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    Home » Recipes » Snack Recipes

    Basic Hummus Without Tahini

    Published: May 17, 2019 by Sherri Hall · This post may contain affiliate links.

    If you're craving homemade hummus but don't have any tahini on hand, this Basic Hummus Without Tahini is the answer! It's an easy to make tahini-free hummus with common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Enjoy this hummus with no tahini as a dip with your favorite chips, crackers or veggies or even as a spread for a sandwich or wrap!

    Jump to Recipe
    Overhead view of hummus without tahini in a red bowl with tortilla chips around it

    This hummus is conveniently made with pantry staples, ingredients most people typically already have.

    It just happens to be tahini-free.

    Fun fact of the day that I'm surprised some people didn't realize. Did you know garbanzo beans are the same thing as chickpeas? Next time you're in the store you can either grab a can of chickpeas or a can of garbanzo beans for this hummus recipe.

    If you love delicious hummus, this simple recipe is just for you!

    What is tahini and why does it matter if I don't use it?

    Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and this tahini paste is used in traditional hummus recipes.

    Because tahini helps make hummus smooth and creamy, I had to figure out how to get the right texture without it.

    In some of my other hummus recipes, adding certain ingredients such as olives, roasted garlic and avocados helped keep these dips smooth.

    But this simple hummus wouldn't have any of those things, so...

    Hummus in a red bowl garnished with chickpeas and with tortilla chips around it

    How do you make hummus creamy without using tahini?

    Well, I enlisted the help of my new best friend...

    AQUAFABA!

    Aquafaba is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas.

    And, it's not only been working wonders in my baked goods like my vegan, gluten-free brownies and my vegan, gluten-free cookies, but it also did the trick to keeping this tahini-free perfect hummus smooth and creamy while also allowing for less overall oil.

    But that's not all!

    Another tip for making a smooth hummus (as I've suggested in some of my other hummus recipes) is to remove the skins from the chickpeas.

    Yes, it's tedious, but trust me, it's worth it. Of course, you don't have to do it, but I do recommend it to create the best hummus recipe.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Easy to make, nothing too crazy
    • Tastes even better than classic hummus with tahini that you'd get from the grocery store
    • Great to make ahead so you have some on hand
    • An easy hummus recipe that's simple to scale to feed more people
    • It's a healthy snack that most picky eaters will enjoy
    • Nut-free, vegan, gluten free, and only uses a little olive oil

    Ingredients Needed

    • can of no salt added chickpeas
    • garlic cloves
    • ground cumin
    • paprika
    • kosher salt
    • freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • extra-virgin olive oil
    • aquafaba

    How to make tahini-free hummus

    If you are going to be removing the skins from your chickpeas, do that first. To do so, simply rub each chickpea one at a time gently between your fingers and the skin will fall right off.

    Next, add the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice to your food processor.

    Chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice in a food processor

    Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive oil followed by the aquafaba.

    Adding aquafaba to food processor

    You will have to stop here and there to scrape the sides. Continue to process on high speed until smooth and creamy.

    Hummus ingredients blended in a food processor

    Transfer this creamy chickpea dip to a serving bowl if desired.

    Garnish your flavorful dip with additional paprika, fresh parsley, or however you desire.

    How to enjoy this hummus

    Enjoy this basic hummus as a dip with tortilla chips, crackers, pita bread, pita chips, raw vegetables, or even as spread for your favorite sandwich or wrap such as our copycat Panera Bread Mediterranean veggie sandwich.

    Creamy Hummus Variations

    The first time you make a recipe, I like to suggest sticking to the original recipe as that's what I've tested and know what works for sure. However, if you've made it once and want to change it up the next time, go ahead!

    Want to know what else you can add to change up the flavor profile, try any of these optional additional ingredients:

    • Add some red peppers to the food processor to get finely chopped up to create a red pepper hummus.
    • Want some heat? Add some red pepper flakes.
    • Want to add a slight cheesy flavor or nutty flavor? Add some nutritional yeast.
    • Add any of your favorite fresh herbs to the main ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
    • Desire a little more lemon? Add some lemon zest!
    • Want just a little spice? Add a dash of black pepper.
    • Don't like lemon, try lime juice.
    • Want some crunch? Try adding some pine nuts.

    Can you make this oil free?

    Sure, one of our readers shared her tip when she doesn't want to use oil in her own humus. Instead, you can roast your chickpeas and then add a little extra water when you go to blend it all together in the food processor.

    Doing this make this not just tahini free, but oil free too and that can be a great thing in itself.

    Storing the hummus

    Store this simple hummus recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    While this garlic hummus can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature, it shouldn't be left out too long or it might start to change the creamy texture and become slightly watery.

