Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

Why is the best hummus always in restaurants, especially Middle Eastern ones? ย I think I make a delicious, flavorful hummus that has a great consistency and is better than the ones you find in the supermarket. ย But, it doesn’t compare to the silky, light and creamy hummus that I’ve had in restaurants. ย I want that kind. ย The kind that will drip, not plop, off your pita if you’re not careful. ย The kind you can suck up with a straw. ย You know what I mean.

cook the soaked, drained chickpeas with a little baking soda before boiling

skim off the skins

I got into bed with a book the other night, because reading helps me wind down and relax from my typically crazy day. ย But of course, I read cookbooks in bed before I go to sleep which is an absolutely terrible idea because that does nothing to quiet my overactive brain which doesn’t stop thinking, thinking, thinking! ย Regardless, I was reading Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s not-so-new, but gorgeous book , “Jerusalem.” ย So many recipes, so little time, people. ย I turned to their recipe for “Basic Hummus” and I swear I almost flipped the page without so much as a glance, because like I said, I already have a perfectly great hummus recipe which I have actually turned into four different flavors. ย But then I thought “have some respect, you never know.”

drain the chickpeas and process to a chunky paste

love this raw tahini

The word “supersmooth” caught my attention immediately and then I knew I found it — the hummus of my dreams. ย Let me jump to the chase. ย The Ottolenghi hummus is the kind I love at restaurants and they tell me all their secrets. ย Most importantly, the chickpea skins are removed after cooking and before pureeing. ย I know!!! ย Why didn’t I think of that? ย But before you think I have the kind of time to sit around peeling chickpea skins, think again. ย After soaking and draining the chickpeas, they are cooked with a little baking soda and then water is added to boil the beans.ย  Most of the skins float to the top of the pot and you just skim them away. ย I know!!! ย Brilliant. ย They also add a lot more tahini (sesame paste) than I do which makes the hummus so creamy. ย And water. ย I would never have thought to add water, but it really makes the hummus lighter and cleaner than adding the chickpea liquid which is how I do it. ย “Better late than never,” is what I was thinking.

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

I wouldn’t say that my first attempt came out quite as smooth as Ottolenghi’s primarily because not all the chickpeas lost their skins and I was not about to go peeling them, but it was really, really good and very smooth. ย You can see the image of that below. ย I also tasted the hummus after adding 2/3 cup of tahini instead of the recommended 1 cup + 2 Tbs. and I thought it was divine. ย I made it a second time and did take the time to pull off any skins that didn’t come off during the boiling process and the hummus was a tad bit creamier, but I’m not sure it was worth the extra 12 minutes it took me to do that. ย You should do whatever makes sense to you and if you have the time, feel free to pick out every last skin. ย For that matter, you can buy canned cooked chickpeas and pull off the skins and proceed from there.

This is the one I made first where I did not remove every single last chickpea skin.
This is the one I made first where I did not remove every single last chickpea skin.

I served this to friends the other night, friends who have had my hummus a million times and they all said “where did you get this? ย This is so good.” ย I know, a tad insulting since the implication was that I could not have made it, but I was totally fine with that. ย Since then, we’ve enjoyed this immensely with pita bread and raw veggies (wow, I could actually hear you yawn through the computer), slathered on a baguette with grilled veggies and slow roasted tomatoes (my recommendation), and dolloped on a Greek salad with chicken souvlaki (we had this for dinner the other night — major hit!). ย There is an insanely beautiful picture in the book of the hummus topped with whole cooked chickpeas, pine nuts, chopped parsley, cooked lamb and the whole thing drizzled with olive oil. ย A-mazing.

Grilled veggies, slow roasted tomatoes and hummus on baguette | pamela salzman

No matter how you make it, hummus is rather nutritious and especially high in protein and fiber. ย It’s one of the more healthful spreads and dips, provided you don’t go to crazy on the pita bread or chips. ย I have even used it in place of mayonnaise in chicken salad. ย I have even eaten it with a spoon. ย I have even dreamt about it. ย You will too, until you make it!

