What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you are thinking about hummus? Creamy. Smooth. Moreish. We have good news! This Lebanese Hummus is all of these things and more. Made with light tahini and garlic and topped with olive oil and zingy sumac, this homemade Middle Eastern hummus recipe never fails to wow us!
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What is Hummus?
If you haven’t had hummus yet, well… you absolutely should! It is only the best thing that chickpeas can offer. Essentially, hummus is a dip or a spread (depending on how you use it) that originates in the Middle East. Made with pureed chickpeas, tahini and garlic, it can further be flavoured with a range of things. You have probably seen varieties of hummus in the shops including roasted pepper, caramelised red onion or lime and coriander-flavoured hummus.
Today we are sharing a recipe for Lebanese Hummus, that is often known as Beiruti Hummus (or Hummus Beiruti), flavoured with sumac and lemon juice, and garnished with parsley.
Equipment Needed
You will only need two things: a good food processor (or even a very powerful blender/ smoothie maker) to make this recipe and a sharp knife! Everything else can be done by hand, but if you have herb scissors and a lemon juicer in your kitchen tool drawer, they will come in handy too!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- chickpeas: we use canned/tinned chickpeas in this recipe. Simply drain and rinse the chickpeas before using them in this recipe.
- lemon: we use juice squeezed from half a lemon, which is about 20ml, so if you have some bottled lemon juice, you can you that instead.
- light tahini: we believe that the choice of tahini is one of the most important parts of making hummus. Whilst whole tahini has a stronger flavour, we much prefer to use light tahini in hummus recipes for its creaminess.
- garlic cloves: 2 larger ones or 3 smaller ones are perfect for this recipe. reduce the amount if you don’t like things garlicky though.
- olive oil: extra virgin.
- sumac: we haven’t yet found a perfect substitute for sumac, but if you wish you can use paprika, zaatar or ground cumin instead.
- parsley: to garnish.
Method
Drain a tin of chickpeas in a colander. Run a generous amount of water through the chickpeas to rinse them and then leave them in the colander to drain for a minute.
Place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in your food processor and blitz for approx. 2 minutes.
Add an ice cube or 2 tbsp of very cold water and blitz again for approx a minute, or until completely smooth.
Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and blitz just enough to combine.
Scoop the Lebanese hummus into a serving bowl/ plate, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac on top. Garnish with some whole chickpeas and parsley.
Tips & Tricks For The Best Hummus
- Light Tahini works best. It is creamy, not bitter and creates a wonderfully smooth Middle Eastern hummus.
- Use Ice Cubes for the best result. Adding ice cubes instead of water will give your hummus an extra creamy texture – just like freshly made ice cream!
- Blitz your chickpeas for a while. It may seem like your hummus is smooth enough after blitzing the ingredients for 30 seconds or so. But trust me when I tell you to keep going for the full 2 minutes. Smooth and creamy is what you need your chickpeas to be!
- Ok, this last one is somewhat of a funny one. Peel your chickpeas! After draining and rinsing your chickpeas, remove the outer shells (see photo below). It’s a monotonous job, but satisfying at the same time. The outer shells can make the hummus grainier, so peeling them off will ensure the smoothest result. For the purposes of transparency, I have to admit to only having peeled chickpeas for hummus once. It DOES make a difference – it’s smoother, it’s definitely better, but… Is life too short to peel chickpeas? I don’t know… Food for thought?
Recipe FAQs
Store homemade hummus with sumac in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. We recommend garnishing the hummus with parsley just before serving though, as the parsley will wilt and lose its appeal if stored for longer than a couple of hours. You can also freeze hummus for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Simply make sure not to fill the container to the brim, as hummus tends to expand a bit when freezing.
We have tried this Lebanese Hummus with both Cashew and Almond Butter. Whilst both worked well, our vote goes to Cashew Butter (and that’s only if you absolutely cannot use Tahini for some reason!).
This particular recipe for Lebanese Hummus with Sumac is 100% plant-based.
Other Middle East-Inspired Recipes
- Zhoug Cauliflower Steak with Herby Mash and Courgette Ribbons
- Aubergine, Halloumi and Lentil Salad With Tahini Dressing
- Dukkah Salmon with Mint Yoghurt Sauce
- Middle Eastern Falafel with Couscous & Red Shatta
Recipe Card
Lebanese Hummus Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tin of chickpeas (400g) drained and rinsed
- 1/2 lemon juice only
- 2 tbsp light tahini
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ice cube or 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in your food processor and blitz for approx. 2 minutes.
- Add an ice cube or 2 tbsp of very cold water and blitz again for a approx a minute, or until completely smooth.
- Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and blitz just enough to combine.
- Scoop the Lebanese hummus into a serving bowl/ plate, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac on top. Granish with some whole chickpeas and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
