Call it hummus or houmous, this delicious mezze is best when homemade!

If you can help it, I bet you’ll never want to buy store bought hummus again. With only a few minutes work and a handful of easy to get ingredients, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to whip up.

For a spectacular Mediterranean meal, pair this hummus with my Lebanese Butternut Squash Salad With Goat Cheese & Pine Nuts and 10 Minute Zesty Leg of Lamb Steaks. The whole feast should take just over an hour to prepare, but if you’re serving guests they’ll be thoroughly impressed! I’m planning on testing out healthy gluten free pita recipes, so stay tuned for gluten free pita to complete the experience.

Cooking Notes

I like my hummus thick, so if you prefer a creamier hummus texture, just add a little more water and a bit more oil until you get the texture you like.

If you’re dead-set on making a hummus that’s creamy as can be – and have some time on your hands – remove the skins from the chickpeas before you make the dip. This requires a bit of patience and a good 20 minutes, but I have a friend who labors over hand peeling each bean and swears by it.

Spices

Play around and try a bite with a dusting of sweet paprika, cumin, or other favorite Mediterranean spice. I you like they way it tastes, add it to your batch and personalize your hummus!

Garbanzo Beans

If you want this dish to be the healthiest that it can be, buy dry beans and soak them overnight with a splash of vinegar before cooking. Cooking garbanzo beans, can unfortunately be a bit of a trying experience and requires over 2 hours cooking time. If the beans are stale, they can cook for hours on end. I don’t mean to discourage you, but if you haven’t cooked your own garbanzo beans before, be prepared for extended cooking times. If you have a slow cooker, give that a try!

If you use canned beans, you can literally whip this up in minutes start to finish, but be sure to drain the water in the can and rinse the beans thoroughly. I’ve seen recipes recommend to reserve the water from the can to use within the recipe. You really don’t want to do that, because even BPA free cans are lined with toxins and the water in the can will be most densely contaminated.

Alternatively, you can try these pre-cooked garbanzo beans packaged in a pouch instead of a can Green Valley Organics Garbanzo Beans Pouch.

Bread

If you’re looking for a great gluten free pita replacement, try Jilz Gluten Free Gluten-Free Mediterranean Crackerz. These Paleo + gluten free crackers are out of this world delicious. Your gluten eating friends will want to get in on these!

You can always serve your hummus with Grindstone Bakery’s supremely delicious gluten free breads!

Tools & Pantry Shopping List

You’ll need just a couple basic tools and have an opportunity to stock up on spices when making this fragrant salad. If you don’t have a great mortar and pestle or baking pan, or perhaps you’re looking for an upgrade, consider these:

On Amazon:

• Cuisinart 11-Cup Food Processor
• Artisana 100% Raw Organic Tahini Butter (the best tasting Tahini you can get)
• Organic Pine Nuts
• Bariani California Olive Oil (The best EVOO you can get!)
• Green Valley Organics Garbanzo Beans Pouch (pre-cooked garbanzo beans NOT in a can! non-GMO + Gluten Free)

For easy discounted Thrive Market shopping:

• Edison Grainery Organic Garbanzo Beans (gluten-free)
• Once Again Organic Sesame Tahini (the best organic Tahini in this price range – $7.55 on Thrive)
• Jilz Gluten Free Gluten-Free Mediterranean Crackerz (best crackers of all time)
• Primordial Himalayan Sea Salt
• or Redmond’s Real Salt, Sea Salt (a very affordable option for mineral rich sea salt)