Food and Recipes Dish Dips How To Make Homemade Hummus You'll never go back to the store-bought stuff. By Micah A Leal Micah A Leal Micah Leal is a chef and recipe developer with more than 5 years of professional experience in restaurants and bakeries such as Husk Restaurant and Harken Cafe & Bakery in Charleston, South Carolina. Micah Leal is an enthusiastic chef with a special interest in the food science and culinary histories that shape the recipes people make today. His reputation for making recipes accessible and thoughtfully teaching difficult kitchen techniques is informed by his experience as a pastry chef as well as his background as a high school teacher. He has also developed nearly 200 recipes for southernliving.com and Southern Living Magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on September 10, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: istetiana/Getty Images If you think you don't like hummus, I'd wager you've never made it. Homemade hummus pales in comparison to its packaged counterpart, and a basic hummus is easier to make than you might think. All cuisines around the world share some commonalities, and a brief look at the history of food reveals that no matter where you are, people love their dips. Sure, an elegant dinner is nice every once and a while, but a delicious dip sitting in the fridge is an everyday luxury. A household Middle Eastern commodity for millennia, hummus is a creamy nutty spread that has rightfully taken a place at tables around the world. Only consisting of 6 ingredients at its most basic, it's a scoopable companion to everything from a pita chip to a sugar snap pea. How to Make Hummus Drain a 15-oz. can of chickpeas, and place the chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor. Add 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of tahini, depending on how "nutty" you want your hummus. (Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, so by adding more tahini, you will make your hummus nuttier and creamier). Add the juice of one lemon, one clove of minced garlic, some freshly ground pepper, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Turn on the food processor and allow the mix to process for a full minute. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the food processor on, slowly stream in 5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, and allow the processor to run for another full minute. The hummus should be smooth, with all ingredients fully incorporated. Scoop the mix onto a plate or into a bowl and use the back of a spoon to make a well in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. WATCH: Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus You can (and should!) experiment with your hummus, but use the above recipe as the base. I always add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon harissa (a Moroccan chili paste) for a little spice. Other things you can add to your hummus: a roasted sweet potato, curry powder, a roasted bell pepper, roasted carrots, an avocado, fresh herbs, a roasted beet—the list goes on and the combinations are endless! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit