• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

An Oregon Cottage logo

  • Recipes
    • Best Desserts
    • Easy Salads
    • Easy Side Dishes
    • Homemade Breads
    • Homemade Soups
    • Pantry Basics Recipes
    • Simple Dinner Recipes
    • Simple Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Simple Snacks
  • Canning & Preserving
    • Canning Recipes
    • Dehydrator Recipes
    • Freezing Produce
    • Fermented Food Recipes
  • Gardening
    • Yard & Garden Tour
    • Vegetable Garden
    • Flowers, Beds & Borders
    • Gardening Tips
    • Ultimate Vegetable & Fruit Guides
  • DIY & Remodeling
    • 1900 Farmhouse
    • 1982 Ranch-turned-Cottage
    • Easy Handmade Gifts
  • Shop
    • Flexible Planner, Cookbooks, Ebooks & More
    • An Oregon Cottage's Amazon Shop
    • Shopping and Gift Guides
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Organic Gardening
  • DIY & Remodeling
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Get my newsletters + access to a library full of printables!

    Home » Whole Food Recipes » Appetizers & Drinks

    February 11, 2022 | By Jami

    Homemade Hummus without Tahini

    Jump to Recipe
    quick hummus without tahini

    No tahini? No problem! You can make a quick homemade hummus without tahini if you've got sesame seeds. It results in a fantastic and much more convenient dip - plus, it's simpler and less expensive.

    homemade hummus without tahini

    When I first met Brian's family back in the 1980s, I had a tiny bit of culture shock since they had traveled and lived in different parts of the world, including Turkey and the Middle East.

    So Brian's mom regularly made Middle Eastern dishes like lamb shish kabobs, baba ganoush (an eggplant dip), jajik (the yogurt/cucumber dish which has different names & variations depending on the country, similar to Greek tzatziki) and hummus (garbanzo bean dip) served with pita bread.

    No one I knew ate these foods, let alone made them from scratch.

    At that point in my life I was more picky about food, but trying to make a good impression on my new family, I ate them.

    I found I loved the shish kabobs, and baba ganoush is still the best way to eat eggplant in my book, although jajik I stay away from (as I do with anything that contains fresh cucumbers...).

    But I fell in love with hummus and I actually learned to make it since it was so good and it was one of Brian's favorites.

    I was not surprised that by the 1990s hummus became wildly popular and suddenly you could find it in delis and groceries and get the recipe in newspapers.

    It's super easy to make, is perfect with vegetables as well as chips and pita and makes a nice protein rich dip alternative to the normal creamy-cheese type dips.

    hummus without tahini in bowl close

    The only bummer with making hummus, though, is that besides garbanzo beans, the other main ingredient is tahini.

    It's a relatively expensive item that is not something I normally buy so it was usually feast or famine with homemade hummus - we'd have a lot and then none for months. 

    Plus, it was plain irritating to usually be out of tahini when I wanted to make hummus.

    What is tahini made of?

    This went on for years, really, before I realized that tahini is just a spread like peanut butter. If you look on the container, the ingredients are sesame seeds and salt.

    And that means sesame seeds could be ground just like nuts to make a butter.

    Duh.

    Sesame seeds are less expensive and something I usually keep in the pantry to use to coat granola bites, top stir fries and more.

    Guess what I discovered? It's easy to grind the seeds as a first step to making hummus - there's no extra dishes and only about an extra minute of time!

    Unless you have a super powerful food processor, the texture of this homemade hummus may not be as smooth as hummus from the store (though I actually prefer it a bit less smooth...) but the flavor is amazing.

    This is the only way I make hummus now - without tahini and with sesame seeds!

    Homemade Hummus Without Tahini

    hummus ingredients

    Ingredients

    This is why learning to make hummus can be a "back pocket" recipe you can pull out for snacks, entertaining, and road trips - it consists of:

    • garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) - they can be canned or dried and cooked (maybe even from your freezer ready for recipes like this)
    • olive oil
    • lemon juice
    • garlic
    • salt
    • sesame seeds (or, yes, you could use tahini if you have it)

    Then you literally add everything to a food processor and whir until it's smooth.

    making hummus without tahini

    Directions

    The only thing that's different for this hummus without tahini from the regular recipe is that you begin with a step of making a sesame paste (tahini) by processing sesame seeds with a little olive oil.

    After a chunky-smooth paste forms, add the rest of the ingredients and process until as smooth as you can get it, scraping the sides as needed.

    And voilà - homemade hummus without having to buy tahini!

    homemade hummus with pita above

    To serve the hummus, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of paprika.

    Serve with vegetables and pita or flat bread. 

    Do you know pita bread is even easy to make, too? Here's a simple whole wheat pita recipe to try.

    homemade hummus in bowl with pita

    The ultimate test to this tahini-less hummus, though, came when I (hesitantly) served it to my in-laws, practically tripping over my words to prepare my mother-in-law for the fact that it wasn't "real" hummus made with tahini.

    Her verdict? "I think this is the best hummus I've ever had."

    Hummus Without Tahini FAQs

    How long does homemade hummus last?

    About a week in the fridge in an airtight container.

    Does hummus freeze well?

    Yes! I freeze hummus all the time in airtight 1-cup containers. Thaw overnight before using and use up within a week after thawing. (This also works for store bought hummus.)

    Is it cheaper to make hummus or buy hummus?

