tsp1.1 g(1.1 g)(½ tsp)
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil2 tbsp27 g(27 g)(2 tbsp)

Kids: use half the garlic and let it steep an extra few minutes in the lemon — it turns mild and mellow.

Dietary

Gluten free
Tree nut free
Peanut free
Soy free
Sesame contains

Nutrition

Per serving · makes 6

Calories161Protein4.8gCarbs12gFiber3.7gSugars1.9gFat11gSaturated Fat1.5gSodium118mg

Vitamins & minerals

Iron1.5mgCalcium66mgPotassium109mgMagnesium22mgZinc0.76mgFolate31µgVitamin C1.4mgVitamin B120.0µg

Estimated from pantry data, excluding Sea Salt (to taste).

Change log · 1 revision

14 Jul 2026

FoundThe best hummus steeps the garlic in lemon first to tame its raw bite and whips ice water into the tahini for a pale, fluffy texture; ours dumped the garlic in and skipped the whip.

ChangedReordered the method to rest the garlic in lemon and salt, then whip the tahini with a little ice water before the chickpeas go in for a lighter, silkier dip.

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Cooked it and something was off — too bland, too thick, timing wrong?

MVP field manual · hummus