Classic Hummus Recipe (With Three Quick & Spicy Variations)

I can count on one hand all the recipes for which I’d be willing to use my bulky food processor, and hummus tops that very short list. It makes for a delicious sandwich or flatbread spread, not to mention a creamy complementary to raw vegetables. I’ll scoop a dollop of it on some version of a Buddha bowl. It can even serve as a “cheat” base ingredient for homemade salad dressing or a alfredo sauce

While this classic hummus recipe (adapted from Inspired Taste) needs very little tinkering, I couldn’t help but experiment with the flavor profile. As it turns out, varying the spices in this recipe is effortlessly conducive for experimentation. You can end up with wildly different flavored spreads just by adjusting the spices while keeping the original recipe intact.

THE FORMULA

the base + one tsp of spice mix + adjust to taste = homina homina homina

ORIGINAL HUMMUS RECIPE (“the base”)

For the sake of simplicity, I’ve pared down the original recipe. If you’d like a little more specificity with the instructions, I’d suggest going here.

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed

1/4 cup of squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup of tahini

2 tbsp of evoo

one small garlic clove, minced

taste for salt, and add as needed

2-3 tablespoons of cold water, as needed

one tsp of your desired spice mixture (see below)

1. Toss all of the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor, and pulse. Pause the pulsing every 15-20 secs to scrape down any ingredients on the side

2. If your hummus is a little dry/grainy (and it probably will be), add a couple of tablespoons of cold water.

3. Repeat pulse until you get a consistently creamy texture.

4. Taste for salt, and add as needed.

5. Make & stir in your desired spice mix. Pulse & adjust amount to taste.

tip #1: cold water makes your hummus fluffy

tip #2: sticking to the original? just add 1 tsp of cumin

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SOUTHWEST SMOKE (spice mix #1)

(spicy & smoky)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp chipotle powder (or smoked paprika)

1/8 tsp (or a dash of) cayenne

SHORT OF SHAWARMA (spice mix #2)

(sweet & smoky)

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp (or a dash of) cayenne

tip #3: you’ll have plenty of this leftover; use this to season chickpeas, chicken, rice, or any roasted vegetable & pair with a spoonful of yogurt

THAI-TWISTED (spice mix #3)

(spicy & tangy)

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp fenugreek (or one tsp of maple syrup)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard (or ½ tbsp of Dijon mustard)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

tip #4: add 1.5 tsp of toasted sesame oil for an additional touch of Thai

tip #5: if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, reduce the ¼ cup of lemon juice to 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tbsp of squeezed lime juice

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And there you have it, expertly easy-to-make hummus with your choice of tang, smoke, or spice beautifully blended in one creamy bite.