Lemon Garlic Hummus Recipe

I never even tried hummus until college – a moment of silence for all of those years without it. But once I discovered it, the love affair began! After trying a million different kinds, I developed preferences when it came to texture and flavor. No matter how many varieties I try, I always come back to this hummus recipe. This is one of those things that people don’t realize exactly how easy it is to make at home. There is literally no prep or cook time – you just throw all of the fresh ingredients into a food processor and voila! It’s done! Bonus: you know exactly what’s going into it (whole foods, no preservatives, etc.) and you can adjust it to your liking. Like all good things in life, my sweet momma discovered this recipe. I base it off of the Ina Garten hummus – omitting a few things and adjusting the proportions slightly. I leave out tahini paste, which is included in a lot of hummus recipes, because I am allergic to sesame seeds and I am not crazy about the nutty flavor.

Ingredients:

-4 garlic cloves

-2 15 oz cans chickpeas (often called garbanzo beans), drained, liquid reserved

-1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

-7 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 2 1/2 large lemons)

-2 1/2 tablespoons liquid from chickpeas

-8 dashes hot sauce

Things to Keep in Mind:

• This amount of garlic does add a strong garlic flavor. If you want something more mild, opt for 2 garlic cloves instead of 4.
• Don’t add all the salt at once – it can be overpowering depending on the saltiness of the chickpea liquid. Taste and add as you go! It is much easier to add more salt than to take it away. Also keep the salt content in mind if you’re going to be serving the hummus with salted pita chips.
• This amount of hot sauce doesn’t make the hummus spicy, in my opinion. If you are very sensitive to spice, decrease this amount or omit it completely. For this recipe, I always use this hot sauce.
• If you’re looking for a food processor, I highly recommend this one. You don’t need a food processor for this, though. I use my Nutri Bullet and it works perfectly!

Directions:

1. Drop peeled garlic cloves into food processor and pulse until they’re minced. If you don’t have a food processor, mince the peeled cloves manually in a garlic press beforehand.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend until the hummus is pureed. I recommend using the pulse setting so that you don’t over-process. If you like it smoother, pulse it longer and add slightly more liquid.
3. Taste for seasoning and serve, either chilled or at room temperature. Can be served with pita chips, carrots, celery, or pita bread.

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