Originally published in 2010, this is a classic AOC recipe that showcases a lot of the blog’s core values: making things simpler, less expensive, and do-able. Adding an easy first step to classic homemade hummus – making my own tahini – resulted in a fantastic, much more convenient end-product! It’s been updated with newer, pinnable pictures and an easy-to-print recipe – I hope you enjoy the ease of this, friends!
When I 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. Brian’s mom had learned to make Middle Eastern dishes like lamb shish kabobs, baba ganoush (eggplant dip), jajik (the yogurt/cucumber dish which has different names & variations, depending on the country- Greek tzatziki, Egyptian zabadi, Indian cucumber raita, etc.), and hummus (garbanzo bean dip) served with pita bread.
No one I knew ate these dishes, 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 only way I will eat eggplant, but jajik? That I stay far, far away from- as I do with anything that contains fresh cucumbers, ha!
But hummus was our favorite and I actually learned to make it since it was so good. I was not surprised that by the 1990s it 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 dip alternative to the normal creamy-cheese type dips.
The only bummer with making homemade hummus, though, was that tahini (a sesame seed butter) was one of the key ingredients. It’s a relatively expensive item that we didn’t use for anything but hummus. Since I wouldn’t buy it very often it was feast or famine with my hummus-making- we’d have a lot of it and then none for months. Plus, it was plain irritating to usually be out of tahini when I wanted to make hummus.
This went on for years, really, before I realized that sesame seeds could be ground just like nuts to make a “butter.” Duh. Sesame seeds are something it’s easy to keep on hand- they’re inexpensive and I use them on granola bites, in Asian dishes and more. And guess what? It’s easy to grind the seeds as a first step, as well as convenient and makes a delicious hummus! The texture may not be as smooth as some of the store-bought hummus (which I’m not sure that I like, actually) but the flavor is great. This is the only way I make it, now!
You make this almost the same way as ‘normal’ hummus, except you begin with a step of making your own homemade tahini by processing sesame seeds with olive oil. After a chunky-smooth paste forms (tahini), just continue with the rest of the ingredients. And done, homemade hummus without having to buy tahini!
To serve, drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of paprika and serve with pita bread (it’s even easy to make, too – here’s my pita recipe) and vegetables for dipping. (Storage Tip:This recipe makes about 2-1/2 cups of hummus and if you don’t need it all at one time, I’ve found that hummus freezes great. Put it in a labeled container, drizzle of olive oil on top, and freeze for a couple months.)
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.”
Homemade Hummus Without Tahini
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more as needed and for garnish
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 2 cups garbanzo beans home cooked or canned
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice about 1 small lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon honey optional - helps with bitterness that may come from extra virgin olive oil
- paprika for topping
Instructions
- Make 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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Anna says
A tip: this can be made in a Ninja, just grind the sesame seeds before adding the oil. If you add them together in a Ninja or Magic Bullet the seeds don’t grind thoroughly in my experience.
Jami says
Thank you, Anna! I just got a Ninja, so I’ll give this a try in it. ๐
JEAN GORDON says
Hi, Jami:
Thank you for the “Hummus” recipe. It was wonderful to see that one my first try I received the gift of something that both my daughter and I like. It will be more accessible to make now using the sesame seeds instead of buying the store bought version. Looking forward to more interestiing recipes.
Thank you. Jean Gordon.
Jami says
Glad this was a ‘gift’ to you, Jean – that is so encouraging to me. ๐ I love being able to use what’s in my pantry, and save money at the same time!
David Silverman says
Made this recipe exactly as written (which I always do on any new recipe… then I make revisions if needed on the second or third try!). I absolutely love it… it is also a great base to add more flavors — like extra garlic or spices, etc. In any case, the original recipe here is fantastic — I WILL NEVER BUY HUMMUS IN THE STORE AGAIN. Thanks so much!
Jami says
Yeah! So glad to read this, David, ’cause that’s one of my goals in life: to arm people with simple, lovely recipes instead of thinking they need to buy them. ๐
Michele says
I also have been making hummus for yrs, it is my ‘go to’ food, eating everyday. I prefer the hulled (brown) sesame seeds. I slowly toast in small batches (maybe a cup-total), then use a spice grinder (actually a coffee grinder turned spice grinder), after seeds have cooled a little, to finely grind seeds. I place seeds in a lidded jar, in the fridge and just add to beans when ready to process. I also use sesame oil to add more flavor. There is a Nigella Lawson recipe which uses peanut butter, instead of tahini, and yogurt. I’ve tried it-it’s good.
Jami says
Hmmm, peanut butter? That’s a new one, Michelle! Can’t decide how I feel about that, but I’ll take your word for it that it’s good. ๐ Thanks for sharing that tip for the sesame seeds – nice idea!
Heather says
I’ve been making your hummus for a few years now and we love it. In fact I used the last of my sesame seeds yesterday making a batch! And I don’t add the honey, but that is just personal taste. This time around I was making pesto in my food processor and decided to see how a pesto flavored hummus tried (i.e. I didn’t want to wash the food processor twice in 20 minutes). There was a minimal amount of pesto left after scraping out the food processor, but when my 5 year old tried it with veggies yesterday she declared it the best I’ve made and that I must make it that way again. Two recipes and only doing dishes once….I can do that again!
Jami says
Yum – that does sound delicious, Heather. I’ll have to try it, too!
easypeasylifematters says
That is so smart! I would never thought to do that. Thanks for sharing! ๐
Rosemary says
Fantastic idea! I can’t wait to try it! And it’s so much cheaper than buying tahini in the store! Thanks so much for a fabulous recipe! Yet another one from you I will put in my arsenal!
Jami says
I’m glad I republished again then, Rosemary, so you could see it. ๐
Anne says
How long do you pulse the sesame seeds? After a good 10 minutes of pulsing and scraping down the sides I still had quite a few whole seeds. Do I need to give it longer? I’d love to make this work – I have the same issues with the expense of and difficulty finding tahini!
Jami says
I don’t usually have whole seeds left, Anne, after a few minutes of processing. Is your blade sharp? Also, I don’t worry too much about it being smooth – I figure it’s a ‘rustic’ hummus anyway. ๐
Davi says
Yum! I never thought about adding honey to hummus! Thanks for the idea. I like to make a big batch and freeze the hummus in small, (cup or pint) plastic containers. They’re freezer friendly and convenient. I also customize the smaller plain batches with fresh garlic, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, or diced roasted peppers.