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I know I’m bragging here, but I made some really awesome hummus the other day.  It was so good that I had to make a second batch and within 3 days, everything was gobbled up by my husband, daughter and myself.  It was so good and amazingly easy.  Yes it is an EASY hummus recipe that’s even better than store bought!

My husband had been encouraging me to make hummus and I put it off because I figured it was simple enough to buy it, but I decided to give it a try during a stretch of rainy weather that had me playing in my kitchen instead of outdoors.

I remember when hummus was considered exotic.  When it was the new snack food in town.  But it quickly became the adopted dip in many households including mine. In my house, with normally just 2 adults, we go through 1-2 store bought containers per week!

With this recipe, I figure my cost is about half of the store bought version.  Since hummus isn’t too pricey, this isn’t a huge savings, but the bigger benefit is that I can make up my own flavors and it was easy to make.

In my local grocery store, they occasionally had a lemon flavored hummus which I absolutely loved.  But either it was grabbed up by other people, or they ordered it inconsistently.  So my first flavor I wanted to make was a lemon hummus.  And this is the recipe I’m bragging about!

Follow the steps in the directions to the tee for best results!  I highly recommend a food processor for this recipe.  If you don’t have one, consider buying one.  They are so useful.  If the price tag has got you down, look on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

Ingredients

• 1 can drained chickpeas (or 1 1/2 c cooked chick peas)
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c tahini
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil and more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
• 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (about the zest of 1/2 lemon)
• 2-3 Tbsp water
• Paprika and parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Place the lemon juice and tahini in the food processor and blend for about 1 1/2 min or until creamy.  Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides to allow for better blending.
2. Add the minced garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil, cumin, salt and blend for another 30 seconds.  Scrape the sides down.
3. Add in 1/2 can chickpeas.  Blend until most of the chickpeas are smooth.  Scrape down the sides and then add in the rest of the chickpeas and blend until the chickpeas are incorporated.  Scrape down the sides.
4. While blending, add in water until the consistency is smooth.
5. Place in a serving bowl, garnish with paprika, additional zest, and olive oil.

Flavor Variations

For different flavors substitute any of the following for the lemon zest:

• Garlic – Add 2 additional cloves of minced garlic
• Roasted Red Pepper (1/4 of a roasted pepper)
• Toasted Pine Nuts (1/8 – 1/4 C)
• Avocado Lime (1 medium avocado and substitute the lemon juice and zest with lime)

Serve the hummus with pita chips or assorted veggie chips like carrots, cucumber, zucchini, and radish.  And then feel the satisfaction knowing that you made a hummus recipe that’s even better than store bought, that it’s vegan and even saved you money!