Always travel with hummus. That’s my advice to new vegans and to anyone trying to eat healthy on the road.
Having hummus in a small cooler saved us last month when my family went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. With the streets and streetcars closed for parades, we were limited to restaurants we could walk to, and because it was Mardi Gras, all of the vegan-friendly ones that were close enough were closed.
So we ate hummus–hummus on carrots, hummus on crackers, hummus on bread. The best meal we had was hummus on a Subway Veggie sandwich; after dry bread and crackers, a sandwich with all those veggies tasted like something from a 4-star restaurant, I kid you not.
The night before my family goes on any trip, you’ll find me in the kitchen making this hummus, which takes about 5 minutes in a high-powered blender. Up until a few years ago, I always used my food processor to make it, but once I tried the silky smooth hummus that a Vitamix produces, I’ve never gone back to the processor.
The recipe is basically the same; the blender version just uses more liquid to get the blades moving, but somehow it comes out as thick as the food processor version. And the best part: if you want, you can use whole sesame seeds instead of tahini. The blender grinds them as it makes the hummus.
If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can make my basic hummus in a food processor. Start by chopping the garlic first, and use only 1/4 cup of liquid. Bryanna Clark Grogan says that you can get silky smooth hummus from a food processor if you start with warm chickpeas, so if you cook your own beans, I recommend that.
I like to make a a mildly-seasoned hummus for general use (and my daughter’s taste), and then scoop out half of it, add additional seasonings to the Vitamix, and blend. Since the seasonings I like to add are usually spicy, I garnish the “doctored” hummus with slices of jalapeno to let my family know which container holds the fiery hummus. The amounts of seasoning in the recipe below are conservative, so feel free to add more to taste.
Want More Hummus?
I have over a dozen flavors of hummus and hummus-type dips and several recipes where hummus is an ingredient. Find them all here.
Hummus in the Blender
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (See notes below for home-cooked chickpeas)
- 2-4 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons tahini (or 4 tablespoons sesame seeds)
- 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4-1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
Suggested Tools
Instructions
- Drain one of the cans of chickpeas. Dump both cans (including liquid from one) into the blender. Place all remaining ingredients except salt in the blender in the order listed, using the smaller amounts. Start the machine on low and increase speed to high. Use the Vitamix plunger to break up air pockets and push chickpeas toward the blades, if necessary. (Other blenders: Stop and use a spatula to do this.) If the mixture is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time. Turn up to the highest speed and blend for a few seconds until hummus is completely smooth.
- Stop blender and taste the hummus. Add additional seasonings and salt to taste and blend briefly to combine.
- Store hummus in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It’s best after it’s had a chance to rest for at least an hour, but use within a week.
Notes
Variations
I often remove half of the hummus to serve as-is and get creative with the other half. Try adding any one of the following during the last brief blending: roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle chile peppers, green onions, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, jalapeno peppers, black or green olives, balsamic vinegar, spinach, smoked salt or Liquid Smoke. 1/8 of the recipe counts as 1 Smart Point on Weight Watchers Freestyle program.Nutritional info is approximate.
P.S. I’m on the road again as I write this, so it may take me a little time to approve and respond to your comments. Rest assured that I have a big tub of hummus in the ice chest!
Vibeke
March 12, 2012 at 7:43 amOH Susan!!! This sounds great! I’m going to make it today!
Mat
January 8, 2014 at 4:22 pmGreat advice Susan. Whenever I travel, hummus is one of my go to foods.
The funny thing is, whenever I need a quality starch based vegan food rich in calories, people always look at me weird when I ask for a baked potato or brown rice. When I ask for hummus though, they smile right away and tell me they can bring some right out. Food staples in the USA are unknown by most people and can not be served, but a trendy Middle Eastern dish is always on the menu.
Weirdest place I ever ended up finding hummus targeted at vegans was at a Diamondbacks baseball game in Phoenix, Arizona. They gave me a little menu so I could order food from my seat. Turns out they offered two vegan items. One was a pretzel, the other was hummus and veggies. I ended up getting the hummus, it was okay but insanely expensive.
