If you are wondering how to make hummus without food processor, you are in the right place.
Not everyone has a food processor in their kitchen, and if that includes you, don’t worry. You can still make your own hummus at home.
After all, people have been making hummus in the Middle East for thousands of years before the food processor even came along.
Here, we will explain how to make a tasty, classic homemade hummus in your kitchen without using any modern gadgets.
Learn how to make hummus by hand with just five main ingredients in five easy steps.
Can You Use a Food Processor To Make Hummus?
Yes, in fact, it is probably the commonly used kitchen appliance for making hummus.
Food processors make light work of mashing down the chickpeas without having to soften them first.
If you have a food processor/blender combo, that will work even better.
This is because the blender will help to achieve a more creamy and smooth consistency.
Can I Use a Blender Instead of a Food Processor To Make Hummus?
Many people wonder whether you can use a blender in place of a food processor, and the answer is, yes, you can.
A food processor is better equipped to break down the hard chickpeas.
However, a blender will be better at achieving a smooth consistency.
For this reason, we recommend you follow our instructions for softening the chickpeas first.
You may also find that you have to stop the blender a few times and poke everything down towards the blades.
This is because, unless your blender is commercial-grade, it will need a little help in pulverizing all of the chickpeas.
You may also find it easier to puree the ingredients in smaller batches when using a blender and then mix it all together at the end.
What Is the Best Way To Make Hummus From Scratch?
Hummus is an extremely versatile and tasty dish that has become increasingly popular in the West over the last couple of decades.
It can be relatively expensive to buy in the supermarket, so many people choose to buy the base ingredients and make it themselves.
And, hopefully, once you know how to make it yourself, you’ll never look back.
Learning how to make hummus without a blender or food processor will also mean that you can make it anywhere, anytime.
You will never be caught short again if your kitchen machinery or electricity fails you.
You can even make it while you’re off-the-grid camping.
All things considered, though, the best way to make hummus is if you use fresh ingredients.
Doing so guarantees that you achieve that authentic taste that only fresh ingredients can bring out.
How to Make Hummus Without Food Processor
If this is your first time making hummus, we recommend that you stick to the basics and follow our step-by-step guide below.
Hummus Ingredients
Below, we’ve listed the main ingredients of hummus and included a rough guideline of how much of each ingredient to use.
However, feel free to adjust these amounts to suit your taste, as you may find that you like it a little more garlic-y or a little more lemon-y.
After all, one of the best things about making your own hummus is that you can customize it to precisely the way you like it.
1 can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
You can save yourself even more money by buying dried chickpeas, but you will need to soak them overnight and then cook them.
We recommend you allow one cup of dried chickpeas to ensure you have enough for 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas.
1 tablespoon/s of olive oil
Olive oil will help make your hummus taste creamier and more luxurious.
You could even choose to add two tablespoons if you want.
For restaurant-style hummus, you may also want to use a little extra olive oil to drizzle over the top before serving.
2 tablespoons of tahini
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds.
Although you may probably have never bought it before, it is available in most supermarkets.
If given the option of light or dark tahini, we slightly prefer the light tahini, but both will work.
It is also possible to make great-tasting hummus without tahini, but traditional and classic hummus would include it.
¼ cup of lemon juice (one large lemon)
We highly recommend using fresh lemon if you can, but bottled lemon juice can be used instead.
Two cloves of garlic
A classic hummus recipe will use fresh, raw garlic, but you can also try making it with roasted garlic.
Extra liquid and seasoning
Your hummus will probably be a little too thick without the addition of a couple of tablespoons of water.
Or, you can use some of the juice from the can of chickpeas.
Seasonings include a little salt to taste and then a dash of ground cumin or smoked paprika either mixed in or sprinkled over the top.
How to Make Hummus by Hand
How to make hummus without a blender or food processor requires a lot more elbow grease than making it with the help of a machine.
It will be more physically demanding and time-consuming to mash down the chickpeas to your desired consistency.
This is why we recommend softening the chickpeas first.
Though this step isn’t strictly necessary, it will save you time overall.
Step 1: Soften the chickpeas
If you are cooking your chickpeas, you can just cook them for a little longer than you usually would to make them go a little softer.
If you’re using canned chickpeas, the quickest and easiest way to soften them is to zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.
If you are without electricity, heating them up on a stove or over the fire would also work.
Step 2: Half-mash the chickpeas
You can mash the chickpeas with a fork, a potato masher, or a pestle and mortar.
If you’re using a fork, it is easier to mash the chickpeas in a shallow bowl.
On the other hand, if you’re using a potato masher, we recommend mashing them in a saucepan.
This is because the masher won’t get into the rounded sections of the bowl.
Just don’t use a non-stick saucepan if your masher is metal, as you will run the risk of scratching some of the non-stick coating off of it.
Step 3: Crush and dice the garlic
If you have a garlic press, you can send your garlic straight through it and into your chickpea mash.
Otherwise, crush the garlic with the side of a knife and dice it as small as you can before adding it to your chickpeas.
If you’ve roasted your garlic, it will mash really easily straight in with your chickpeas.
Step 4: Slowly add oil, tahini, and lemon
Now you can start adding some of the other ingredients to your half-mashed chickpeas.
Adding some of the more liquid ingredients at this point will help the chickpeas stick together so that they are even easier to mash.
Keep mashing it all together until the chickpeas are as smooth as you desire.
Add water to help you achieve the consistency you want.
You may find a slightly runnier hummus works better for saucing up sandwiches.
In contrast, a thicker hummus will stick to veggie dippers better.
Step 5: Season and serve
Once your hummus looks ready, you can add salt and any other herbs and spices you want.
However, remember to keep tasting it to make sure you don’t add too much.
Scrape your hummus into a serving bowl, drizzle a little olive oil on top, and sprinkle with ground cumin or smoked paprika before serving.
Can You Make Hummus Without Cooking the Chickpeas?
If you buy canned chickpeas, then they will already be cooked.
Dried chickpeas are much more affordable, but they do require a fair amount of prep.
Chickpeas, like many other uncooked legumes, grains, seeds, nuts, and potatoes, contain lectins, which is a potentially harmful toxin.
Lectins can cause damage in your gut and interfere with a variety of proteins that could possibly lead to diabetes and obesity in the long run.
More immediate symptoms of eating undercooked or raw chickpeas include nausea, gas, diarrhea, and vomiting.
So, unless you are planning on baking your hummus, make sure that your chickpeas are thoroughly cooked through first.
Preparation of dried beans includes around 10 hours of soaking and then 45 minutes or more of cooking.
Using canned chickpeas will save you time, but if you are interested in saving the most money, you can’t beat buying your chickpeas dried.
Don’t let the prep put you off, as you can also freeze cooked chickpeas for up to a year in an airtight container, letting you cook much larger batches.
Heavenly Homemade Hummus
So, there you have it. That’s how to make hummus without food processor in just five easy steps.
Hummus also freezes well, so when you have a bit of extra time on your hands, you can always make larger batches of hummus.
Depending on your tastes, you can also add crushed red chili flakes, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted red bell peppers to mix it up a bit.
Homemade hummus, with or without the help of a food processor, will always taste amazing.