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus by Pamela Salzman

jacked up hummus | pamela salzman

4.70 from 10 votes

Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus

By adapted from "Jerusalem" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Ingredients 

  • 1 ยผ cups dried chickpeas, garbanzo beans*
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ยฝ cups water
  • 1 cup light tahini paste, Ottolenghi recommends 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons, but I thought anywhere between 2/3 and 1 cup was great
  • ยผ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoons sea salt
  • 6 ยฝ Tablespoons ice cold water
  • Unrefined olive oil and sweet paprika for finishing, if desired

Instructions 

  • Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 4 inches of cold water. Allow to soak 6-8 hours.
  • Drain the chickpeas. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the drained chickpeas and the baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming off and foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas cook faster this way and may only need from 20-40 minutes to become tender, but possibly longer. You know theyโ€™re done if you can squish a chickpea in between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Drain the chickpeas. You will have about 3 2/3 cups. Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until you get a stiff paste. With the machine running, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Lastly, slowly drizzle in the ice water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes until you get a really smooth and creamy paste. I actually set my timer for 5 minutes and washed the dishes in the meantime.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and allow the hummus to rest for at least 30 minutes. If not serving right away, refrigerate until needed. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. If desired, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Notes

*Or you can use 2 15-ounce cans of cooked chickpeas, drained, and peel the skins manually. Place the peeled chickpeas in the food processor and proceed with Step 3.
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80 Comments

  1. Pamela Ellison says:

    Hi!! How would I change this if using the jovial jarred chickpeas ?

    XX

    1. Pamela says:

      You can use 2 jars of the jovial cooked chickpeas, drained, and peel the skins manually. Place the peeled chickpeas in the food processor and proceed with Step 3. You will probably need to wing it a bit and use slightly less of the other ingredients since the jovial jars are a slightly less than 15-ounce cans. Hummus is very flexible, so it will turn out well. Just taste it as you go.

  2. Jane says:

    Where do you buy tahini paste? I can’t find it anywhere on the westside!

    1. Pamela says:

      Tahini and tahini paste are the same thing! Jane, tahini is in every market you go to, including Trader Joe’s, Vicente Foods, Whole Foods, Pavilions. It’s usually in the section with nut and seed butters.

  3. Brett says:

    Hi, how long is hummus ok in fridge when made fresh? When store bought?
    Thanks,
    Brett!

    1. Pamela Salzman says:

      Fresh, probably 5-6 days. Store bought usually has citric acid or another preservative, so a few weeks.

  4. Kathleen Coleman says:

    5 stars
    I tried a method that restaurants use here in New York City to remove any remaining chickpea skins and it worked like a charm. After cooking the chickpeas on the firm side let them cool. Then put them in a big bowl of cold water and gently rob them together to loosen the skins which float to the top and pour them off. May have to do this a few times. Easy peasy.

    1. Pamela Salzman says:

      I’m so excited to try this method! So no baking soda at all?? Thanks!

  5. Kelli says:

    So I made Solomonov’s recipe which is very similar to this one in your blog….and mine was incredibly bitter:(. I thought maybe it was the 1 cup of tahini because I’ve never used that much before. But the recipe is almost the exact same. Does this recipe have a bitter taste? Is that just how Israeli hummus is?! Any help or suggestions would be great!

    1. Pamela says:

      I would say to taste your tahini. Tahini can be bitter depending on the brand. I haven’t had any experience with this recipe tasting bitter, but I always use fresh tahini that I know has a consistent flavor.

      1. Michelke says:

        Sorry I’m replying here but I couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment. This recipe looks great! A couple questions: I usually use the chickpea water in my hummus. Can I still do this with the baking soda in the water? Or will that taste weird. Also, what does ice water do for the hummus, as opposed to room temperature water?

        1. Pamela says:

          I think it would taste weird. ๐Ÿ™ The ice water helps to lighten up the emulsion.

          1. Loren GRIFFITH says:

            I read a tip that said the secret to that light and fluffy hummus is to process the chickpeas with the water first.

            1. Pamela says:

              interesting! i’ll give that a try next time!

