Usually I buy hummus in a big tub from Costco. It’s fairly cheap (especially compared to the tiny containers at regular grocery stores) and my family can blow thru one in about a week. My kids love it with chips or carrots. Zack and I enjoy toasting up some pita bread and scooping hummus up that way.
I got a hankerin’ for hummus tonight and (gasp!) we were all out. Doggone! I did a quick search and found that I could make my own fairly easily. The only ingredient I did not have was the tahini (the essential ingredient in hummus). But, another search online told me that you can make your own with sesame seeds and oil. Which I found at the back of my spice cupboard. So, I made some of that too. I know it might seem strange to make something in order to use it as an ingredient in something else – especially when it would probably have been much faster to just pop out to the grocery store and purchase some hummus. But hey, I’m always up for trying something new.
I altered this recipe to suit my tastes, added a couple of things and changed up the amounts a bit. Taste test as you’re making your batch to make sure you’re a fan of what’s coming together in the food processor. Not such a fan of garlic? Cut back. Don’t like cumin? Take it out. Add red pepper or chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes or whatever you love in your hummus. This is a great basic recipe to do with whatever you fancy. Enjoy!
Hummus
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
3 tablespoons tahini
1/8 – 1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 tablespoon olive oil
*Optional – 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Directions
- Drain the garbanzo beans, reserving the juice. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, 1/8 cup lemon juice, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add 1/8 cup of the reserved bean juice and additional lemon juice until the consistency is as you’d like it. Add salt, 1/4 teaspoon at a time to taste. Blend in cumin if desired. This will make the hummus earthy and a little spicy. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Bakerlady 
Is it salty or spicy?
More spicy than salty. But not hot pepper spicy – the cumin is a little bit of a spicy taste.