Hummus is a wonderful on-the-go lunchtime staple. The incredibly smooth, creamy texture of store-bought hummus is amazing, and luckily for us, I know the secret to getting the same incredibly texture at home: skin the chickpeas.
Before you go thinking I’m totally off my rocker, let me assure you that this doesn’t take that much time and it really is key to making hummus better than your favorite store brand. That’s right. Trust me here. Try it and you’ll see.
[Update: I’ve found that with a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, my hummus turns out super creamy even if I don’t peel the chickpeas.]
Chickpeas with the skins removed. Now you can get to blending that creamy hummus. 
The best basic hummus
Serves 8 as an appetizer
Update: I’ve found that with a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, my hummus turns out super creamy even if I don’t peel the chickpeas.
2/3 cup dry chickpeas (this is roughly equal to 1 15-ounce can)
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
4 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup reserved chickpea cooking water (or tap water if you used canned)
Olive oil and za’tar or paprika, to top
- Cover the dried chickpeas with plenty of water (at least 2 cups) in a medium saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and let the beans soak for 2 hours. Drain and rinse the beans, cover with fresh water, and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Drain the beans again, this time reserving the cooking liquid to thin out the hummus with later.
- When the beans are cool enough to handle, carefully peel each one individually by gently squeezing it. It should pop out of the thin skin fairy easily, but you may have to help some along by using your nail to cut the skin before squeezing. This step is the key to a smooth, creamy hummus – it takes some time, but it’s totally worth it.
- Place the peeled chickpeas in a food processor and pulse until they are coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Put the tahini and lemon juice in the food processor and whirl for 30 seconds or so. Add the garlic, salt, cumin, and oil and pulse to combine.
- Add the ground chickpeas back to the food processor and run while adding the reserved cooking water until the entire mixture comes together. Taste and adjust salt, cumin, lemon, and tahini to personal taste. This is a great basic recipe that can be adjusted to emphasize the flavors you like – you can add roasted garlic, pine nuts, red pepper… the sky’s the limit.
- Let the hummus sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving, allowing all the flavors to meld together. Top with olive oil and za’tar or paprika and serve alongside fresh, raw veggies and warm pita bread.
