For Bon Appetit, by Alex Beggs and Claire Saffitz.
If you’ve never made hummus at home, or tried and failed because why is this tahini I bought so bitter? Then today is the day that all changes. Senior food editor Claire Saffitz has the most basic, low-key hummus recipe and she’s here to show us how it’s done, one step at a time. You have a food processor, right?
Other things you’ll need: a can of chickpeas, ½ cup tahini (we like 365 brand, or Soom), 3 Tbsp. lemon juice (squeeze it fresh, you pioneer you!), 1 garlic clove (grated or mashed into a paste), ¾ teaspoon salt, 10 cranks freshly ground black pepper (or ¼ tsp), ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and 2 Tbsp. water.
Highly recommended: pita chips to “test” as you go.
All of those go in the food processor.
Let ‘er rip.
To get that grocery-store-hummus-level of silkiness, pour 3 Tbsp. oil into the food processor slowly while it’s processing. Yes, while! In about a minute, the hummus will be light and creamy. Tip: you can’t overmix hummus, so be patient and stand there, thinking about things. It’s called mindfulness, and I’m pretty sure that only applies to hummus.
Pita chip test. At this point, you might need to add more salt. Up to you! Then we like to serve it with za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend that usually has dried thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. You’ll dig it (and use it on baked chickpeas and other snacks and yogurt dips). Drizzle a little more olive oil (the good stuff) on top, maybe a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you’re feeling fancy, or some favorite dried herbs, and definitely that flaky sea salt you keep in the special bowl.
Get the recipe: Classic Chickpea Hummus
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