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This Israeli hummus recipe brings the texture and flavor of real-deal Tel Aviv hummus straight to your kitchen with a shocking secret: you don't need to waste your time with tedious chickpea peeling or even overnight soaking! I know you bet that's not possible, but this restaurant-level hummus is absurdly-luscious and has zero grainy weirdness.
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Hummus (חומוס) is a staple across the Middle Eastern countries. But unlike my harissa hummus, which is made from canned chickpeas, Israeli style hummus is known for its dreamy texture and tahini-forward flavor, served warm, often piled with toppings like Israeli salad (or shirazi salad), paprika, or a generous pool of amba.
This battle-tested recipe will shock you with its simple method: soft-cooked dried chickpeas, made more tender with a little baking soda, whipped with ice and good tahini, to keep it light, and a garlic-salt paste that makes sure you never hit a tiny bit of raw garlic, even if your food processor kinda sucks.
Michael Solomonov, the famous chef behind Philadelphia's Zahav restaurant, uses a similar technique to create his legendary smooth hummus. Get ready to level up your hummus lifestyle!
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🥰Why you’ll adore this Israeli hummus recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this doesn’t use any mayo, dairy, or any cholesterol at all. Of course, it’s completely gluten-free too, which is cool since gluten makes you soooo mad, or whatever.
🥄 Ultra smooth, no grit: That soft-cooked chickpea method with baking soda makes creamy hummus that's so velvety, it practically pours. No grainy texture, no sad paste. The creamiest hummus you'll ever make!
🧊 The ice cube hack is real: Adding ice when you blend gives the hummus the fluffiest creamy texture of all time.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this has been made and devoured by a massive squad of recipe testers all over the world.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🥣Israeli hummus Ingredients
Baking soda
This is your secret weapon for chickpea texture. It softens the beans and helps shed and break down those tough skins, giving you that silky-smooth finish that no blender alone can pull off. When cooking dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans or chick peas), baking soda might just be the most important ingredient for achieving the smoothest hummus!
Ground cumin
Just enough to anchor the flavor with some earthy depth. I’m absolutely in love with Burlap & Barrel’s wild mountain cumin, my not-so-secret weapon for leveling up zaalouk, Moroccan rice, muhammara, and borani banjan.
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Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
Smoked paprika
Optional but highly recommended. Smoked paprika adds gentle smokiness and color without overwhelming the chickpeas or tahini.
Tahini
We are talking about tahini paste here, not tahini sauce (like tarator). You want the best tahini here: smooth, on the pourable side, and not bitter or, god-forbid, a million years old and rancid.
Hummus without tahini is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made without the bread or peanut butter. Just a worthless ramekin full of jam. Is that what you want?!? Of course not. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and is essentially a sesame paste. Always use a substantial amount of tahini for authentic Israeli cuisine.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Zhoug hummus
Spoon a spiral of zhoug sauce or shatta sauce if you want an insane amount of heat over the top before serving. The herbs, heat, and lemony punch add color and a jolt of flavor. Garnish with pine nuts for added texture and a traditional touch.
Harissa Hummus
Hyper-creamy harissa hummus is made with canned chickpeas and brings just the right amount of smoky heat from bangin' homemade harissa sauce. Unlike Israeli-style hummus, it skips the whole soft-cooking method and goes straight for speed and flavor.
📖 How to make Israeli hummus
These steps break it down so you can nail this recipe on your first try, plus there’s a print-friendly version below if you’re the type who likes to get chickpea paste on paper.
Step One
Full Power, Take a Shower:
Rinse the dried chickpeas under cold running water to remove any debris or dust.
Step Two
Susan Boil:
Add the rinsed chickpeas to a saucepan, cover with water, and stir in baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Step Three
Sim Simmer, Who’s Got The Keys To My Bimmer?
Once boiling, reduce to medium and simmer uncovered for 60-65 minutes. Skim foam and as needed and cook until chickpeas are very soft.
✅ Don’t just blindly follow the number of minutes I have stated. Every batch of chickpeas cooks a little differently, based on their size and age. Just keep cooking until the chickpeas are super soft to the touch and can be easily smushed with a quick pinch.
