If you're craving homemade hummus but don't have any tahini on hand, this Basic Hummus Without Tahini is the answer! It's an easy to make tahini-free hummus with common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Enjoy this hummus with no tahini as a dip with your favorite chips, crackers or veggies or even as a spread for a sandwich or wrap!

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Overhead view of hummus without tahini in a red bowl with tortilla chips around it

This hummus is conveniently made with pantry staples, ingredients most people typically already have.

It just happens to be tahini-free.

Fun fact of the day that I'm surprised some people didn't realize. Did you know garbanzo beans are the same thing as chickpeas? Next time you're in the store you can either grab a can of chickpeas or a can of garbanzo beans for this hummus recipe.

If you love delicious hummus, this simple recipe is just for you!

What is tahini and why does it matter if I don't use it?

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and this tahini paste is used in traditional hummus recipes.

Because tahini helps make hummus smooth and creamy, I had to figure out how to get the right texture without it.

In some of my other hummus recipes, adding certain ingredients such as olives, roasted garlic and avocados helped keep these dips smooth.

But this simple hummus wouldn't have any of those things, so...

Hummus in a red bowl garnished with chickpeas and with tortilla chips around it

How do you make hummus creamy without using tahini?

Well, I enlisted the help of my new best friend...

AQUAFABA!

Aquafaba is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas.

And, it's not only been working wonders in my baked goods like my vegan, gluten-free brownies and my vegan, gluten-free cookies, but it also did the trick to keeping this tahini-free perfect hummus smooth and creamy while also allowing for less overall oil.

But that's not all!

Another tip for making a smooth hummus (as I've suggested in some of my other hummus recipes) is to remove the skins from the chickpeas.

Yes, it's tedious, but trust me, it's worth it. Of course, you don't have to do it, but I do recommend it to create the best hummus recipe.

Why you'll love this recipe

Easy to make, nothing too crazy
Tastes even better than classic hummus with tahini that you'd get from the grocery store
Great to make ahead so you have some on hand
An easy hummus recipe that's simple to scale to feed more people
It's a healthy snack that most picky eaters will enjoy
Nut-free, vegan, gluten free, and only uses a little olive oil

Ingredients Needed

can of no salt added chickpeas
garlic cloves
ground cumin
paprika
kosher salt
freshly squeezed lemon juice
extra-virgin olive oil
aquafaba

How to make tahini-free hummus

If you are going to be removing the skins from your chickpeas, do that first. To do so, simply rub each chickpea one at a time gently between your fingers and the skin will fall right off.

Next, add the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice to your food processor.

Chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice in a food processor

Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive oil followed by the aquafaba.

You will have to stop here and there to scrape the sides. Continue to process on high speed until smooth and creamy.

Hummus ingredients blended in a food processor

Transfer this creamy chickpea dip to a serving bowl if desired.

Garnish your flavorful dip with additional paprika, fresh parsley, or however you desire.

How to enjoy this hummus

Enjoy this basic hummus as a dip with tortilla chips, crackers, pita bread, pita chips, raw vegetables, or even as spread for your favorite sandwich or wrap such as our copycat Panera Bread Mediterranean veggie sandwich.

Creamy Hummus Variations

The first time you make a recipe, I like to suggest sticking to the original recipe as that's what I've tested and know what works for sure. However, if you've made it once and want to change it up the next time, go ahead!

Want to know what else you can add to change up the flavor profile, try any of these optional additional ingredients:

Add some red peppers to the food processor to get finely chopped up to create a red pepper hummus.
Want some heat? Add some red pepper flakes.
Want to add a slight cheesy flavor or nutty flavor? Add some nutritional yeast.
Add any of your favorite fresh herbs to the main ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
Desire a little more lemon? Add some lemon zest!
Want just a little spice? Add a dash of black pepper.
Don't like lemon, try lime juice.
Want some crunch? Try adding some pine nuts.

Can you make this oil free?

Sure, one of our readers shared her tip when she doesn't want to use oil in her own humus. Instead, you can roast your chickpeas and then add a little extra water when you go to blend it all together in the food processor.

Doing this make this not just tahini free, but oil free too and that can be a great thing in itself.

Storing the hummus

Store this simple hummus recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

While this garlic hummus can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature, it shouldn't be left out too long or it might start to change the creamy texture and become slightly watery.

Just like regular hummus and tahini hummus, I always recommend giving your homemade hummus a really good stirring up before you start dipping things in it and enjoying it again.

overhead of hummus in bowl with tortilla chips around it

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4.75 from 4 votes

Basic Hummus Without Tahini [Gluten-Free, Vegan]

If you're craving hummus but don't have any tahini on hand, this Basic Hummus Without Tahini is the answer! It's easy to make with common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Course Appetizer, Dip

Cuisine American

Keyword hummus, meatless monday, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 106kcal

Author Sireesha A.

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can no salt added chickpeas, drained and rinsed with 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the can reserved (remove chickpea skins if desired)
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon paprika
½-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)

Instructions

Add chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor.
Begin processing on high speed.
While processing, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Continue processing on high speed and slowly add the aquafaba through the feed tube, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Process on high speed until smooth and creamy and no chunks remain, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
Once the hummus has a smooth consistency, transfer to serving bowl and garnish as desired.

(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)

Suggested Equipment/Tools

Food Processor

Notes

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Please note the nutrition calculation for this recipe does not include the aquafaba since there is limited information regarding its nutritional composition. According to this Healthline article, there are approximately 3-5 calories in 1 tablespoon of aquafaba.

Nutrition

This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on April 16, 2015. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.

Comments

4.75 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

Basic Hummus Without Tahini