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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.
OK, I’ll cut to the chase.
I, Sherri Hall, do not like tahini.
So, for me, not only is this tahini-free hummus conveniently made with ingredients most people typically already have, it also satisfies my preference to not eat tahini.
Of course, tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and is used in traditional hummus recipes. As I’ve mentioned before in my post for my green olive hummus, you either love it or you could live without it. I am definitely someone who falls in the latter category.
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, cheese, roasted garlic and avocados helped keep these dips smooth. But this simple hummus wouldn’t have any of those things, so…
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 gluten-free and vegan brownies and my gluten-free and vegan cookies, but it also did the trick to keeping this tahini-free hummus smooth and creamy.
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.
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.
Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive oil followed by the aquafaba.
You will have to stop here and there to scrape the sides. Continue to process on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Garnish with additional paprika, fresh parsley, or however you desire. Enjoy with chips, crackers, veggies or even as spread for your favorite sandwich or wrap.
So, what do you think? Let me know in the comments below. 🙂
Basic Hummus Without Tahini [Gluten-Free, Vegan]
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
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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.
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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.
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! 🙂
Sorry for the typing mistake: tyrokeftari ?
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. 🙂
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 ?
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! 🙂
This is exactly how I make my hummus! I don’t like tahini either
Cool! Thanks for sharing Shanna 🙂