The Best Authentic Hummus Recipe (Lebanese Hummus bi Tahini)

What is Hummus?

Authentic Hummus Ingredients

• • Dried Chickpeas: A big, fat no to canned chickpeas. Dried beans are essential for the correct texture and deep flavor.
  • Premium Lebanese Tahini: The quality of your sesame paste dictates the final taste. Lebanese tahini brands offer a rich, pourable consistency without the bitter aftertaste found in other varieties.
  • Fresh Lemon Juice: Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained to remove all pulp to prevent bitterness over time.
  • Citric Acid: A secret weapon in restaurant kitchens to give the dip its signature pale beige color and a sharp, clean citrus undertone.
  • Fresh Garlic Cloves: Two to three cloves are all you need. (See our storage tip below if making this ahead of time).
  • Ice Cubes: The ultimate texturizing secret. Ice cools the blades and helps “whip” the fats, creating a light, airy emulsion.
  • Sea Salt: Essential for bringing out the natural nuttiness of the sesame and chickpeas.
  • Sunflower Oil (The Secret Ingredient): A hidden trick used by fine-dining chefs in Beirut. A drizzle of neutral oil added at the very end creates an incomparably silky finish.

5 Secrets to Ultra-Creamy Restaurant-Style Hummus

• • Baking Soda Boil – Breaks down the chickpea skins completely for a perfectly smooth blend without peeling.
  • Hot Puréeing – Blending the chickpeas while hot instantly prevents a grainy texture.
  • Chilling the Paste – Resting the purée in the fridge overnight stabilizes starches for a silkier whip.
  • The Ice Cube Trick – Adding ice cubes to the food processor aerates the dip, making it fluffy and light.
  • The Neutral Oil Finish – Streaming in sunflower oil at the end emulsifies the mixture for a luxurious mouthfeel.

How to Make Authentic Hummus from Scratch

Day 1: Soak and Purée the Chickpeas

1. 1. Soak overnight: In a large bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with twice their volume of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and leave them on your kitchen counter to hydrate overnight.
   2. Boil until tender: The next day, drain the soaking water. Transfer the chickpeas to a large pot and cover with 1½ liters (6 cups) of fresh water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam (scum) from the surface, and add the remaining baking soda. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 1 to 2 hours until the chickpeas are exceptionally soft and mash easily between your fingers.
   3. Blend while hot: Drain the chickpeas, reserving a small handful of whole beans for garnish. Immediately transfer the hot chickpeas to a high-speed blender or food processor. Process for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides, and blend for another 30 seconds until completely smooth.
   4. Chill: Transfer the smooth paste to a container and refrigerate overnight (or freeze for 1 hour if you are in a rush).

Day 2: Emulsify and Whip

5. 5. Crush the ice: Place half of your ice cubes into the bowl of a clean food processor and pulse to crush them.
   6. Build the base: Add the cold chickpea purée, citric acid, fresh lemon juice, remaining ice cubes, sea salt, and garlic. Pulse until completely homogenous.
   7. Whip the tahini: With the food processor running continuously, pour in half of the Lebanese tahini in a thin, steady stream. Scrape down the sides, add the remaining tahini, and let the machine run for a full 3 minutes. This prolonged blending whips the tahini into a creamy dream.
   8. The secret finish: Gradually stream in the sunflower oil while pulsing until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

Explore More Authentic Lebanese Dips & Mezze

1. Baba Ghanouj (Smoky Eggplant dip)
2. Taratour, Lebanese Tahini Sauce
3. Lebanese Garlic Toum
4. Mouhamara (Red Bell Pepper Dip)
5. Lebanese-Style Mashed Potatoes, Walnuts and Herbs
6. Labneh (Lebanese Cream Cheese)
7. Foul Medames
8. Balila, Hummus Balila

Have extra whole chickpeas left over? Use them to make a warm bowl of traditional Balila (Hummus Balila).

