Easy Lemon Hummus

This easy lemon hummus is creamy, bright, packed with protein, and perfect for your next summer soiree!

Remember when no one cared about hummus? When dip was all french onion and queso and salsa or bust? Then one day this beany mash comes into our lives, not looking so beautiful TBH and decides it’s the next hot thing. I did not hop on board the hummus train for quite a while. Mostly because I’m afraid of change, but also because my childhood history with beans (or legumes of any kind) was not great. But after a while I bit the bullet and cracked open a tub of the stuff and well, here we are nearly two decades later – a convert if I’ve ever seen one.

Easy Lemon Hummus

But that doesn’t mean that all hummus is gangbusters, knock your socks off, manna from heaven. No, with the rise of any industry so comes the decline of quality (I realize I’m an eternal pessimist – it’s fine). And so we must be strategic in our hummus consumption, making sure to read labels and take recommendations from trusted friends and internet sources, lest we find ourselves with a huge tub of bland, off tasting, junk that would make any run of the mill grocery store carrot stick positively shudder. I’m sure you can guess where I’m going with this. And yes, I do often make my own hummus. Because I like to be in control of my snack decisions, AND because it’s so goddamn easy.

So today I’ve got a simple lemony hummus that takes about ten minutes to buzz up, involves zero cooking, and is the perfect addition to our end of summer (BOOHOO) dinner party spread.

What’s In Hummus?

Hummus, at its simplest, is a dip made from chickpeas (sometimes called garbanzo beans), tahini, garlic, and salt. More often than not you’ll also find a squeeze or two of lemon and a drizzle of good olive oil – but these are not strictly traditional elements.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are the backbone of any traditional hummus. They also happen to be one of my favorite legumes. They’re a great source of protein, incredibly inexpensive, and are available nation wide from your corner bodega to your super mega mart.

Lemon

This hummus, by virtue of its name, goes heavy on the lemon, so we’re using both lemon juice and lemon zest. If you’ve never used lemon zest before, you’ve honestly been missing out. It’s full of those lemony essential oils that really penetrate whatever you’re making without the added acidity of lemon juice. Basically it’s lemon flavor 2.0.

Tahini

Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s like peanut butter’s more mature, slightly cynical cousin. In recent years tahini has become the new it girl at the party, but it’s been playing behind the scenes in your hummus for years. Because it’s nutty and slightly bitter, a little bit goes a long way. But it is in no way an optional ingredient. You can find it in the international aisle of most grocery stores these days and it keeps basically forever. So pick up a jar and see where it takes you!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Of course you’re pretty familiar with this stuff already. It’s a pantry staple after all. But let’s just take a short moment to chat about what you should be looking for when picking up a bottle. There’s been a lot of controversy around the olive oil industry lately, so being an informed consumer is more important than ever. Here’s a few tips to making sure your olive oil investment is well spent.

• Always buy extra virgin. Avoid anything that says “light” as it’s usually unnecessarily processed or cut with a cheap neutral oil.
• Read the label. Great olive oil can come from lots of different places, but ultimately it’s great if the label can point to one, specific country of origin. That way you know the oil was harvested from the same place, which is usually a good sign of quality.
• Look for oil packaged in dark, glass bottles. Dark glass protects the oil from oxidizing and going rancid.
• Buy small quantities and use it quickly. Olive oil is not like a fine wine, it doesn’t get better with age. So make sure you use up any bottle within about a month of opening.

How to Make Hummus

Making hummus is about as easy as it gets. Aside from good quality ingredients, you’ll also need a food processor or blender to buzz everything up. If you don’t have either of those you could use a mortar and pestle or even just a fork or potato masher to bring all of your ingredients together into a rougher version of the dip.

I like to begin with the chickpeas, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and tahini paste. Once those all are thoroughly combined I’ll stream in the olive oil and a little bit of water until I reach my desired consistency. If I’m using the hummus as a straight dip for veggies and chips I’ll keep things on the thicker side. But I’ll thin it out a bit if I want a lighter, fluffier, more spreadable hummus to use as a base for a grain bowl or an assortment of grilled meats or veggies.

This recipe uses canned chickpeas because they’re way easier. Make sure to rinse and drain your chickpeas, but don’t bother painstakingly removing the skins from each one. I’ve tried it both ways and it doesn’t make a huge difference.

If you want to use dried chickpeas you will be rewarded with a slightly creamier hummus with a little more depth. To make hummus from dried chickpeas soak them overnight in plenty of cold water. Then rinse and drain them the next day and simmer with a pinch of baking soda until they’re quite tender – about 45 minutes.

Tweaks and Substitutions

Just because hummus is simple stuff doesn’t mean you can’t riff on it a little bit. You could go minimal by swapping out the lemon for another flavor you love. I’m a big fan of blending a sprinkle of smoked paprika or drizzle of sriracha into the mix.

You can also upgrade a simple hummus by stirring in a fun condiment at the end. A swirl of good, store bought pesto, or even this sweet and savory tomato jam would both take a basic dip to the next level. And if you want to really buck the trend, then consider using something other than chickpeas. Black beans and jalapeno make a great a faux hummus, as would edamame, miso paste, and sliced scallions.

What Goes with Hummus?

Hummus is great as a dip with chips, veggies, or this ridiculous spicy garlic naan bread. But it also plays well as a sandwich spread, a base for grilled meats, or a topping for a grain bowl or hearty salad. Sometimes in a pinch I’ll even use it as a base for a salad dressing or mix it into a hot soup to add a little body and depth.

I of course also love it as part of my lazy, end of summer, dinner party spread. If you haven’t been following along no worries! Catch up using the links below. There’s a little bit of everything from salad to bread to protein to dips, and even more to come. So check back soon and enjoy the last days of summer!

• Peach Quinoa Tabbouleh
• Crispy Pan Fried Chicken Thighs
• Spicy Garlic Naan

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