Hummus and falafel are both made mainly from Chickpeas made and are classics that originated in Israel. I love them both and today I would like to introduce you to hummus and hummus recipes in more detail. What actually is hummus? What can you eat with hummus? How to make hummus yourself? What is the shelf life of homemade hummus? Is hummus vegan? I'll answer all that in the following post!
Make hummus yourself - What ingredients do I need?
Hummus is a dip or paste originating from Israel, consisting mainly of chickpeas. It is classically eaten in Israel as a spread or for dipping pita bread. Now the most important thing: making hummus yourself is totally easy and super delicious. Hummus is vegan and since the main ingredient is chickpeas, it's also healthy. Homemade hummus is vegan and plastic freeflavor enhancers and preservatives. Plus, you can customize and spice your hummus recipes the way you like!
The main ingredient of hummus are Chickpeas. You can either buy chickpeas dried and then cook them or sprout them or you buy the precooked chickpeas from the jar. Alternatively, you can buy canned chickpeas at the supermarket.
Other than that, you'll need tahini, which is a sesame paste, garlic, lemons, salt, pepper and olive oil.
How healthy is hummus?
Hummus consists mainly of chickpeas, sesame paste and spices. Chickpeas provide a lot of protein and Dietary fiber and on top of that Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Magnesium. Sesame contains as much protein, magnesium and calcium and is also an excellent source of healthy Fat, Zinc, as well as Vitamin B1 and B3.
Chickpeas and sesame seeds therefore contain a large number of healthy nutrients, are largely unprocessed and contain hardly any saturated fatty acids. This makes them an all-round healthy food.
What is good to eat with hummus?
I especially love using hummus as a dip at vegan barbecues. You can check out my vegan grilling post here.
Hummus is also delicious as a dip for raw vegetables or vegetable crackers. This is great as a snack in between meals, easy to prepare and take with you. For example, you can prepare it in the evening and take it to work or university the next morning. This is a good tip to also enjoy in the Eat vegan in everyday working life.
Hummus is also a great dip for homemade parsnip fries or sweet potato fries.
Also, hummus is my favorite vegan spread. With hummus I mainly replace sausage and cheese when I feel like a snack or have little time to cook. This makes hummus also suitable for vegan sandwiches an.
A sweet chocolate hummus variant is suitable as a spread or as a dip for fruit and cookies. You can also spread the chocolate hummus on waffles or pancakes. Chocolate hummus is ideal for a vegan breakfast.
What is the shelf life of hummus?
Homemade hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You keep the fresh hummus best in a canning jar. I usually get several of them and make another portion for friends or family. You can get good canning jars simply here.
Make hummus yourself: Basic variant
The basic recipe for homemade hummus is pretty simple:
- 350 grams of cooked chickpeas (you get here)
- 150 grams of tahini/sesame paste (you get here)
- 2 garlic cloves
- juice of 1-2 lemons, according to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chili powder and olive oil for garnish
Rinse the chickpeas briefly in a sieve with water and drain. Then put all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until you get a creamy consistency. If you want it a little creamier, you can add a little olive oil at a time until you like the consistency. Then pour the hummus into a bowl. To decorate it, make small grooves with a teaspoon and sprinkle them with a little olive oil and chili powder, just like in Israel.
So fast you can make your own hummus. Tastes just like in Israel. Enjoy your meal!
I can recommend you this blender. The blender from Philips comes with a glass container with a capacity of 2 liters and is very low in plastic.
Make hummus yourself: Advanced variants
You want a more variety and try something new? With a little creativity, you can make hummus yourself that always tastes completely different. Here are some of my favorite hummus recipes. Just use the basic recipe from above. Instead of the chickpeas, you can also use many other Legumes use as a basis for the hummus.
Guaca hummus - Hummus meets guacamole
Here you take only 200 grams of cooked chickpeas and add two ripe avocados to the basic recipe. This variant is particularly creamy due to the fat content of the avocados.
This makes the perfect mix of Israeli hummus and Mexican guacamole and is ideal for a vegan barbecue.
Hummus with fresh mint
Hummus becomes especially refreshing when you prepare it with mint. Simply add a quarter bunch of fresh mint to the basic recipe. However, the mint can't completely offset the garlic smell, if that's what you were hoping for.