Reviews:

• Sophie said: Killer hummus recipe. By far the best I’ve ever made, smooth, creamy and packed with flavor. The texture as you described, is a restaurant-style. Though not a fast recipe, but easy to apply. I will never use another recipe again for hummus.
• Lauren said: I used this recipe to impress my Lebanese boyfriend. He said this hummus tastes exactly like something you would get at a 5 star restaurant in Beruit. The texture is 10/10. I am so impressed with your skills Hadia. Your website, YouTube videos, and cookbook has reignited my love for cooking. Thank you!
• Christine: I have tried everything to get a white, creamy hummus like in Beirut’s restaurants and always failed – This is it!!
  I put less tahini than in the recipe, and obtained a very creamy and beautiful hummus. Thank you, I’ve been looking for this secret for a while!!
• Lisa Covert, left a review on Facebook: I made this and it’s everything you promised it to be. The texture is incredible and so is the taste. I thought the one I usually make was pretty good because I only use fresh ingredients but this one is very special and worth the three days’ process! Your recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much.
• Yousef Arteen: I want to thank you so much. This is by far the best recipe you will find done correctly!!!pay attention to all the steps and you will make the smoothest hummus resembling whipped cream what more can you ask for.

Let’s Stay in Touch!

Lebanese Hummus (Authentic)

5 from 3 votes

HADIA

Cook: 1 hour hour

2 days days

Servings 7

Course

Appetizer

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MAIN DISHES

Cuisine

#Middle Eastern

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Lebanese

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Mediterranean

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Description

For a long time, hummus has been a favorite for many, but many people have struggled to achieve the perfect texture when making it at home. I’m here to tell you that there’s hope! With a few simple tricks and secrets, you can make the creamiest, most luscious hummus—good enough to rival the best hummus served at a refined fine-dining restaurant.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 500 grams / 1 lb 2 oz dried chickpeas which can be purchased at many Middle Eastern or Asian markets
• ▢ 400 grams / 14 oz tahini
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ 1/3 cup canola oil or sunflower oil. Skip it if you want to avoid hydrogenated oils but this is the secret ingredient many restaurants rely on for an epic hummus.
• ▢ 1 level tablespoon citric acid
• ▢ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice strained
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda: 1 teaspoon for the soaking water and the remaining teaspoon for the pot
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup ice cubes
• ▢ 2 or 3 garlic cloves; read the note about garlic
• ▢ High-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling upon serving

Instructions

 

• Before starting, please read all the tips and secrets I’ve provided above. They’ll definitely make a huge difference.
• In a bowl, add the dried chickpeas and cover them with twice their volume of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Leave them on the kitchen bench to soak overnight.
  
• Once the chickpeas have been rehydrated, drain the water they have been soaking in. Transfer them to a large pot and cover with 1½ liters / 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, remove the scum that appears on the surface, and add the remaining baking soda. The scum will appear once more after adding the baking soda; remove it again.

  Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender. They should be very soft and easy to mash, almost falling apart when pressed between your fingers. This will take 1–2 hours, depending on the chickpeas. Add more hot water if they seem to be drying out or boiling dry.
  
• Drain and set aside a few chickpeas for garnish. Using a food processor or high-speed blender, process the chickpeas while they are still warm for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for another 30 seconds, or until well blended and smooth, with no grainy texture remaining. Refrigerate overnight. If you’re in a hurry, freeze for 1 hour.
  
• On the second day, in the bowl of a food processor, add half of the ice cubes and pulse to crush them. Add the puréed chickpeas and pulse a few times to homogenize.
• Add the citric acid, lemon juice, remaining ice cubes, salt, and garlic (see the note above about the garlic). Pulse one more time.

  With the food processor still running, add half of the tahini in a thin, steady stream. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining tahini. Process for 3 minutes to fully incorporate everything. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, resulting in smooth and creamy hummus.
• Gradually add the sunflower oil and pulse until well combined.
  
• You may need to add more lemon juice or salt, depending on your preference.
• Transfer hummus to shallow serving plates and create a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Garnish with reserved chickpeas/ paprika/cumin powder/ sumac, to make the fork impressions on hummus, dip the back of the fork in water so it coats the back of fork tines with light pressure, impression the paprika/cumin powder/ sumac onto the hummus surface and drizzle with quality extra virgin olive oil. You will love this recipe, I promise. Watch the detailed video tutorial. Enjoy!

  Transfer the hummus to shallow serving plates and create a well in the center using the back of a spoon.

  Garnish with the reserved chickpeas, paprika, cumin powder, and sumac. To create the fork impressions on the hummus, dip the back of a fork in water so that the tines are lightly coated. Gently press the back of the fork onto the hummus to create the impressions, then sprinkle with paprika, cumin powder, and sumac.

  Drizzle with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

  You will love this recipe—I promise! Watch the detailed video tutorial, and enjoy!
  

Video

Keyword Lemon Juice

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