Do It Yourself Staples--Hummus

I think we too often buy dishes claiming 'convenience' or lack of time when we could easily make them ourselves.

I'm guilty of it.

I think there is a good part to it in that we often get introduced to different foods because they are right there and convenient to pick up.

But I also think these store bought versions almost always pale in comparison to the 'real thing' that folks have been making in their homes for sometimes centuries.

Such is the case with hummus. It's a traditional and ubiquitous dish in the Middle East but thought of here as more of a grocery store 'party dip' unless one has grown up with it in their household .

I've had incredibly good hummus----both homemade and from an excellent restaurant. After serving a decent store bought hummus at our big party in June and seeing how much everyone enjoyed that I got the idea that I should try making it because I knew the homemade version was that much better.

I found out the lovely and vivacious Crys Milligan had an excellent recipe and pushed her to share. And because she is an awesome friend she did!

Crystal's Hummus

This variation on a basic recipe contains lots of garlic, lemon and cumin. It's wonderful. If you follow the link you'll find Crys' 'how-to' video which is both helpful and entertaining.

2 cans (14oz) Chick Peas (aka garbanzo beans)
3 TBs tahini (sesame seed 'paste')
1 Tsp sea salt
Juice from 1 1/2 lemons
3 TBs ground cumin
5-6 cloves garlic, minced fine
@1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Drain chick peas and rinse well. Place in the bowl of your food processor. Add cumin, lemon juice, tahini, salt, garlic and olive oil. Process until well combined and your desired consistency, using water to thin it a bit if it is too thick ( I used about 1/3 c). Taste and adjust seasonings. At this point I wanted a little kick so I added about 2 TBs of cayenne pepper. YUM.

As Crys mentions if this gets too thick sitting in the fridge you can always toss it back in the processor and add a little water.

I did not have that problem as it maintained a lovely consistency for me. We've enjoyed it with bagel chips, cucumber slices, bell pepper, tomato and pita chips. The flavors in this go well with a lot of things.


I plan on experimenting with additions for the next batch.

If you want a smaller batch just halve the recipe.

I won't buy hummus again--I like this so much I'll eat hummus more than I have been. In making it yourself not only do you have control of the quality and freshness of your ingredients but you save money.

It's a win-win.

Let me know if you try it.


A huge thanks to Crys Milligan.