Hummus is to be creamy, decadent and just smooth like velvet. Find out the secret on how to make super creamy hummus at home on today’s Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer!
Hummus is one of those foods where I’m not really sure how to classify it. It’s a condiment, a dip, a spread, a main dish all rolled up in a beautiful bowl of creamy goodness. It’s savory, spicy, sweet and delicate. However, one thing it always is is super creamy. Now I’ve had store-bought and homemade that is not-so creamy. For the longest time I thought that was normal.
But it wasn’t until I visited this one Lebanese restaurant and ordered my first dish of Beef Shawarma. This dish was amazing (well minus the pickled veggies – not my thing) and it came with a dish of the most amazing hummus I’ve ever had in my life. This hummus was so incredibly creamy and light. It literally was smooth as butter.
We talked about the chickpeas and using canned versus dried. Dried always is best as you don’t have to worry about the brine that a canned chickpeas has but whatever method you use, bears no impact on making super creamy hummus. We talked about seasoning and spices and they actually were quite impressed with my flavor profile but they hated the bits in it that made it not smooth and creamy.
They then got out a batch of chickpeas and their seasonings and said “Look, look at our ingredients. What is different here than your ingredients?” I stood there looking for a good minute or two and honestly couldn’t tell the difference. The owner’s mother said “You’re not looking close enough. Look again.” After about 2 minutes it hit me, the chickpeas were naked.
Their chickpeas were missing their husk/shell. I guess the look on my face was pretty evident as they all laughed and said: “Now she knows.” They explained that skinning the chickpeas before making the hummus is the secret to making super creamy hummus. If you leave it on and try to process the chickpeas, the chickpea itself will get smooth and creamy but the husk won’t break down fully. If you try to process it til the husk breaks down you end up over processing the chickpea and your hummus will get almost tough or paste-like.
So that’s it!
♥ The secret to super creamy hummus is skinning the chickpeas! ♥
It’s kind of embarrassing to think that I never thought of doing that but honestly, it works! So now go out and make some homemade hummus! Share your hummus pics on our Facebook page or Instagram tagging us at @thekitchenwhisperer!
For some of my favorite hummus recipes check out these:
Who knew!!! I made a batch of hummus yesterday and removed the shells. What a difference. I had tossed a batch I had made earlier since I didn’t like the texture. What a difference it made. LOVED it!! Thank you for sharing this tip!
Yeah!!! You’re most welcome Tracy! Yeah the shells make the difference!
…and now I want hummus 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thank you so much, Lori!
I’ve never been much of a hummus fan, because of the slightly grainy texture of every batch I’ve ever tasted. Now… do you have a tip to quickly remove those husks? Because I need to make some hummus, stat!
Hey girlie!
Okay so there are a couple of ways to remove the shell:
1. Drain them and then put them on a large towel to air dry. Once dry, place another towel over top and gently ‘massage’ the chickpeas (moving your hands in circles but not smushing the chickpeas. Do this for about 30 seconds and you’ll find most of the shells have been removed from the husk.
2. Another method is, once drained, put them in a sauce pan, add in 1 1/2 tsp baking soda per can of chickpeas, put the lid on an heat for 2-3 minutes or just until they are warmed through. Dump them into a strainer and while rinsing them in cold water, agitate them with your hands to help remove the husk. See this link for more info – https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/6634-for-creamier-hummus-skin-your-chickpeas
3. Lastly, rise and strain them and just peel them off. It doesn’t take long to be honest.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Oh such a great tip! I would have never thought of that!
Thanks a million! Love your site!
Aw thank you so much Jamie!
Best Kitchen Wishes!