This life-changing homemade hummus is creamy, fluffy, and packed with a nutty, lemony flavor. Easy to make with minimal ingredients, this versatile dip is 10x better than the vastly inferior versions sold in grocery stores.
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (plus more to taste)
3 cloves garlic, (chopped (See Note 2))
1 teaspoon ground cumin, (plus more to taste)
Diamond Crystal kosher salt ((see Note 3))
Freshly cracked black pepper
6 to 10 tablespoons (90 to 150 mL) ice water
⅓ cup (75g) good-quality extra virgin olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, (thinly sliced)
4 to 6 strips of lemon peel, (about 2 inches long (don't peel too deeply to avoid the white pith))
Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, (chopped )
Paprika or Aleppo pepper ((or sumac) )
Warm pita or lavash bread (for dipping)
Categories
Appetizer
Condiment
Sauce
Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Steps
Soak the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. Cover with cold water and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
Cook the chickpeas. Add the drained chickpeas to a medium saucepan with ½ teaspoon baking soda and 6 cups (1.4 L) water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat as needed to maintain a rapid simmer and cook for 30 minutes.Uncover the pot and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chickpeas are very soft and smush when pressed with a spoon/fork or pressed between your fingers. Drain well.
Drain the chickpeas, then transfer to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until you have a smooth puree, scraping down the sides as you go.
To the food processor, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend, and with the motor running, stream in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.After 6 tablespoons of ice water, evaluate the texture. If it’s still stiff or you want it to be looser, stream in more water, and continue blending until smooth and creamy. Once you reach your desired texture, taste for seasonings, adding more salt, garlic, cumin, or lemon juice as needed.
Make the Fried Lemon-Garlic Topping. Fit a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Add the olive oil to a medium frying pan and turn to medium heat. Once the oil is warm (but not too hot), add the thinly sliced garlic and cook, swirling the pan or stirring frequently, for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, until the garlic just turns golden (don't wait until it browns—it will turn bitter).Add the lemon peel strips and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring almost constantly. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, reserving the oil in the bowl.Transfer the garlic and lemon zest to a plate and sprinkle them with a bit of flaky sea salt.
Transfer the hummus to a shallow bowl or plate with a lip. Use the back of a spoon to make waves or a well in the center. Spoon the reserved oil into the ridges or into the well. Top with the fried garlic and lemon zest mixture. Top with chopped parsley and a few shakes of paprika or Aleppo pepper. Dig in with warm pita!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 320 kcal
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Protein: 10 g
Fat: 22 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Sodium: 449 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
Reviews
Hoody on 2026-09-07 (5 stars): I’ve made hummus for years and cooking my own dried chickpeas definitely results in a better tasting dish. I use an instant pot, cook the chickpeas ahead, freeze them and pull them out when I want to use them. I’ve never had a concern with the chickpea skins. Next time I cook a batch of chickpeas, I will try the baking soda. I like using the ice water. It’s amazingly transformative. Nice balance of flavors. Thank you for the excellent recipe.
Misha on 2026-08-28 (5 stars): Life-changing! Tastes like the amazing Levantine hummus I've had from Lebanese, Israeli, Palestinian, etc. restaurants. I've been following your recipe blog for years but never had a food processor or high-quality tahini, so I was never able to indulge in this one. I finally went out and bought those things and now, this might be my favorite recipe of yours, ever (except maybe the lasagna from your cookbook)!
Bunch a Love on 2026-08-24 (4 stars): I'm a pure southern woman, I made this for a gathering of young folk. I'm a huge fan of humus, I usually eat it out or a guest if friends home. Thank you for sharing, I'll keep this on hand in my fridge for snacks. it's extremely hot in Ga, I don't want heavy meals , this is excellent sitting on the porch with veg's. again thank you
Kelly Losasso on 2026-07-30 (5 stars): I finally made my own hummus! Thank you, Nisha for this simple but delightful recipe!
Note to someone making this for the first time, don't hold back on the ingredients, go full strength! I used canned chickpeas and am satisfied with the end result. I, however, am not a hummus connoisseur.
Micah on 2026-07-29 (5 stars): I used canned chickpeas, pre-squeezed lemon juice, pre-chopped garlic and pre-ground salt and pepper and it still turned out really, REALLY good. Lots of flavor by itself but can be easily spiced up. I skipped the topping and just put paprika and chives on top and it was lovely. It makes a LOT of hummus though, so if you can’t eat two pounds of hummus in four days, I suggest halving the recipe. This would be great for a party!!
Kat on 2026-07-17 (5 stars): yum, yum, yum. I have only made hummus once before (using a different recipe) and all I could taste was cumin. It was disgusting.
This recipe was SO much better! It is so luscious and creamy - almost fluffy. I love that, while delicious plain, it is pretty neutral. Now I can jazz it up in any way I want! Love the suggestions for that too by the way.
Mysty on 2026-07-05 (3 stars): What's wrong with the truth? Not everything is rainbows and unicorns.
I too found it just meh.
Kim on 2026-07-04 (5 stars): Nice and creamy. I added more garlic and cumin as I like a stronger flavor. I also like ask the extra toppings for additional flavor and presentation. Thank you!
