Easy Homemade Israeli-Style Hummus

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Homemade Israeli-Style Hummus is a delicious and authentic “from scratch” hummus recipe, made with natural, unprocessed ingredients.

Whether you prefer your hummus a little bit chunky or perfectly smooth, it’s a great dip or you can use it as a spread in a pita or lafa (Iraqi pita) for a falafel or shawarma.

Not to mention that hummus is dairy-free, protein-packed, and vegan!

Authentic hummus is simply made from chickpeas, raw tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and a little salt. but it’s very versitile to your own taste.

I made it the way that my family likes it, but of course you can adjust the ingredients to your own taste.

Like a little more garlic? Then, add a little more garlic. Like a little more tangy? Add a little more lemon. Like more of a tehini flavor? Add a little more raw tehini.

This recipe makes approximately 2.5 pounds of hummus. Don’t need so much? Make less so it won’t spoil before you can use it up.

Hummus (pronounced choomoos – with the ch sounding like you are clearing your throat) is very popular in the Middle East, and I was introduced to it while in Israel.

Israelis eat it with a variety of things, but it is a favorite in pita sandwiches, such as felafel, shawarma, and Sabich (which is a sandwich named after its creator).

They will also take a pita, break off a piece and scoop up a dollop of hummus right out of the dish!

While most people can certainly buy hummus in the grocery store nowadays, there’s really nothing like taking pride in what you’ve made.

And chickpeas have nutritional value!

So, give Homemade Israeli-style hummus a try!

A little about Israeli cuisine

Some people complain about cultural appropriation in cuisine when food from one country is attributed to another country.

However, national cuisine in itself is often a mingling of food from a variety of cultures, often due to a change of ruling countries and a shifting of borders.

When people move from country to country, they will take their cultures with them, and their descendants may adapt their traditional cuisine with that of their new home, and if they don’t, others might.

When one lives in a melting pot, such as the US or Israel, it is just unrealistic to expect that food from a particular culture won’t mingle with that of other cultures.

So, “Israeli cuisine” is basically Middle Eastern (as opposed to Eastern European food) that was brought to Israel by Jews when they fled or were expelled from Muslim countries and moved to Israel mostly after the declaration of the State of Israel (collectively known as Mizrahi Jews).

Recipes were passed from generation to generation, and although decades have passed, the foods are still known by the culture they came from, and everyone seems to have their own way of making them.

That said, there are many variations of pretty much any “Israeli” recipe because of background, custom, or even just taste. When choosing a recipe, one has to know what actually constitutes a main ingredient—what makes the dish what it is—and what is left up to individual taste.

What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?

When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).

The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it. Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.

Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.

What is needed for this recipe?

I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.

But these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!

raw SMALL chick peas
raw tehini (ground sesame seeds)
baking soda
baking powder
salt
granulated garlic
lemon juice

Don’t have the time or inclination to work with raw chickpeas in Easy Hummus Spread? Try: Easy 10-minute Israeli-Style Hummus.

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Yield: 10 4-ounce servings

Easy Homemade Israeli-Style Hummus

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Easy, delicious, and vegan homemade hummus recipe for authentic Israeli hummus.

Prep Time 12 hours

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 13 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 18 ounces raw SMALL chick peas (around 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup raw tehini (ground sesame seeds)
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Place raw chickpeas in a bowl and cover with double the amount of water (approximately 8 cups)
2. Add baking soda and mix.
3. Leave to soak for at least 12 hours.
4. Drain and wash thoroughly
5. Place in suitable sized pot and cover with double the water.
6. Add baking powder.
7. Bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium and let cook uncovered for approximately 1 1/2 hours, until cooked through and soft. Do not le the water run out. Add more if need be so that the chickpeas are always slightly covered.
8. While the chickpeas are cooking, regularly skim off the starch foam that forms at the top of the water and the skins that have come loose from the chickpeas.
9. Drain the water, but keep it aside in case the hummus is too dry.
10. Let chickpeas cool.
11. If you are going to want to decorate your hummus plate with chickpeas, set some aside.
12. Place chickpeas in food processor or blender and run for approximately two minutes until the chickpeas have become a paste.
13. Add the raw tehini, lemon juice, granulated garlic and salt.
14. Blend again for another two minutes.
15. If the hummus is too thick, add a little of the water you set aside and blend again until you reach the desired consistency (be very careful not to add too much).*

Notes

*If you want little chunks of chickpeas in the hummus, make sure not to blend too much. Otherwise, for smooth hummus, blend until you reach that consistency.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 715mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g

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