    2. Johnny Reed says:

      That’s waaaaaay too much tahini and garlic, (in my opinion) Here’s my recipe if you want and it’s simply delicious!
      Hummus For one 14-15 oz can of chickpeas

      1 14-15 oz can (peeled) chickpeas

      5 tblspns of plain tahini paste

      1 medium-large clove of garlic

      Olive oil (spend the money and buy good olive oil)

      3-5 tblspns lemon juice (I never measure my lemon juice, as I kind of just squirt a little bit in as it’s processing)

      Salt to taste

      And grnd sumac to top hummus with, (it has a lot more flavor than paprika)

      Basically, I put my peeled chickpeas, tahini, garlic, a little oil and lemon juice in the food processor to get the process started. As it’s mixing, slowly pour oil until you get the nice creamy texture you like. I like a lot of lemon juice in mine, but you can taste as you process Once you get that texture you like, put just a little pinch of salt. When you serve it, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle some sumac atop.

      1. Pamela says:

        Sounds great!

  6. Kelly says:

    I love this recipe and have made it with great success in the past, however, this time the consistency came out super thick. I added a extra couple tablespoons of ice water when it wasn’t becoming smooth in the mixer but, after refrigerating overnight, it thickened even more. Where did I wrong wrong this time? I was tempted to keep adding water under smooth but was afraid it would compromise the flavor. Thx!

    1. Pamela says:

      Hmmm, not sure! Did you check the tenderness of the beans before you pureed them? I would salvage it by adding room temp water and taste for seasoning.

  7. Diana says:

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing This recipe Pamela. I tried it today and OMG. It is so good. I have to say that I was worried because most of the skins didn’t float. I could extract only a very tiny portion of the full amount. But it didn’t matter, the result was great. I used around 3/4 cup of tahini.
    I couldn’t stop smiling, seriously I had tried to get creamy hummus several times with no luck.
    Thanks again ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Pamela says:

      So luscious, I know! And so good for you!

  8. Tami says:

    Help!!! Making this recipe makes me gag and vomit. The smell of the baking soda in the pot with the chickpeas is horrendous. I mean it smells for hours afterwards. My husband hates it too. The end product is great but I can’t really even stand to make it anymore. What are we doing wrong? No one else has commented on the smell so, is it just us??

    1. Pamela says:

      That is so weird! No one else has given me that kind of feedback and I have made this hummus so many times without any bad smell. I wonder what kind of a pot you are using and if there is a reaction between the pot and the baking soda… otherwise, buy canned chickpeas and peel off as many of the skins as you have the patience to do and try it that way. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. irtaylor says:

      OMG this is the worst smelling thing I’ve ever made. I followed a slightly different recipe that also used baking soda, and the smell is just beyond horrible. My chickpeas are on the stove now, and I was getting ready to chuck them. I was googling around for a while to find out why it smelled so horrible, and this comment is all I could find. I’ll try to hold out until the end if it’ll taste good…

      1. Pamela says:

        Yikes! What else did you add besides the baking soda and chickpeas (and water)? When I cook beans with baking soda, the smell is no different from the smell of cooking beans without baking soda. The baking soda helps soften the skins so that they disintegrate or just slough off. Give the beans a good rinse after you drain them The hummus should still be great.

  9. Holly says:

    5 stars
    I never thought I liked hummus until I tried this recipe. I always liked the idea of hummus and knew it was the preferred dip for crudites and the like, but I’ve only ever tried store-bought. This recipe, however, is INCREDIBLE. I can’t thank you enough, Pamela, for sharing it with us. It’s truly changed what I think about hummus, and I am so excited to try it in all the applications you recommended. Thank you for your blog and your consistently amazing food!

    1. Pamela says:

      Delighted to read your comment, Holly. Thank you!

  10. Michelle says:

    5 stars
    Wow, so I thought 1 cup of tahini was an insane amount to add to a hummus recipe until I just decided to try it. So glad I did, this is the best tasting and textured hummus ever!! Did add more water in the end to smooth is out more but wow is it delicious! And kept most of the skins on since they didn’t come off so easy, still smooth, not grainy like every other recipe I tried in the past. It’s a keeper!!

    1. Pamela says:

      I know, I thought the same thing. So glad you are happy with the outcome!