This hummus recipe is super creamy and ridiculously flavorful. This recipe can be used with canned chickpeas or dried but I highly recommend trying out the dried ones if you never have! They come out super creamy, they’re more nutritious, digested more easily and you’ll be avoiding the BPA that lines most cans. It’s definitely worth it and with planning, it doesn’t take much time at all! This recipe is another customizable recipe. If you don’t want to do the roasted garlic, you can always leave that out and add roasted red peppers, olives, extra lemon, herbs, whatever you want! Hummus is a great base and a staple in a lot of my meals. I would love to see how you can twist this recipe to make it your own!

Why soak the chickpeas?

There are two main reasons to soak your chickpeas before cooking them:

1. It softens the chickpeas and will reduce the cooking time. 

2. It reduces the phytic acid and the lectin in the beans. Phytic acid and lectin are both antinutrients naturally found in the beans which reduces mineral absorption from the beans AND makes them more difficult to digest. Many people who get gassy and bloated from eating beans will find that their symptoms are reduced or go away completely when they use this soaking method instead of buying them from cans.

What you’ll need:

• Oven

• High speed blender or food processor

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (or 2 cans chickpeas) (The proportions may need to be increased if using cans)

• 1/2 lemon juice (~2 tbsp)

• 2 tbsp tahini

• 1 head roasted garlic 

• 1 clove raw garlic

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/4 cup water (More or less to liking) 

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. If using the dried chickpeas: Soak chickpeas in a bowl for 12-24 hours with water and ¼ tsp baking soda. Next, there are two options to cook them. You can boil them on a stovetop and leave to simmer for 4-8 hours until soft then strain. OR, you can use a slow cooker with 4 cups of water for 1 cup of chickpeas, cook on high for 3 hours. 

2. If using canned chickpeas, just open the cans and you’re good to go!

3. Next, it’s time to roast your garlic. Preheat your oven to 400F. Keeping the head of garlic intact, peel off the excess coating on the garlic and cup off the top ¼ inch to reveal the garlic inside. Drizzle the top in olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and bake on the center rack for 40 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. 

4. In a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Make sure to scrape down the sides as you go. Add more water if you like it creamier. 

5. Pour out into a bowl, top with garnishes and enjoy with veggies, pita chips or spread on a veggie sandwich!