Mediterranean hummus
This is one of my favorite recipes! Supplement the standard recipe with a handful of sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil. It is best to soak the sun-dried tomatoes in water for 30 minutes, then they are easier to puree.
Herb hummus
Rosemary and thyme is one of my favorite herb combinations. So why not use it with hummus? Add 3 teaspoons of dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon of thyme to the basic hummus. You can of course also do this with fresh herbs, but here you have to be a bit careful with the quantities. Thyme in particular varies in intensity depending on the type. Maybe you also like Celery salt use instead of normal salt.
Paprika hummus
This variant is particularly simple. Refine the basic hummus recipe with a red bell pepper and 1 teaspoon of paprika powder. You can simply wash the red bell pepper, remove the seeds and put it in small pieces with the other ingredients in the blender. If you have a little more time, you can also fry the peppers in a pan beforehand to get roasting aromas. The paprika hummus is also especially delicious if you use Smoked paprika use.
Zucchini hummus
The zucchini hummus has two main ingredients: Sunflower seeds provide a good portion of fat and protein and thus ensure the creaminess. Then add to this Zucchini, which has a lot of freshness, as well as Vitamin C and Potassium brings along
- 200 grams sunflower seeds
- 300 gram zucchini
- Juice from 2 lemons
- 50 ml water
- 50 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
It is best to soak the sunflower seeds in water for 8 to 12 hours. Without soaking, you may need a little more liquid. After soaking, rinse the sunflower seeds with fresh water. Put the seeds in the blender with the other ingredients and puree until creamy.
Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush is a Eggplant paste, which originated in the Arab region. The basic recipe of Baba Ganoush is the same as for hummus. However, for Baba Ganoush, instead of chickpeas, you use eggplant baked in the oven or over a fire.
Wash and halve two eggplants. Poke a few holes in the shell with a fork and bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, mix the other ingredients from the hummus base recipe. In this recipe you can add 1 tsp of cumin. Now add the flesh of the eggplant without the peel and mix until creamy.
Make raw vegan hummus yourself
This raw-food version of hummus is especially nutrient-rich, but requires a bit more prep work. Here you let the chickpeas germinate for about two days. To do this, take the dried chickpeas and soak them in water overnight. For the next two days, you just need to rinse the chickpeas with fresh water every morning and evening. This is easily done with a strainer. The appendages on the chickpeas should be about the same length as in the picture.
It is important that the chickpea sprouts do not germinate for too long, as they change a bit in taste. If you value a 100 % raw vegan hummus, you also have to make your own tahini. Most tahini available in supermarkets is made from roasted and hulled sesame seeds. To make it, I take 100 grams of unroasted sesame seeds and put them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
I especially like to eat this raw vegan hummus variation as a dip with raw vegetables or vegetable crackers.
Bonus: Chocolate hummus for those with a sweet tooth
- 40 gram almonds
- 10 dates, pitted (you get here)
- 300 gram chickpeas
- 30 grams cocoa powder (you get here)
- 130 ml oat or rice milk
- 3 tablespoons coconut blossom sugar (you get here)
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
It is best to soak the almonds and dates in water overnight, as they are then easier to puree. If you do not have time to soak the almonds and dates, then increase the proportion of oat milk slightly.
Rinse the chickpeas in a sieve and let them drain briefly. Then put all the ingredients in your blender and puree the chocolate hummus until it has a creamy consistency. If the hummus is not creamy enough, just add some more oat milk. Optionally, of course, you can also use your Make your own vegetable milk.
My personal conclusion about hummus
Hummus can always be reinvented, so you bring variety into the kitchen despite the constant basic recipe. I personally like the combination of Mediterranean hummus and herb hummus. I can only recommend you to experiment and find out what tastes best to you. Try a hummus variation with your favorite vegetables.
For me, it is also particularly important that hummus is healthy. Chickpeas provide you with important proteins and minerals. Just like the tahini, which has a high Calciumcontent. Especially the variants with fresh vegetables provide you with even more vitamins. Do-it-yourself also helps, Fewer substitute products to eat and thereby Save garbage.
Most hummus recipes are really simple and can be implemented quickly, especially when you need to go fast. A little vegetables and bread and you're done.
All the best,
P.S.: Comment with your favorite hummus recipes? What's your favorite way to eat hummus? My best tips for vegan living, you can check out view here.
