Oil-Free Hummus (Authentic Arabic Recipe)

Authentic oil-free hummus is easy to make yourself and the result is delicious. The best homemade hummus is made with simple, plain, and a few vegan ingredients that are more or less simply mixed together. This easy and healthy no-oil hummus (no oil used for the hummus itself but on top, if you like) is a classic and authentic recipe. It is made with plenty of tahini (sesame butter) instead, which makes it super smooth and creamy. With its second main ingredient, chickpeas, hummus is a delicious example of whole food rich in nutrients and flavor.

“Authentic” Hummus Recipe

“Authentic” hummus recipe, oh my, such a critical term, right at the start. After all, we’re not talking about a specific dish like the Viennese cake “Sachertorte”, which is only prepared according to this one (top secret) recipe.

Hummus is a traditional dish from the Middle East with a long history that goes back a long way and, depending on the source, has its origins in Syria or Egypt in the 13th century, for example, but is also said to have been mentioned in the Bible.

“Hummus” is an Arabic word and simply means “chickpea” (if you translate it back from Arabic to English you will recognize it) – the star of the dish, alongside tahini.

Hummus War

Although hummus is considered an Arab dish, the Israelis also regard hummus as their national dish. Lebanon was not at all amused by this and accused Israel of enriching itself from its heritage by marketing hummus as an Israeli dish: the beginning of the so-called “Hummus War” (another recommended article).

This was followed by several world records for the largest portion of hummus. In 2008, Israel entered the Guinness Book of Records with a 400 kg (881 lbs) portion, which Lebanon topped in 2009 with 2,050 kg (4,519 lbs). Of course, Israel didn’t take this lying down and presented a 4,070 kg (8973 lbs) bowl of hummus.

And what a surprise: Lebanon topped it again, with over 10 tons of hummus, exactly 10,452 kg (23,043 lbs) of hummus (as an allusion to the 10,452 km2 area of Lebanon) and thus still holds the world record today.

Oil-Free, but not Fat-Free

What is so authentic about this hummus recipe?
The ingredients, their ratio, their preparation and also the wise realization that no oil is used in hummus itself!

How did I come up with that?
I’ve been making hummus myself for a long time and have tried my hand at countless versions over the last 20 to 25 years, whether store-bought, in a restaurant or at home.

Some time ago, I did some more research into the secret to good, creamy hummus. Although my hummus always tasted good, I was never really impressed with it, especially in terms of consistency. So every now and then, new research, variations and test attempts followed.

During my latest research, I came across hummus without oil. “Yuck” I thought to myself, how boring. I was convinced that hummus should contain a lot of oil.

Nope: oil doesn’t belong in hummus, it belongs on hummus. And oil-free does not mean fat-free (and dry as dust or soggy), because hummus should contain tahini, the delicious sesame butter (or sesame paste), and far more of it than previously thought and made.

Who says so? All the gurus of Middle Eastern cuisine and favorite foodies, whether Arabic or Israeli. Be it the Syrian recipe from the 13th century, Yotam Ottolenghi *), Haya Moloch *) or humus101.com.

Ingredients

We already know that chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice (see the link to the authentic Arabic hummus recipe from Syria), and no oil are required for a smooth authentic Arabic (or Israeli or … at least an authentic delicious) hummus.

Not much else is added, apart from salt, garlic, and cumin (although opinions differ – I say a little is a must). Baking soda accelerates the softening process, but is not necessary.

And there is one more important ingredient: ice cubes. It was probably not an ingredient used hundreds of years ago, but back then it also included water, and ice cubes are nothing else. So it’s still an authentic recipe.

Some recipes also use aquafaba, i.e. the cooking water from the chickpeas. Absurdly, I find the idea somewhat unappetizing when it comes to hummus – although I use aquafaba for vegan Kaiserschmarrn. So it stands to reason that the cooking water provides fluffiness, but as I said, not with me, because it gets nice and creamy without it.

So, let me summarize what is needed for an authentic smooth oil-free hummus (with quantities shown further down in the recipe card):

• Dried chickpeas
• Baking Soda *)
• Tahini *): please buy a high-quality one such as the one linked. Kosher or Arabic supermarkets are good places to buy it. Cheap tahini often tastes bitter. I have had this experience with the ones from the Turkish supermarket (no blame, maybe I was just unlucky with the brands on offer).
• Garlic
• Fresh lemon juice
• Cumin *)
• Salt
• Ice cubes

Optional toppings: olive oil (as mentioned oil is not used in hummus but often on top), fresh parsley, whole cooked chickpeas, paprika powder, and cumin powder.

All these ingredients make hummus a dairy-free, plant-based (vegan), and gluten-free dish.

Preparation

There are even more “secrets” about the preparation than the ingredients. Trust me: I’ve gone through them all and will save you from trying out a lot of humbug.