Step Four
It’s Draining Men:
Drain the chickpeas and rinse under cold water. Let them drain completely in a colander so no extra water messes with your hummus consistency.
Step Five
Fin-garlic-kin’ Good:
Place minced garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle it with the salt. Use the flat side of your knife to press and smear into a paste until smooth.
✅ Be patient here. It might take a minute or two but makes damn sure the garlic flavor is spread around the hummus without bits of raw garlic here and there.
Step Six
Toast Busters:
For about 2 minutes, toast the cumin and paprika in a dry skillet over medium heat.
Step Seven
It’s the Blend Of The World As We Know It:
In a high-speed blender or food processor, add chickpeas, garlic paste, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, ice cubes, olive oil, and water. Blend for about 2 minutes until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.
Step Eight
To Serve and Protect:
Taste and tweak if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and smoked paprika. Serve warm or at room temp.
💡Serving Ideas
This hummus can def. roll solo, but it hits harder with company.
Serve it next to harissa cauliflower, or harissa carrots and Moroccan spiced lentils for a really well-rounded vegetarian plate.
Top it with acılı ezme (or cranberry ezme for the fall), or a smear of jammy matbucha.
This obviously goes great with other dips like mutabal, zaalouk, Lebanese baba ganoush, and vegan labneh if you are putting a mezze spread together.
Don’t forget the freshly grilled kuboos, bolani, or msemen to scoop up every last bit!
👉Top tips
- Cook Chickpeas Until Just a Little Ruptured: Don't stop simmering just because they're soft. You want chickpeas that almost fall apart on ya, without getting super-waterlogged—this is how you get creamy hummus, not grainy paste. Place chickpeas in a medium bowl after cooking to cool slightly before processing.
- Ice Cubes Aren't Optional: They sound weird, but they make the texture fluffier and more smoothly pureed. Toss in two while blending and watch the magic happen. This is a good idea that makes a huge difference.
- Serve It Warm(ish): Israeli-style hummus is often served slightly warm or room temperature, not fridge-cold (though-you can totally do it that way if you want). It's a different style than what you might be used to.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, but since I wrote this recipe to work with dried chickpeas, you're probably better off following my harissa hummus recipe. If you do use a can of chickpeas, reduce the cooking time significantly.
It breaks down their skins and softens them, which is key to getting that ultra-creamy texture without having to painstakingly remove the skins one by one. Baking soda is used in the best hummus recipes from around the Middle Eastern regions and North Africa.
Yes, but scrape down often and blend in batches if needed. A food processor is easier, but both work. Either way, you'll achieve great hummus with the proper technique.
🧊 Refrigerating:
Store hummus in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temp for a few minutes before serving.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Spoon hummus into a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of water or olive oil if it tightens up.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl, cover loosely, and heat in short bursts, stirring each time until warm.
✌️You'll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
Learn the secrets to perfect falafel in this fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Israeli Hummus
Equipment
Ingredients
For cooking the chickpeas:
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the hummus:
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- ½ cup tahini
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 4 ice cubes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup water or up to ⅓ cup for a looser hummus
To garnish and serve:
- Smoked paprika
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the chickpeas in a colander under cold running water to get rid of any dust or debris.
- Transfer the soaked chickpeas to a saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Add baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the chickpeas reach a rolling boil, reduce to medium heat and simmer uncovered for 60-65 minutes, occasionally skimming off any foam, until the chickpeas are very soft and the skins begin to separate.
- Drain the chickpeas, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water, and set aside to cool and drain completely.
- On a cutting board, combine the minced garlic and salt. Use the side of a chef’s knife to mash and smear it into a smooth paste, dragging and pressing until no solid bits remain.
- Briefly toast the cumin and paprika in a dry skilled over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the garlic-salt paste, toasted spices, drained chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, ice cubes, olive oil, and water. Blend until light and creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides once or twice so that no particles of chickpeas remain unblended.
- Taste and adjust seasoning and thickness if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with smoked paprika, chopped parsley, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
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hg says
Perfect for a sandwich (Sabich), Dip with veggies, chips , pita or even pretzels.