Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are my favorite food (by far). There are just so many ways to eat them and they’re so, soooo yummy. One of my favorite ways to consume garbanzo beans is this popular Middle Eastern staple… HUMMUS!

Hummus means “chickpea” in Arabic. Traditional hummus is made of pureed (or mashed), cooked chickpeas mixed with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. There’s a few other ingredients that traditional hummus is sometimes paired with (such as cumin), but these six are usually the most common.

There is some debate about where hummus first originated (maybe Syria, maybe Egypt), but we do know that historical sources have mentioned hummus as early as the 13th century. Since then, hummus has continued to be important in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and other locations throughout the Middle East.

While talking about the origins of hummus (as well as its true form in its place of origin), it’s worth noting that hummus in the Middle East has several key differences from the hummus that we find in U.S. grocery stores.

HUMMUS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

- Eaten almost every day

- Often eaten as a MAIN DISH

- Topped with olive oil, pine nuts, ground lamb

- Eaten with pita

- Eaten fresh

HUMMUS IN THE UNITED STATES

- Often canned / packaged

- Eaten as a dip (with carrots, celery, chips, crackers, etc.)

- Sometimes infused with flavors such as red pepper, chocolate, etc.

Though hummus in the United States is often very different from its traditional form, making hummus from scratch can be a great way to come closer to experiencing traditional Middle Eastern hummus. In this way, you can make your hummus right before you eat it, you can add in whatever flavors you want, and you can eliminate added preservatives!

Hummus also has many practical health benefits including high fiber content, protein, iron, phosphorus, and folic acid.

Whether eaten with veggies, crackers, chips, or by the spoonful, hummus does not disappoint. You’re welcome to add your favorite hummus flavors and/or additions, but I prefer to keep it simple and as healthy as possible. No oil added!

MAKING THE BEST HUMMUS

Just as a heads up, this is my EASY hummus recipe. There are a ton of different things you can do to make the most traditional hummus, but following all of these suggestions adds a lot of steps and can be quite time consuming. Rather, this recipe is delicious, simple, and takes about 5 minutes or less to complete.

That being said, I do have two main suggestions on how to make the best EASY hummus :)

1) Be sure to blend until very smooth. I usually blend until I’m sure the hummus is smooth and then blend another 15-20 seconds just for good measure.

2) Don’t over salt! If you want to add more salt than the recipe calls for, be careful! I’ve found that a tiny bit more salt can sometimes make the whole dish way too salty, but at the same time, salt is so necessary to bring out the flavor of the tahini.

Honestly, there’s not much else I can say. You all can make this recipe. It’s easy, straightforward, and quick.

SERVING IDEAS

- Topped With Parsley

- To Dip Veggies In: Hummus tastes great with cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc. In other words, trade this out for the ranch on a veggie tray and you have an alternative healthy dip for your veggies!

- In Place of Salad Dressing: Healthy, delicious, pairs amazingly with spinach

- With Pita

- On Sandwiches: I’m not a mayo girl, but I still do love a bit of sauce to balance out the dryness of bread. I’ve found hummus is the perfect solution to this dilemma. Spread a little hummus on a sandwich before adding on meat, lettuce, tomatoes (or whatever you put on your sandwiches)... And then you’ve got the perfect hummus sandwich.

STORAGE

Per usual, the best way to store hummus is in an airtight container in the refrigerator :)

Hummus leftovers usually get eaten pretty quickly because they’re 1) so yummy, and 2) so versatile. However, if I do still have leftovers after four days from when I made the hummus, I will throw it out at that point so as to not risk food poisoning.

INGREDIENTS

- Garbanzo Beans: The main idea. The central point. The essence of hummus is garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas). This recipe uses canned garbanzo beans because it is simply so easy to open up a can, drain off the liquid, and dump the beans into a blender.

- Tahini: You may or may not have used tahini before in your cooking, but this ingredient is absolutely essential to get the true hummus flavor. Tahini is ground, toasted sesame seeds that make a bitter and oily paste. In other words, tahini doesn’t taste awesome on its own… but when paired with other things, it truly elevates the dish. What’s more, nothing pairs with tahini quite like garbanzo beans.

- Salt & Garlic Powder: What can I say, the seasonings are crucial. Just keeping things super simple here with salt and garlic.

- Water: Yes, I mean plain old water. It always does feel weird adding water to hummus but I promise you this hummus is literally no-fail and always turns out insanely delicious. There is plenty of flavor coming from the other four ingredients, so you really don’t need more for this simple hummus. You can add olive oil if you are looking for a richer, creamier hummus, but I promise it isn’t necessary. The hummus will be DELICIOUS without any added oil (besides what’s coming from the tahini).

HOW TO…

I’ll keep this simple because hummus truly can be a simple dish. To start, drain the garbanzo beans and pour them into a blender. I use a Vitamix for all my blending and it works SO well. However, this task can be accomplished in any blender, but it may not work as well if you’re using a lower quality blender.

Add in the tahini, salt, garlic powder, and water. Blend on high for 2-4 minutes, or until the hummus is smooth and creamy. You’re done. That’s all. Use a spatula to get the hummus out of the blender and it’s ready for consumption. It’s SO easy. Get ready for some insanely delicious, healthy hummus!

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