This Lebanese hummus recipe is the best, easy and smooth hummus recipe. It can be made in 5 minutes and it’s the perfect party appetizer or healthy snack.
This is Mediterranean hummus at its finest. Creamy hummus made with canned chickpeas is put in the food processor and is a simple vegan appetizer.
I wrote this post anticipation to give you the best Lebanese hummus recipe there is.
This Lebanese hummus has been passed down through my family for generations and it truly is a delicious Mediterranean hummus!
This creamy hummus gets devoured in our house and I make it all the time. I promise, you will love it and you will never go back to store-bought hummus again!
My great Aunt Nene was an amazing lady who lived an amazing, full and adventurous life. She traveled to nearly every country in the world in her younger days, and that was when it wasn't very common to travel the world for leisure.
She enriched the lives of everyone she new. Though she never had any children of her own, she was a grandmother to hundreds. If anyone was of any relation to Aunt Nene, then she was their grandmother. Widowed at a young age, she was never alone for she was still a matriarch to the rest of her extended family.
I vividly remember eating at her condo one day when I was a teenager. She was an amazing Lebanese cook!
I had eaten so much food, but I hadn't gotten thirds yet because I was too full. She looked at me and said, "You're so skinny! Are you sick? Why aren't you getting more food?!"
I knew then and there that if I didn't force myself to eat another plate of food, I would have offended her as a cook. I knew better than to do anything to offend Aunt Nene!
She had a way of saying what was on her mind in a very blunt way, but yet one always felt loved. This was my Aunt Nene, generous, kind, blunt, adventurous, and this is the Aunt Nene who taught me how to make hummus the Lebanese way.
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💭 Top tip
Now there are "10 Commandments" to making this authentic hummus recipe, and they are as follows:
- 1st Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 2nd Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 3rd Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 4th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 5th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 6th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 7th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 8th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin"
- 9th Commandment- "Thou Shalt Not Add Cumin""
OK you get the point! In my family, NO ONE is to add cumin to the hummus. I'm not sure if that is throughout all of Lebanon, but in our sector, that's how it is.
🥘 Ingredients
What are the ingredients for Mediterranean Hummus? Easy peasy:
- Canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans
- Garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt.
Now that's an easy hummus recipe! Now-a-days you can find Tahini at most grocery stores.
Using a high quality olive oil will set your dish apart, and let me tell you from experience, this olive oil is LEGIT!
Do you need tahini in Lebanese hummus?
Yes! It really is a key ingredient. I highly recommend getting a good quality tahini if you are unable to find it in your local grocery store. The tahini I linked above is a good quality one. Any Lebanese Tahini will work!
🔪 Instructions
Go ahead and drain the canned chickpeas into a measuring cup. Set aside the liquid.
Add the lemon juice, salt, and tahini into the food processor. Put the lid on and turn the food processor on.
While it is processing, slowly drizzle in about ¼ cup of the bean juice that you had set aside.
Add the olive oil in the top of the food processor slowly as you process the ingredients. This may take 2-3 minutes, but you want to process it until smooth and add enough olive oil to make it the right consistency.
If it is not smooth enough, alternate adding several tablespoons of the bean liquid and several tablespoons of olive oil until it is smooth and creamy!
Top with olive oil and ground paprika and serve with fresh, warm pita bread. Enjoy!
🎥 Video
How to Make Lebanese Hummus video
📖 Variations
I do love adding roasted garlic to my hummus. I didn't have enough garlic on hand the day I made this so I just used roasted garlic powder.
But If you have a bulb of garlic, roast it up in the oven with some olive oil for 30 minutes and add it to your hummus. It is delicious and smooth!
Just don't add raw garlic cloves. That can be to sharp in the hummus. Always roast it or just add garlic powder.
🍽 Equipment
If you try to make hummus in a blender, I'll tell you now from experience... it won't work!
Unless you have a fancy sort of blender, it will never be strong enough to get this hummus smooth.
But do you know how to get the smoothest hummus? With a large food processor!
I highly recommend using this Cuisinart food processor! My mom has had hers from almost 40 years and it still works great. I have had one for 11 years and it is such an asset to my kitchen!
FAQ's
Should I make hummus with canned chick peas or with dry chick peas?
If you want to make hummus fast and cream, then you should use a good quality canned garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). They are easy to work with and in my opinion, they do not take from the flavor at all.
You can make them with dry chickpeas, but you are going to have to allow much more time for soaking and cooking
What is Tahini and can I make hummus without tahini?
Tahini is sesame paste. Essentially, sesame seeds are hulled and ground into a paste, and that's how you get tahini!
Tahini is a pretty key ingredient in hummus and there are substitutes for tahini, but they really don't do this recipe justice. The best substitute for tahini in this recipe would be cashew butter.
Why is my hummus not smooth?
- Make sure to use a good quality food processor to make the smoothest hummus ever. If you are using a blender it will not become smooth, it will always be a little grainy or chunky.
- If you are using a good quality food processor, make sure to not over fill it.
- If your hummus is not smooth still, or if it is has a grainy texture, alternate ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup olive oil and process some more until you reach the desired creamy texture.
Do I need to peel chickpeas for hummus to make it creamy?
No, you do not need to peel the garbanzo beans to make smooth hummus. I have tried peeling chickpea skins to see if it makes it smoother, however I personally do not think it makes it any smoother, as long as you follow my directions above. Don't waste your time by peeling any canned chickpeas.
Is hummus vegan?
Yes, hummus is vegan, gluten free and dairy free!
🥗 Side dishes
What goes well with hummus dip?
There are many ways to serve Hummus! The most obvious thing to serve it with is fresh Pita Bread or pita chips, but za'atar bread is also amazing with Lebanese Hummus. Hummus and carrots go well together and it also is thee perfect dip for any veggie tray!
I also love eating hummus on a sandwich of pita bread with Tabbouleh as well. Never had tabbouleh?? Check out the recipe! It's amazing!
📖 Recipe
Authentic Lebanese Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz cans Garbanzo Beans (aka chick peas) reserve ¼ cup of the water
- 3 tablespoon Tahini (sesame paste)
- ½-1 Lemon juiced
- ½ teas Garlic Powder or 6-7 cloves roasted garlic
- ½ teas Salt
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil extra virgin
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil extra virgin
- ½ teas Paprika
Instructions
- Add garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic to a food processor along with ¼ cup of water or reserved water from the beans
- Process together while slowly adding the olive oil over 1-2 minutes
- Open and check consistency to make sure nothing got stuck on the sides
- Add more olive oil and process again if its not at the desired consistency *see note below on getting smooth hummus
- Serve on a plate and garnish with 2 tablespoon olive oil and paprika
- Serve with pita bread or veggies
Liz
I'm actually making hummus today and will most certainly not be adding cumin! LOL.
Emily A
HAHA hope it turns out well!!
Erin
I've always used cumin so I'm going to have to the it without. This looks so yummy and easy!
Emily A
HAHA!! Don't break the 10 commandments
Robin Thomas
This will be my new go-to hummus recipe! So good.
Emily A
I'm so glad you liked it!! This one has been passed down for generations!