Lately though, I have found it possible to travel with a high speed blender when I am just driving around places outside my hometown. With the newest NutriBullet model, I can actually make the silky smooth hummus comparable to a Vitamix. I wrote a full review on the blender at my blog, Vegan Kitchen Appliances http://www.vegankitchenappliances.com/2014/01/nutribullet-pro-900-series-review.html.
Being able to make hummus on the road is always easy. Now, my hummus is fat free, so no tahini. But, I could get all the ingredients I need at a grocery store if I were not to bring them along.
In most cases if you are just traveling for a day or less, I would say bring premade hummus. If you are traveling by car and will be staying somewhere with an electric outlet, bring along the blender. Make some quick foods easily and do not be forced to compromise on the vegan diet.
Leonora
March 12, 2012 at 7:54 amOMG! I love hummus! This looks awesome.
janet @ taste space
March 12, 2012 at 8:03 amHummus is definitely my go-to travelling snack. Your recipe looks similar to my favourite recipe. I will have to try your trick of adding water to make it in the Vitamix because I still use the food processor so I can scoop out all the hummus (I find it difficult to get the thicker pastes out of the Vitamix).
Susan Voisin
March 12, 2012 at 8:09 amJanet, yes that’s the only problem with using the Vitamix to make hummus. I never can get every drop out, and I had wasting it!
ido
March 27, 2017 at 6:54 pmAdd a little water into the Vitamix carafe, blend, and you’ll have a divine salad dressing! No waste at all 🙂
Suanne
August 4, 2017 at 9:06 amI had the same concern regarding food left in the bottom of VitaMix, but my son bought this handy tool for me. Works great-
Sur La Table
Sur La Table Silicone Blender Spatula
$12.00
Stars: 5.0
Heather @ Better With Veggies
March 12, 2012 at 8:11 amLove homemade hummus – once I realized how easy it was, I can’t buy the prepackaged stuff anymore. I will admit that I only remember to save the liquid from the can about half the time, it’s so normal to drain and rinse. 🙂
susan
March 12, 2012 at 8:15 amif you leave out the tahini, it’ll be totally fat free….i usually add roasted red pepper instead.
Katie Loss
March 12, 2012 at 1:30 pmSusan, thanks for this great tip to make your hummus fat free. I was wondering what changes I should make to have it fat free and still flavorful since tahini/sesame seeds are oh-so-tasty. Roasted red pepper sounds wonderful. I think you must have been reading my mind today. I have a batch of garbanzos soaking which I’ll be cooking later today and had just sat down to look for hummus recipes when your blog alert popped up in my inbox. I love cooking my own beans and then using the bean broth in soups, etc. They are so very flavorful, especially when you find a favorite source for heirloom beans. Thanks for all of your fantastic recipes!
Callie
March 12, 2012 at 9:53 amWhy am I just now discovering your blog!? WTF 😉
Ok, the last time I made hummus in my VitaMix, It turned off – ever since then, I’ve been scared to death I’m gonna burn it out. So, I’ve done the opposite – always used my vitamix and am now using my food processor. It’s probably an error on liquid, but I have a very specific recipe I follow and never want to add more than what I’ve found to work best flavor wise, ha. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll have to give the blender another chance!
Mindy
January 7, 2014 at 2:30 pmHey! This post is really old, but my dad made our Vitamix turn off too. Just make sure to only keep it on the low setting as little as you need to. The machine’s fan only comes on when it’s set to high. 🙂
ido
March 27, 2017 at 6:56 pmVitamix customer service told me that it is made to run at the highest speed, to use the plunger on high speed. If I did mine at lower speeds it would overheat and turn off. Wonder if each Vitamix is different?
shirley
March 12, 2012 at 9:53 amIs there anything I can substitute for the tahini?I know you mentioned sesame seeds but I doubt my food processor would grind them sufficiently (don’t have a Vitamix – although I would like one). Has anyone tried it without the tahini? I guess I could try that.
Susan Voisin
March 12, 2012 at 10:42 amSome people like peanut butter instead of tahini. I’m not one of them, unfortunately, but you might give it a try.
clare
March 12, 2012 at 11:13 amI buy “no added fat tahini” to use when I make this which is every week as we love it too. I had the same problem getting it out of the blender (as we like the consistency quite thick) so I now make it using a large bowl and a hand held immersion blender which zaps it perfectly and no waste !
