Everyone on the internet seems to have come out with a hummus recipe in the last 15 years, all of them claiming to be the smoothest, best, most “authentic” version.

I feel like all of this is the wrong conversation. I think that the actual conversation should be the fact that :

Every Home Made Hummus Is Cheaper and Tastier Than ANY Hummus From The Deli.

I will put up my five minute homemade hummus against the fanciest ten dollar tub from the most expensive deli, and win.

So I’m gonna skip the 5000 word essay on What Hummus Means To Me and How It Connects Me To My Lebanese Family (which I could write, because it does), and just say, if you have any version of these ingredients, and any amount of time, you can make something delicious.

chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, water, olive oil, salt, garlic, cumin

Which version of these ingredients you choose will determine how long it takes you. The easiest version takes about 5 minutes. The hardest version takes 2 days.

Chick peas

Easy Version: Open cans of chickpeas, drain, and rinse. Add to the food processor.

Medium Version*: Open cans of chickpeas, drain, rinse. Add to large bowl. Fill with tepid water, and then gently but firmly rub the chick peas between your hands under water to loosen skins. Skins will float to the top of the bowl and can be tipped out into the sink. Estimate about 1 minute of chick pea massage for every can you’re trying to de-skin. Once 95% of skins are off, drain and add to the food processor.

Hard Version: Take dried chick peas and soak overnight in a large bowl of water (add a splash of whey if you’d like). The next morning, drain, add to a large pot of water with a palm full of kosher salt, and a tablespoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil, skim any scum that floats to the top. Simmer several hours until beans are over cooked and starting to get mushy. Drain. Add cold water to the pot to cool down beans and help firm them up while you gently but firmly rub the chick peas between your hands under water to loosen skins. Skins will float to the top of the bowl and can be tipped out into the sink. Once 95% of skins are off, drain and add to the food processor.

Lemon juice

Easy Version*: Use bottled lemon juice. I prefer the Minute Maid 100% lemon juice that you can buy in the frozen food section.

Hard Version: Roll lemons between the palm of your hand and the counter to soften, slice in half along the equator, and remove any visible seeds. Using a reamer or juicer or just squeezing really hard, juice into a small bowl. Pick out any seeds.

Garlic

Desperate Version: Use powdered garlic. If all you have is garlic salt, omit all other salt from the recipe.

Easy Version*: Use the pre-chopped/crushed garlic that comes in a jar

Medium Version: Use fresh, raw, peeled garlic cloves

Hard Version*: Take fresh, raw garlic cloves, put them in a dry skillet on the lowest possible heat for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the cloves are warmed through, and slightly softened. Peel after removing them from the pan. This breaks down some of the bite of the garlic’s allicin, without mellowing too far.

Alternate Version: Use roasted garlic

Cumin

Easy Version*: Use pre-ground

Hard Version: Take whole cumin seeds and toast in a dry pan on medium heat until fragrant. Move to a mortar and pestle or spice mill and grind to a fine powder.

After trying dozens of versions using every variation of the ingredients, the recipe below is the most common version that I make, balancing convenience with flavor. The whole thing comes together in 15 minutes, and is so simple and delicious.

Erica’s Hummus

4 -15 oz cans of chick peas
1/3 cup tahini
1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 T diamond crystal kosher salt
1 T ground cumin
1 T crushed garlic, or 2-4 garlic cloves (enough to make up the volume of your thumb)

Drain and rinse chick peas, de-skin as many as you can easily by massaging them gently but firmly between your hands while submerged in a bowl of tepid water -- about 3-5 minutes.

If using fresh garlic cloves, mellow them in a dry pan on very low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add chick peas, and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor.

Pulse until combined, and then let it run until very smooth. Add a few tablespoons of extra olive oil and/or water if it needs to loosen up a bit.

Keep processing -- you may need to let your machine run for 3-5 minutes, cool down, and then run for another 3-5 minutes. This is the biggest factor for getting super smooth hummus.

Eat at room temp!

Toppings and accompaniments : Pita, olive oil, pine nuts, za’atar, smoked paprika, parsley and mint, labneh, tzadziki, Persian cucumbers, chimichurri, quick pickled onions, Jerusalem beef or lamb, roasted peppers….

Hummus : Variations on a Theme