Hummus is easy to make yourself, but tricky if you don’t know how much of what and how. I will show you in detail how to make the best authentic no oil hummus below in the recipe card. Here are in advance some particulars of my wise preparation knowledge after many years of hummus testing:

1. The chickpeas must be nice and soft
   If they’re not, you won’t get them blended smoothly. Canned chickpeas certainly aren’t. You still have to cook them to the desired consistency, which is: the chickpeas must be easy to mash with a spoon on the inside of the saucepan or between your fingers. The softening process can be accelerated by soaking the chickpeas in water with baking soda (and/or cooking them with baking soda).
2. Yes and no to peeling chickpeas
   We don’t peel the chickpeas, at least not deliberately, as some recipes explain, namely squeezing every single chickpea out of its skin (I would never have the patience for that). In typical Austrian style, I have found a great compromise: When the chickpeas are cooked, I pour off the cooking water, return the chickpeas to the pot along with fresh cold water, and rub them vigorously between your hands. This loosens an insane amount of skins. Drain and repeat the process. Finally, you have to take out the skins of the strainer, which I do with a piece of kitchen roll in my hand (or you can pour everything into another strainer so that the peels end up there.
3. You need a powerful blender
   This is my latest realization and my game-changer! I used to make hummus in a food processor, and it just doesn’t manage to blend the hummus nice and smooth without any chunks, no matter how soft the chickpeas are and whether there are ice cubes or not. However, a mini blender like this one *) does the job perfectly and is my personal best blender for hummus (I use a blender by the German brand “Kemar”, model “Kemar KSB 100G”. I use the small container with the four-part blade). Of course, a regular large strong blender *) will do the same job, if you plan to make a larger portion of hummus.
4. The order of the ingredients doesn’t matter
   First ingredient X, then Y, before adding Z or first Z and X before Y etc., in all variations. Forget it. I mix everything at once and am very happy with the result. The hummus is also nice, smooth and creamy.
5. Make the hummus a little too liquid
   Firstly, this helps when blending, and hummus thickens later anyway, so you avoid a thick slurry.

If you don’t see it that way, or have another ultimate tip: I welcome suggestions, tips/tricks and friendly discussion in the comments section below.

What to eat it with and how long does it keep?

The hummus possibilities are endless. I traditionally eat it as a spread (on a slice of bread) or as a base inside a wrap, with homemade falafel.

Hummus is also a wonderful dip for celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or grissini – my five (incl. falafel) personal best things to dip in hummus. You can also use fresh pita bread to dip it into hummus, an authentic way of eating it.

However, I also sometimes use hummus as a vegan protein side dish with oven-roasted veggies for example.

Homemade hummus is also great to take to a party. But you will also be incredibly popular with delicacies such as liptauer “cheese” spread, vegan egg salad, classic dairy-free pasta salad, Austrian potato salad, vegan Mediterranean pasta salad with arugula, or vegan pizza rolls.

You won’t be able to keep your hummus for long because it is so irresistible. However, if you do need to store it, you still have four days to enjoy it, provided it is stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

You might also like to eat …

Baked Oats Breakfast Cake Vegan Pizza Rolls Dauphinoise Potatoes Tzatziki Vegan Egg Salad

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Yield: 1 bowl (as shown, approx. 1.1 lbs)

Homemade Oil-Free Hummus, an Authentic Arabic Recipe

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Authentic hummus is made oil-free but it's not fat-free (Tahini!). This homemade creamy hummus is also gluten-free and dairy-free, but full of taste.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 130 g (4.6 oz or a bit less than 3/4 cup) dried chickpeas
• ½ tsp baking soda *)
• 100 g ice cubes (3.5 oz - see note)
• 90 g (3.2 oz or 5 tbsp or 1/3 cup) tahini *)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (less than 1 lemon)
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin *)

Optional for garnish (you can add all, some or nothing)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• the chickpeas set aside earlier
• sweet paprika powder
• more ground cumin
• fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in a saucepan with water and baking soda.
2. The next day, change the water and cook for about half an hour (may vary depending on soaking time and chickpea size) until the chickpeas can be easily crushed between two fingers. They should be very soft but not yet falling apart. You can skim off the foam that forms during cooking with a spoon, but you don't have to.
3. Pour off the cooking water (and set aside a few chickpeas for decoration if necessary) and add fresh cold water to the pot. Toss around in the pot with your hands and gently rub the chickpeas to loosen as many skins as possible. Drain and repeat 1-2 more times.
4. Blend the chickpeas with the ice cubes, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cumin in a mini blender *) for 1–2 minutes.
5. Serve the hummus with olive oil, the chickpeas initially set aside, some paprika powder, ground cumin, and freshly chopped parsley on top.

Notes

• 100 g or 3.5 oz ice cubes: Google says that's about 3-4 US standard ice cubes. Mine are very small, I use 14-15 - so better to weigh them or start with a few and add more when needed.
• What I make sure of when blending is that tahini is not the first ingredient on the blender blade, otherwise the blender will quickly become overwhelmed.
• If you don't have a super powerful blender, a food processor will also work - but your hummus won't be super smooth.
• Do not serve hummus straight from the fridge; take it out at least 30 minutes beforehand.
• Packed airtight (e.g. in a food storage container) and stored in the fridge, your hummus will stay fresh for four days.