Holly @ My Plant Based Family
March 12, 2012 at 12:23 pmI’ve made it without tahini. It isn’t as creamy but it’s nice to have a lower fat option occasionally. I don’t notice a big taste difference but I don’t use a lot of tahini in my regular batch.
janet @ taste space
March 12, 2012 at 1:03 pmI like this tahini-less peanut butter hummus: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/peanut-butter-hummus/
Ninufar
March 13, 2012 at 12:35 amIf you buy a jar of tahini and pour off the oil that’s separated up top, right there you’ve got reduced-fat tahini! Needs a little coaxing to get it out of the jar, but so worth it. Even if you cut Susan V’s (already very trimmed) amount in half, it balances out the acid-y tastes and does add some minerals. YMMV.
Jerry
March 15, 2012 at 2:11 pmBefore we bought our Vitamix, we made hummus in our regular blender. At first we used tahini, but found that sesame seeds worked great if we ground them first in a coffee grinder. We tried not pre-grinding them, but as you suspect would happen with your food processor, our blender did not grind them well enough. The hummus was still edible, but a little gritty. Did I mention that I love our Vitamix? 🙂
April Lockhart
April 11, 2013 at 10:33 pmI use almond butter!! 😀
Vicky C.
March 12, 2012 at 10:28 amThank you!
Katherine Stewart
March 12, 2012 at 10:31 amHummus out of a vita mix is so dreamy!! I love adding a sweet potato and a roasted red pepper….YUM! We will eat on a st. alvarado bagel with greens….absolutely the best! I want to make more of a herb one this week…so that’s what I will be experimenting with!
Jess Miller
March 12, 2012 at 12:21 pmI agree that home-made hummus is a necessity for a plant-based diet, especially when traveling. To keep it healthier, I would leave out the fat-laden tahini. For more flavor, I would substitute red-wine vinegar and lime juice, in place of the water and lemon juice. I also like to add roasted red peppers.
Gwen Z
March 12, 2012 at 12:50 pmThis sounded so easy and yummy that I grabbed my VitaMix and garbanzos and made a batch – super yummy! I did the basic recipe but will be trying some variations next time. The added liquid really helped.
Rebecca
March 12, 2012 at 1:38 pmHow long does the hummus last when kept in a containor in the fridge?
Maureen Cram
March 13, 2012 at 9:02 amI always make a double batch and freeze half of it. It freezes very well. When you thaw it out give it a good stir! If you keep it in the fridge then I would say around five days.
Suzanne
March 12, 2012 at 2:43 pmJust made this with my 3 year old twins (they love adding things to the vitamix and turning it on) And it was a huge hit! I added jalapenos and a bit of hot sauce to mine, made for great grilled hummus sandwiches!
brian
March 12, 2012 at 3:23 pmI have been making this once or twice a month and each batch is a little different. I leave out the tahini to keep it fat-free and find that a little tamari or soy sauce instead of salt replaces the nutty flavor from the tahini nicely. I add cilantro or spinach to get a green batch, carrots or yellow/red peppers for orange color.
Verna Peters
March 12, 2012 at 3:59 pmI am always excited to see what new recipe you have for us when I see your website pop into my inbox. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us. I appreciate having the nutrition information with the recipes. Those of us who want to cut down on the fat in the hummus recipe might try using a smaller amount of sesame seeds.
JB
March 12, 2012 at 5:38 pmLooks great! What is the serving size? Thanks
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner
March 12, 2012 at 8:24 pmI love making hummus in a blender (especially my BlendTec). It does all of the hard work for me and all I really have to do is add all of the ingredients. 🙂
Ninufar
March 13, 2012 at 12:30 amMy blender doesn’t work, so I currently make my hummus with a potato masher.
It won’t take in as much water (or at least I don’t use nearly that much, more like 1/4 cup), but the hummus comes out fine, & I get an upper-body workout. (No really it’s easy!)
I also tend to use roasted rather than raw garlic (partly bc I usually eat this hummus for lunch and then go teach again afterwards), and that’s really easy to mix in with the masher.