    Just like regular hummus and tahini hummus, I always recommend giving your homemade hummus a really good stirring up before you start dipping things in it and enjoying it again.

    overhead of hummus in bowl with tortilla chips around it
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    4.75 from 4 votes

    Basic Hummus Without Tahini [Gluten-Free, Vegan]

    If you're craving hummus but don't have any tahini on hand, this Basic Hummus Without Tahini is the answer! It's easy to make with common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. 
    Course Appetizer, Dip
    Cuisine American
    Keyword hummus, meatless monday, vegan, vegetarian
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 106kcal
    Author Sherri Hall

    Ingredients

    • 1 (15 oz) can no salt added chickpeas, drained and rinsed with 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the can reserved (remove chickpea skins if desired)
    • 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
    • ¼ teaspoon cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ½-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)

    Instructions

    • Add chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor.
    • Begin processing on high speed.
    • While processing, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
    • Continue processing on high speed and slowly add the aquafaba through the feed tube, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
    • Process on high speed until smooth and creamy and no chunks remain, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
    • Once the hummus has a smooth consistency, transfer to serving bowl and garnish as desired.

    (Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)

    Suggested Equipment/Tools

    Food Processor

    Notes

    The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
    Please note the nutrition calculation for this recipe does not include the aquafaba since there is limited information regarding its nutritional composition. According to this Healthline article, there are approximately 3-5 calories in 1 tablespoon of aquafaba.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 3g

    This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on April 16, 2015. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

    ©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.

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    1. Christie

      April 24, 2020 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe Sherri! I love hummus and it's honestly so easy to make at home! And it reduces the usage of plastic containers when we make it ourselves. Thanks for sharing this.

      Reply
      • Sherri Hall

        April 29, 2020 at 10:32 am

        Thanks so much and that is a great point, Christie! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Lizzie

      May 26, 2019 at 7:37 pm

      5 stars
      An easier way than one-by-one to take the chickpea skins off... drain 'em, saving the aquafaba, then put them in a skillet with a couple of Tablespoons of baking soda. Heat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, turn them out onto a kitchen towel, fold the towel over them, and roll them around. Off come the skins. A bit messy but utterly foolproof. Also, I occasionally put some peanut butter in instead of the (ugh) tahini.

      Reply
      • Sherri Hall

        May 27, 2019 at 9:23 pm

        Thanks for the tips, Lizzie! I definitely have to try your trick to remove the skins and also using peanut butter! I do love peanut butter, so I'm sure it's delicious! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Erika Vanheck

      February 12, 2016 at 11:25 am

      Sorry for the typing mistake: tyrokeftari ?

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 12, 2016 at 12:12 pm

        No problem, Erika! I Googled it because I was so intrigued by your description. I wouldn't have spelled it right otherwise. Not to mention, I found a few different spellings when searching. 🙂

        Reply
      • Kim Alwan

        February 28, 2020 at 6:43 pm

        Dear sherri
        The official arabic name of this dish is hummus bi tahina حمص بطحينه hummus حمص is Arabic for chickpeas and tahina طحينه is arabic for milled sesame seed.

        Reply
        • Sherri Hall

          February 29, 2020 at 8:49 am

          Thank you for sharing that, Kim! 🙂

          Reply
    4. Erika Vanheck

      February 06, 2016 at 8:15 am

      4 stars
      You can make your own tahini without any olive oil: I roast the seeds in a pan before blending them with water.
      I personaly do not like tahini but it definitely makes the hummus hummus - otherwhise it's just chickpeas paste. What I do is prepare it the evening before so the ingredients can really blend in together. It makes a huge difference in taste. And please, olive oil, a good tasty one, certainely not soybean oil! In Syria and Lebanon, the garlic is roasted. In Egypt, I have never had hummus with it, it was just chickpeas, tahini, salt and olive oil, sometimes with paprika or ground pepper.
      I'm from Belgium, by the way, and we're used to North Africain and East Oriental cooking here.
      If you like spicy dips, have you ever tried pyrokeftari? Sweet long peppers cooked with garlic then blended into a creamy paste with Fêta cheese and thick yoghurt ?

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 07, 2016 at 2:18 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Erika! I've never made tahini from scratch before. Perhaps I would like it better than store bought. I haven't had Tyrokafteri either, but I'll have to try it! Sounds yummy! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Shanna

      October 08, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      This is exactly how I make my hummus! I don't like tahini either

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        October 08, 2015 at 4:29 pm

        Cool! Thanks for sharing Shanna 🙂

        Reply

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    With a lifelong passion for cooking, I specialize in creating easy meatless meals that are omnivore-approved!

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