Easy Pumpkin Hummus Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why is homemade hummus not creamy? ›

You might need more tahini, garlic, lemon and/or salt and very likely more chickpea water. Add a bit of each as you need, the recipe explains. "Blitz the hummus until very smooth, a few minutes at least. Don't worry about the hummus being too loose; it will thicken as it sits."

Garlic: a little garlic gives the hummus a lovely savory flavor. Tahini: the other ingredient that gives hummus its creaminess is tahini, which is a paste made from sesame seeds. Lemon juice: fresh lemon juice adds the perfect amount of acidity to the hummus.

Next, enhance the blank slate of flavor with a few squeezes of lemon juice, a sprinkling of garlic salt, a turn of freshly cracked pepper, a heavy-handed sprinkle of paprika, and a generous drizzle of your nicest olive oil. Bonus points if you have an herby olive oil on hand with a little color to it.

Does hummus need tahini? You bet! In fact, tahini is one of hummus' main ingredients, along with chickpeas and olive oil. That's why our favorite dip can be so rich and delicious—in hummus, tahini adds smoothness to the texture, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Tahini is sesame butter, and to make creamy hummus, the secret is to first turn that into sesame cream! To do that, you need to emulsify the tahini in a water based liquid first. This will not happen if you just put everything into a food processor all at once!'

The Ice Cube Trick for Hummus

For extra light and fluffy hummus, adding an ice cube to the hummus mixture before blending helps incorporate air into the mixture. Only add an ice cube if you're using a heavy-duty blender or food processor that can handle chopping ice.

Add salt, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and cayenne to taste. Maybe that grocery store hummus is not quite seasoned to your liking. It might just need a touch more of the flavor-boosters you'd normally use to season hummus (salt, lemon, spice)—start slowly and taste as you go.

As an appetizer and dip, diners scoop hummus with flatbread, such as pita. It is also served as part of a meze or as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken, fish, or eggplant. Hummus is a popular dip in Egypt where it is eaten with pita, and frequently flavored with cumin or other spices.

Hummus is a versatile ingredient and a good source of fiber, along with vitamins and minerals like manganese, copper, folate, and iron. Thanks to its impressive nutrient profile, it may help ease inflammation, promote heart health, and support blood sugar management.

Stockpile it for Broth

Turns out pumpkin guts are deeply flavorful and can also be used in any recipe that calls for chicken or vegetable broth. Sauté the pulp with diced onions and other vegetable scraps, then add water and let the mixture simmer for 30 to 60 minutes before straining.

How do restaurants get their hummus so smooth? ›

Overcooking the chickpeas in water with baking soda makes them easier to blend. Puréeing the chickpeas while they're still hot lets you use a blender instead of a food processor for smoother texture.

Another cause might be that your lemon is a bit old, causing it to taste more bitter than sour. Lastly, if you've added too much garlic or just happened to used a particularly strong clove, it'll leave the hummus with a very pungent, raw taste.

Sometimes just an extra pinch of salt can transform a bland hummus into a terrific hummus where all the flavors come together perfectly.

If you find the hummus too thick, add some of the reserved cooking liquid and thin until you get the desired texture. Taste the hummus and add more salt, if needed. Spoon and spread the hummus into a shallow serving bowl (or two of them depending on size), building up the sides a little.

Why is my Hummus So Thick and Dry? If your hummus is dry, this is easily due to there not being enough liquid.

The most important thing to note about chickpeas is that they have translucent skins. Those skins are the cause of grainy hummus, and they dampen flavor.

Place the drained chickpeas (reserving a few for decoration), aquafaba, tahini, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt into a food processor or blender, and blend for 2-3 minutes, until smooth. If necessary, add more aquafaba (or water) to loosen the hummus.