    While a tub of store bought hummus isn't terribly expensive ($3-5.00), homemade hummus will cost you only about half of that, depending on where you live and the type of products you buy. An example: 1 can of garbanzo beans = .79; 1/2 cup (4oz) sesame seeds at .25 per ounce = $1 + the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice adding about another .25 together bringing the cost of homemade hummus to just over $2.00.
    Starting with dried garbanzo beans would make it even cheaper - closer to $1 for a full recipe. (Remember, it's easy to do when you've cooked dried beans in advance and frozen them for recipes like this!)

    Is homemade hummus healthy?

    According to Healthline, hummus can help fight inflammation, improve blood sugar and digestive health, lower heart disease risk, and aid in weight loss. However, if you're sensitive to legumes, you want to monitor the amount you eat - too much may cause GI inflammation.

    Is there more calcium in the 1/2 cup of sesame seeds vs. 1/4 cup of tahini in typical recipes?

    Yes, according to this site, 1 oz. of sesame seeds contains more than double the amount of calcium than the same amount of tahini. Just one more bonus!

    hummus without tahini in bowl close
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    No ratings yet

    Homemade Hummus Without Tahini

    An easy hummus recipe that uses sesame seeds to make a homemade tahini (sesame butter) instead of store-bought - simpler, cheaper, and delicious!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Appetizers
    Cuisine: Middle Eastern
    Yield: 1 1/2 cups
    Author: Jami Boys

    Equipment

    • Food Processor

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
    • 1/4 cup olive oil plus more as needed and for garnish
    • 2 large cloves garlic
    • 1-½ cups garbanzo beans, home cooked or a 15.5-ounce can
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 small lemon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • paprika for topping

    Instructions

    • Make sesame seed paste (tahini): Place the sesame seeds and 1/4 cup olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a smooth-ish paste forms, adding a little more olive oil if needed.
    • Continue Making Hummus: Add the garlic and pulse until evenly chopped.
    • Add the remaining ingredients, except the paprika. Process until desired consistency, adding more olive oil (or water) as needed. Taste to adjust for salt.
    • Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
    • Serve with pita bread and vegetables for dipping. Keep extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze for longer storage.

    Notes

    NOTE: If you DO have tahini, simply use 1/4 cup of it in place of the sesame seeds and olive oil. Whir all together until smooth.
    To Freeze: place into 1-cup portions into freezer containers, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, seal, label & freeze. Keeps for a couple of months perfectly.
    Variations: 
    • Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: add a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of roasted red peppers (drained if from a jar) and whir as directed.
    • Pesto Hummus: stir 1/4 to 1/3 cup (to taste) of pesto into the prepared hummus.
    • Spicy Hummus: swirl 1-3 tablespoons (to taste) of Sriracha into prepared hummus (my fav!).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!
    Pin this arrow
    healthy hummus without tahini

    More Easy Dips To Try

    Creamy feta dip on cracker
    Creamy Feta Dip & Dressing
    Make your own feta dip and dressing, controlling the ingredients and flavor while saving money over store-bought.
    Click For Recipe
    Homemade Ranch Dressing in mason jar and bowl
    Best Homemade Ranch Dressing & Dip
    A homemade Ranch dressing that strikes the perfect balance of flavors to pass the test of every ranch-dressing lover.
    Click For Recipe
    Homemade Onion Dip
    Easy Homemade Onion Dip - Better than a Mix!
    A 5-ingredient, easy, real food onion dip recipe that will make you wonder why you ever bought the packaged mix!
    Click For Recipe

    This recipe has been updated - it was originally published in 2010 and updated in 2015.

    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

    Primary Sidebar

    Jami Boys headshot

    Hi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to help you live a simple homemade life on your terms: cooking delicious real food, painless gardening, and making easy things that are totally worth your time. 

    Read More →

    Popular Posts

    • Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Dijon Sauce
    • Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe (Ready in 1 Day)
    • Original Brown Paper Floor Tutorial: A DIY Alternative to Wood Floors
    • How To Freeze Green Beans The Easy Way Without Blanching
    • 5 Reasons To Grow Cucumbers On A Trellis (And Taking Up Less Space Isn't One Of Them)
    • Quick Honey Sweetened Homemade Ketchup Recipe

    ALL OUR CATEGORIES

    Jami Orgeon CottageHi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to help you live a simple homemade life on your terms: cooking delicious real food, painless gardening, and making easy things that are totally worth your time. Read More...
    2021 Flexible Planner

    Popular Posts

    Easy Artisan Bread in an Enamel Pot

    Easy Artisan Bread Recipe

    Cucumbers on trellis_featured

    5 Reasons To Grow Cucumbers On A Trellis (And Taking Up Less Space Isn't One Of Them)

    Homemade Garlic-Mint Natural Garden Insect Spray - An Oregon Cottage

    Homemade Garlic-Mint Garden Insect Spray (that really works!!)

    Three Ways to Freeze Corn - An Oregon Cottage

    How To Freeze Corn Three Ways: Blanched, Unblanched and Whole

    Brown Paper Floors 4 Years Later Video - An Oregon Cottage

    Popular Brown Paper Flooring Follow-Up: How Are They 4 Years Later?

    DIY Roasted and Salted Almonds pin

    Perfectly Salted DIY Roasted Almonds (seriously the BEST)

    All Our Categories

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Collaboration & Advertising

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Disclaimer: All Content Provided On An Oregon Cottage Is For Informational Purposes Only. The Owner Of This Blog Makes No Representations As To The Accuracy Or Completeness Of Any Information On This Site Or Found By Following Any Link On This Site.

    Copyright © 2022 An Oregon Cottage | No Content On This Site, Including Text And Photos, May Be Reused In Any Fashion Without Written Permission.