Restaurant Style Hummus

One of Jared’s favorite snacks is hummus and pita chips. While he’s perfectly happy with some Sabra, he’s especially happy when we order in Mediterranean food and he has some really delicious restaurant style hummus for leftovers. So I set out to make that version for him to have at home.

Truthfully, the best way to get restaurant-style hummus is by starting with dried chickpeas. If you can find them at the grocery store right now, and want to take the extra effort to soak them overnight and then boil them, I would definitely recommend it. To get the same amount of chickpeas as 1 15 oz. can, you would need about 3/4 cup dried chickpeas. But these canned chickpeas still deliver a delicious tasting hummus.

The key to getting airy hummus that you get in a restaurant is two fold – first you will whip the tahini with the lemon juice to get you started on an airy base.

The second key to success is actually water! It helps turn your hummus from a thicker paste to a whipped delight.

Print Recipe

Restaurant-Style Hummus

This hummus is light and airy like you would get at your favorite Mediterranean restaurant! All you need is a food processor!

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: hummus

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 15.5 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 2.5 tbsp tahini stirred
• 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Paprika and more olive oil for serving

Instructions

• First prepare your chickpeas by opening the can and draining all of the liquid from it. Then add your chickpeas to either a colander or fine mesh sieve and run water over it until it runs clear. You really want to get all of that canned flavor out of the chickpeas. Set aside.
• In your food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice. Pulse this for about a minute and then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then pulse for one minute more, until the tahini is lightened in color and whipped. This will help make your hummus nice and light!
• Add the garlic, olive oil, cumin, and salt. Combine in the food processor for about 1 minute. You just want to make sure the garlic and oil are fully incorporated before you add your chickpeas.
• Add your prepared chickpeas and combine in the food processor for 2 minutes. Then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and pulse for 30 seconds more. The hummus should be pretty thick right now and you may even have tiny bits of chickpeas in there.
• Add the water and pulse for one more minute. This will make the hummus super light and creamy!
• If you have anything that is not incorporated, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and pulse 30 more seconds. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top and a dash of paprika. Enjoy with pita chips, pretzels, carrots, cucumbers, or on anything else you like!