Fail-Proof Hummus Recipe

I remember when I first moved to London and got a job at a pub.

The whole place smelled of ale, the carpets were stained beyond repair, my shoes were forever smelling of beer and vodka, and bar floor was super sticky my foot slid off my shoe once. I even hit my head on the vodka bottle once (maybe twice) that used to hang behind the bar. But you know what? I had some super fun moments there! One of my best friends worked there with me, so of course whenever we had a shift together, it was nothing but fun and sneaking in drinks in between orders.

So, how does all this relate to hummus? Well, this is where my love for the stuff developed. Every shift for my break I’d bust out a tub of hummus and eat it with rice cakes, sitting on the steps of beer garden. It was the beginning of a love affair. I would eat the.whole.tub. I’ve also been known to eat hummus with a spoon. Please don’t judge me.

I still absolutely love hummus, and eat it pretty much every single day.

It’s got such amazing health benefits, which completely justify why I add huge dollops to anything I can. Ok, so maybe I would do that anyway, but the health benefits are definitely an incredible bonus!

There is research into how chickpeas can help lower your cholesterol, and they are also a good source of protein, especially when combined with the tahini (oh how I love tahini), which is also a good source of calcium. If you’re avoiding dairy, then tahini is definitely something to add to your diet. I also add lemon juice, olive oil, and raw garlic to mine, providing good fats and awesome antioxidants.

This is my go-to fail-proof hummus recipe. One that can’t go wrong and that serves as a base for whatever else you might want to add to it, flavour wise.

I’ve made my hummus recipe both with canned and home cooked chickpeas, and I have to say I do prefer it when I cook my own chickpeas. However, if you find that you actually can’t be bothered, then go ahead and use canned.

Whichever method you choose though, try and peel as many of the chickpeas as you can. It makes such a difference in making it creamier and smoother. My form of attack is to do as many as I can be bothered. I place them in a metal sieve and toss them about, which really helps the skins come lose and then I go by picking them out. I don’t think I’ve ever peeled all of them, but if you’ve got the patience for it, then do go for it.

Oh, and make sure to reserve some of the water you cooked your chickpeas in. It’s full of flavour, so we don’t want it go to waste!

I love having mine with celery or carrot sticks, spread on toast, dolloped onto salads, and with buckwheat crackers.

I’ll still sneak a spoon or two when I’m making a batch, for taste testing reasons of course.