My love for hummus runs deep. This is truly the perfect hummus recipe, it's smooth and airy and perfectly seasoned. And today we're taking this classic hummus and turning it into an elevated, flavor-packed masterpiece - Loaded Hummus.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Hummus is my love language. Has been for many years. It's my go-to snack and there's a batch prepped and ready in my fridge at all times. The sheer amount of tahini that I keep in my pantry at all times is almost alarming. I am who I am LOL
The creamy hummus is the perfect base for a vibrant medley of toppings—pomegranate seeds, salty feta, roasted chickpeas, and a drizzle of olive oil tie everything together. Loaded Hummus is simple enough for a quick snack but impressive enough to serve as an appetizer for guests.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Canned chickpeas
- Tahini - these are my two favorites: Seed&Mill + Soom
- Cold Water
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Kosher salt or more to taste
- Red onion
- Fresh parsley
- Freshly crumbed feta
- Pomegranate seeds
How to Make
- In a food processor, blend the chickpeas by themselves for 1 minute until powdery clumps form.
- Scrape down the sides and blend again until everything is the same consistency.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and blend until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until you get very smooth, light and creamy mixture.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, garlic or lemon if needed.
- To serve the Loaded Hummus, top it with all the toppings, drizzle with olive oil and serve with freshly baked pita chips.
Tips & Tricks
Peel the Chickpeas: Removing the skins from your chickpeas is key. You can do this by gently rubbing them in a clean dish towel or between your fingers. While time-consuming, this step makes a huge difference in texture.
Use Warm Chickpeas: Blend the chickpeas while they’re still warm (or heat them slightly if using canned ones). Warm chickpeas break down more easily for a smoother consistency.
Add Baking Soda: If cooking your own chickpeas, add a pinch of baking soda to the boiling water. This helps soften the skins and chickpeas, making them easier to blend.
Use Ice Water: Gradually add ice-cold water while blending. This helps create a fluffy, smooth texture.
Blend Thoroughly: Be patient! Blend for a good 2-3 minutes to ensure everything is well incorporated and creamy.
High-Quality Ingredients: Use good tahini, fresh lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and texture.
FAQ's
You can use canned or dried chickpeas. If using canned, rinse and drain them well. If using dried, soak them overnight and cook until tender for the best flavor and texture.
Peeling is optional but highly recommended for smoother hummus. Removing the skins gives your hummus a silkier texture, though unpeeled chickpeas still work for a quicker version.
To thin your hummus, add ice water, olive oil, or chickpea cooking liquid a little at a time while blending. For thicker hummus, reduce the liquids or blend in more chickpeas.
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it should last about 4-5 days. Add a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it fresh longer.
Bitterness can come from old or low-quality tahini. Try switching to a high-quality tahini brand, and balance the bitterness with extra lemon juice or a small amount of honey.
Similar Recipes
Loaded Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15- ounce can garbanzo beans drained and peeled
- ½ cup tahini
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice more as needed
- 2-3 small cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- Water as needed
Toppings:
- ½ cup chickpeas dried and roasted until just toasty
- thinly sliced sliced red onion
- fresh parsley
- freshly crumbed feta
- pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend the chickpeas by themselves for 1 minute until powdery clumps form.
- Scrape down the sides and blend again until everything is the same consistency.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and blend until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until you get very smooth, light and creamy mixture.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, garlic or lemon if needed.
- To serve, top it with all the toppings sprinkled over the top, drizzle with olive oil and serve with freshly baked pita chips.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Omg, that is a loaded-hummus and I love it!! Yum, looks delish.
xo,
Mariam
This loaded hummus is like a dream Gaby!
Love your colorful toppings! A big thumbs up on the peeled chickpeas--one of my favorite meditations.
This looks delicious! For the toppings, it doesn't mention how to roast the chick peas?
https://whatsgabycooking.com/roasted-chickpeas/
Prettiest hummus ever! Especially love how the pomegranate looks like little jewels!
Now that's how to do hummus!
Gorgeous hummus dip Gaby! Awesome tips!
I just love all the add-ins Gaby!! YUM- we will be making this stat.
I love hummus with plenty of different toppings! This combination looks delicious!
I would never think to top my hummus with that combination of ingredients but I LOVE IT! Making this over the weekend.
Gorgeous!
I love making my own hummus but never thought of adding all the trimmings. This looks delicious and it will be coming with me to my next party!
This is spectacular --- we eat so much hummus here we run out of ways to vary it up!
I love hummus, but have never thought of adding my own delicious ingredients. Thank you for all the great ideas!
I eat hummus pretty much every day. It's so delicious!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com