Safe travels!
web hosting hub
March 13, 2012 at 7:09 amThanks for the recipe. I think today I’ll try to prepare Hummus. It looks pretty good.
Warwick
March 13, 2012 at 7:23 amThank you Susan, nice one!
For anyone who doesn’t do garlic, just triple the amount of Cumin for the same effect.
Namaste’, Warwick
Vicki Lovell
March 13, 2012 at 7:39 amThanks so much, although I went Vegan late last year I am finding it difficult since I started nursing in a very busy Emergency Dept in a large public hospital here in Australia. I have really slipped quite a bit, or just not been eating properly, hence I sleep all my days off and feel tired all the time. I love hummos and have been meaning to try making my own, as everyone tells me it is much nicer than shop bought. I am never properly organsied to make good vegan foods to take to work due to such alternating shifts, but hummos I can do!!!! I am going to get the bits and pieces, have lots of dried chick peas at home, and will take your advice. Once again,thanks, good hearing it from someone who is always on the move and I can relate to that. Cheers Vicki
Sarah-Jane Bell
March 13, 2012 at 8:32 amI have tried many recipes for home made hummus but can never replicate the texture or flavour of shop bought ( Tesco here in UK!) . I usually have tried making fat free hummus ( no tahini and no oil) which might be the problem whilst the store bought stuff is usually at best reduced fat – maybe if I add the tahini I’ll get a better texture and taste to home made? It would save me a fortune as its a staple in a vegan diet and a must for salads and sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe- I’ll have a go and see if this can convert me back to making my own!
Shirley
March 13, 2012 at 11:22 amI am having similar problems as I adore a store bought hummus “Lilly’s original plain hummus. I tried making the above hummus in a food processor and I the texture is too thick and not as creamy. I think I should add more liquid of some type. I do not think my food processor is very efficient at grinding things up either which doesn’t help. I am determined to crack this as I love hummus.
Ruth
October 4, 2012 at 10:14 pmShirley, I find it helps to add a little vegetable broth until the consistency is more creamy. Also helps if the chickpeas are warm before you blend the hummus.
Jackie Jardine
December 17, 2014 at 12:43 pmI cook my own chickpeas and then freeze in 1/2 cup servings. When I pull them out of the freezer to make hummus, I zap them in the microwave until warm…warming really does make it easier to blend. I suppose this would work as well for the canned variety – but haven’t tried that.
Rosemarie
March 13, 2012 at 9:42 amI agree, I always carry my vegan food with me in a cooler. You never know where and what to buy that is safe.
This is a very nice recipe but I have one hint, since many people are watching their budget and Tahini is so expensive ($15.00 a jar here) I substitute it with all natural peanut butter, taste just the same and is good for you also.
Jacqui
March 13, 2012 at 11:30 amTry horseradish sauce in the second half of a batch! Drunks were making hummus one night at my house and tried a couple spoonfuls of horseradish sauce and now it’s the family fav!
Jem
November 13, 2014 at 7:28 amDid you substitute the horseradish for the chipotles? How much? sounds wonderful. I wonder if Wasabi powder would work.
Gena
March 13, 2012 at 1:23 pmI often prefer the thickness of processor hummus, but sometimes I do crave the incomparable silkiness that only a VitaMix can impart! Great post.
Vikki
March 13, 2012 at 3:33 pmMade this today with half-quantities but a bit more garlic, lemon and spices than the lower amounts. Haven’t got a vitamix so I did it in the processor attachment to my hand blender and it came out lovely! I’m really chuffed because I’ve been trying for ages to find a hummus recipe that works and I think this is it!
Frazz
March 13, 2012 at 4:01 pmCan’t wait to use this recipe! But how much is the yield/how large is a serving size?
Daysi
March 13, 2012 at 6:20 pmI made this wih my blend tec. I suggest, if you’re making it in a blend tec and using canned beans, you start with half a cup of water/garbanzo broth because it will come out a bit runny. I made it with 4 garlic cloves but I should’ve started with just 2 like Susan said. Either way, it came out great! I love your recipes. So fast easy and delicious!
Anjana
March 13, 2012 at 11:15 pmWow, this is what is call wish granted. I was just thinking of making hummus at home and was looking for good recipe. even checked your site 2 days ago( got to mention have been following your site for quite some time now) and tadaa, here it is now! thanks susan.
