How to Make Hummus

I risked my life to bring you this super easy, creamy hummus recipe, so you best like it.

So, I have a very slight sesame allergy. I liked to pretend this allergy did not exist for a long time (because I love sesame everything). It doesn't bother me every time I eat it, but sometimes it does. Sometimes I notice it just a little bit when I eat sushi or ramen. And I noticed it more than a little bit today when I ate several spoonfuls of this exact hummus, coughed up my lungs for a couple minutes and then thought, "Hey, I should probably be more careful about my tahini consumption."

After visiting an allergist (finally), they told me I don't have to worry about dying. Phew. The kind of allergy I have is so slight it's almost like being allergic to the pollen of a sesame plant and my body gets confused. It's not life-threatening, just a nuisance. Sesame oil and tahini and seeds are used in a lot of my favorite foods... so I'm incredibly thankful that I don't have to worry about my throat closing up.

True sesame allergies are no joke. It's similar to having a peanut allergy, but there's less awareness around it so that makes it even harder to manage. If you are seriously allergic to sesame, I feel for you. And make this hummus with sunflower butter instead of tahini.

Enough about allergies though. Please enjoy this creamier-than-ever hummus with all the tahini in the land. I probably shouldn't eat it very often, but you should.

It's very good.

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3 Tricks to Creamier Hummus

1. Peeled chickpeas. It is so tedious, but Cooks Illustrated taught me to remove the skins of the chickpeas before they are pureed for a creamier texture. The skins are easy to remove, but I usually peel about half before I give up. Some is better than none, right?
2. Chickpea liquid. If you're using canned chickpeas, reserve a little bit of the liquid and add it to the food processor.
3. Ice cubes. Weird, right?! Hummus on the rocks. I learned this trick from a Syrian family who was on The Big Family Cooking Showdown. Adding a couple of ice cubes to the food processor when it's just about done makes it extra silky.

Hummus

vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free recipe | makes ~2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas, drained (with the liquid reserved)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 1 T cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• a little bit of the chickpea liquid
• black pepper, to taste
• kosher salt, to taste
• 2-3 ice cubes
• optional garnishes: drizzle of olive oil, fresh parsley, sprinkle of paprika or black pepper, etc.

Instructions

1. Peel as many chickpeas as you have the patience to peel.
2. Grab your food processor and add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and paprika. Puree until very smooth.
3. While the motor is running, take a tablespoon or two of the chickpea liquid reserved from the can and slowly pour it into the food processor. 
4. Add black pepper and kosher salt to taste. Don't be stingy on the salt.
5. Add 2-3 ice cubes. Give it one more whirl in the food processor. 
6. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top and some fresh parsley and any other garnishes you like.

Tips

• Dip vegetables and other things into this hummus.
• Serve along with this with Shawarma-Spiced Chicken or Paleo Hashweh!
• I always thought it would be very pretty and tasty to make an herb oil with cilantro or parsley and then drizzle that on top of things. It would be great on this hummus.
• If you like a little spice to your hummus, add a bit of hot sauce or cayenne pepper to the mix.
• I know this sounds crazy, but naan/pita bread + hummus + vegetables + cheese + toaster oven. I used to make these naan pizzas when I was 23 and broke... and they were quite good.