This recipe for roasted garlic hummus is silky smooth, incredibly creamy and highly addictive.
To me, hummus is its own food group and deserves a place in that broad slot at the bottom of the pyramid. This roasted garlic hummus is everything I love about hummus silky smooth, incredibly creamy and highly addictive.
The secret to super smooth hummus is decanting tins of chickpeas, liquid included, into a pot and then simmering them with a teaspoon of bicarb until they’re easily smashed between your index finger and thumb.
Sure, this adds a few extra steps to a notoriously straightforward recipe, but I assure you it’s worth it! Once you’ve whipped it up (and secretly dipped a finger in for a taste), you’ll feel like you’ve just had a delivery from your favourite Lebanese restaurant.
Before simmering the chickpeas, I roasted up a couple of bulbs of garlic until they were golden and jammy. I love garlic in all forms, but it can sometimes be a little biting when added raw to hummus. Roasted garlic gives this hummus a rich garlicky flavour with a slightly sweet edge. Not to mention the roasted garlic looks beautiful, gently plopped on top of the hummus to finish.
What do you need to know before you make this recipe?
Hummus is always a simple thing to make and requires just a few pantry staples. If you don’t have time to simmer the chickpeas, you can skip that step (although the hummus won’t be nearly as smooth) or roast the garlic you can use fresh (see the notes).
I’ve included all the notes for this roasted garlic hummus recipe at the bottom of the page with the hope of improving your experience here at blue border. If you found this useful, I’d love your support on Instagram, click here to follow.
ingredients
For the roasted garlic
- 2 small garlic bulbs or 1 large
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- Pinch fine sea salt
To simmer the chickpeas
- 2 x 400ml / 14oz tins of chickpeas
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 100g / 3.38oz water
For the hummus
- 100g /3.53oz tahini
- 2 lemons, juice only
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup water, more if needed
To serve (optional)
- sumac
- olive oil
process
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut the bulb of garlic in half (to expose the cloves) and gently toss with oil and salt. Place the bulb cut side down on the baking tray and roast for 15-20mins or until golden.
Empty the tins of chickpeas, including the liquid, into a medium pot. Add the baking soda, salt and water (the water should just cover the chickpeas, add more if needed). Bring the chickpeas to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 5-10mins, the chickpeas should hold their shape but break apart easily when squeezed between your fingers.
Drain the chickpeas and rinse well.
Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor along with the tahini, lemon juice, salt, water and roasted garlic (save a few cloves for decorating).
Process for 3-4minutes or until the hummus is very smooth.
Serve the hummus topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of sumac and a few of the roasted garlic cloves.
NOTES: Roasted Garlic Hummus
Ingredients Notes
Tahini
Not all tahini is created equally! The best tahini should be pourable, incredibly smooth and has a very neutral, slightly salty taste. Anything that is thick and pasty or tastes liked toasted sesame should be vehemently avoided. The best place to find decent tahini is a Middle Eastern Grocery store. I always look for the Lebanese SH Yaman tahini or the Al Nakhil tahini.
Recipe Questions
Do I have to simmer the chickpeas?
Simmering the chickpeas with baking soda will make the hummus super smooth and silky. If you skip this step, you’ll still have good hummus, just not as good.
Can I make this hummus without roasted garlic?
Yes, you can use fresh garlic instead of roasted. Combine 2 cloves of finely minced garlic with the lemon and salt for the hummus recipe, allow to marinade for 5mins before adding the remaining ingredients.
Can I combine this hummus recipe with other flavours?
The roasted garlic will work with just about anything so the options to add other flavours are endless. You could try sundried tomatoes, fire-roasted peppers, cooked beetroot or even dollops of pesto or add a teaspoon of your favourite spice, cumin, smoked paprika or coriander are delicious additions to hummus.
How long will the hummus keep?
Store the hummus in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. The process of simmering the chickpeas with bicarb will help extend the shelf life and the hummus should last at least a week.