Cat ~ The Verdant Life
March 14, 2012 at 12:31 pmGreat advice! I love that traveling with hummus makes it so easy to whip up veggie sandwiches or just use it as a dip. And homemade is always so much better (and cheaper) than store-bought.
Carolyn Blakeney
March 14, 2012 at 8:05 pmLove this idea Susan, I will try it in my Blendtec next time. I’ve always done it in the food processor in the past, and just spun the bejeepers out of it to get it smooth (which works just fine). This is very close to the recipe I use, which was adapted from Paula Wolfert’s “Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean”. My adaptation also places the cumin and smoked paprika right in the puree, rather than using it as a garnish, plus Aleppo pepper as the chile powder of choice. I know the “purists” might not do it this way, but I just can’t imagine hummus without these ingredients as integral parts of the mix!
hala
March 15, 2012 at 9:14 amJust wanted to say – I LOVE your recipes and have been using them for the past couple of years! I love cooking vegetarian/vegan food for myself, and although I do cook meat for my family (they’re not as excited about eating vegan as I am), I tend to make your dishes as sides for them while I eat it as my main dish! Thanks for sharing!
Wendy
March 15, 2012 at 12:10 pmThanks for this recipe! I had printed it off on Monday and it popped into my head when I was looking for something to munch on for a light dinner. I had about a cup of leftover garbanzo beans, so I made your recipe using about 1/3 portions. I popped it all into my mini Cuisenart blender and it was easy! I ate it with multigrain pita chips and some leftover roasted root veggies….the perfect light dinner for myself. Thanks again!
Christin
March 15, 2012 at 2:34 pmIf you’ve never tried it, you’ve got to try adding figs and cranberry! Sabra had this once years ago and it was the first hummus I’d ever liked! Apparently it was a trial holiday release only since I’ve never seen it again. I branched out to many many new flavors over the years but when I started a fat-free vegan lifestyle and started making my own, this became my new favorite 🙂
Janey
March 21, 2012 at 10:52 amSounds good , but explain please. Fresh? Dried? Cranberries with added sugar?
sarah farsh
March 15, 2012 at 3:12 pmI love hummus!! Agreed, it’s a perfect travel companion, and delicious.
Melissa
March 15, 2012 at 8:20 pmI have tried store bought hummus several times trying to like it and I never did. Reading your home made receipe has inspired me to try again, since I know how healthy it is. Btw I love your blog it is pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate, not to mention the writing/receipes. Good job Susan.
Flora.
March 15, 2012 at 9:47 pmMmm, nice.
I’ve tried to make hommus in the blender once, and it didn’t actually work.
I’ll try your recipe soon. Thanks for sharing.
James @ Buy Electric Shaver
March 16, 2012 at 8:41 amI love your suggestion to have this on hand when I travel. Unfortunately over half of my travel is via airplane so the cooler is out. I am wondering if I could freeze it and then let it defrost in my checked luggage during the flight. How long do you think it would last like this before going bad? I usually wind up buying a packaged hummus when I get to my destination but this would be an interesting alternative for shorter trips. Thanks for the recipe.
Eva Linn
September 9, 2014 at 10:00 amMy friend works for an airport and she discovered a secret way around the TSA regulations on pastes like hummus. Apparently, anything frozen is considered a solid and can be taken through security. So you should be able to freeze hummus and put it in your carry on. I haven’t tried it yet, but she makes iced coffee and freezes it and goes through TSA all the time. You can also take ice cubes. You can also take fruit like grapes or watermelon, which help quench thirst.
Brooke
March 18, 2012 at 8:40 pmHi! I am just starting to be vegan (making a slow change), and my dear mother bought be a Vitamax as an early graduation gift. I really am amazed my how smooth it can make just about everything, but how do you get the hummus out? It is very difficult for me. Also, do you chop items in your Vitamax? I think it comes out too fine. Am I doing it wrong?
Susan Voisin
March 18, 2012 at 9:51 pmI use a flexible silicone spatula to get out most of the hummus, but there’s always a little under the blade that I can’t reach. I’ve never used it for chopping–just blending. I still prefer my food processor or a knife for chopping.