make your favorite hummus at home

Hummus is one of the foods that falls into the “can’t buy without plastic” category. When I talk to others who are trying to reduce their waste, they often cite hummus as a culprit of plastic in their recycle bin. Thankfully, hummus is pretty easy to make at home, unlike some other plastic offenders (I’m looking at you, tofu!).

Easy Homemade Hummus {with optional add-in ideas}
This recipe makes enough that you can eat some that day/week and also freeze a couple jars for later. If you don’t want as much, you can easily half the recipe. Or double it! Hummus freeze well.

6 cups cooked chickpeas*
1 cup sesame paste (tahini) with some of oil
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled
juice of 1-2 lemons
salt and pepper

one/ Put chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a large food processor. Process until smooth, adding water from chickpeas (called “aquafaba!”) or regular water as needed. Continue processing until mixture is quite smooth.

two/ Taste and adjust seasoning, and add any of the optional “add-ins” listed below. Or any others you can think of! It’s not too hard to imitate a flavor you’ve seen in the store, or to create your own with whatever you have on hand.

Suggested flavor additions
1T cumin, smoked paprika, za'atar, or any other spice you love
citrus zest
spinach, arugula, or other greens
yogurt
jalapeño or other chiles
tomatoes
olives

*You can use canned chickpeas, but it’s also quite easy to make chickpeas (and any other bean) in the slow cooker. This way you can buy them from the bulk section and have absolutely no packaging! To cook chickpeas, add to slow cooker and cover with water. Cook on low for approximately 6 hours. If you’re making hummus with them, it doesn’t matter if they’re a bit overdone.