Lately, my kitchen has been the site of yet another whole foods, plant-based quest: to make the perfect, light and creamy, oil free hummus. As vegans, it seems that we eat bucket loads of hummus. I can’t even count how many times hummus has been the one and only ‘vegan option’ on a menu or buffet. But that's fine with me, since I'm always looking for interesting ways to include the mighty chickpea in my diet.
I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of picky about my hummus. While I enjoy both tahini and garlic, I don’t care for my hummus to be too tahini-y or too garlicky.
I remember having a masseuse once who’d clearly enjoyed some very garlicky hummus earlier that day. Sixty minutes of garlic-lavendar aromatherapy is not high on my list of pleasant experiences.
Why I Love This Oil Free Hummus
I love this oil free hummus because it's so nicely balanced--with no single ingredient dominating. It reminds me of the outstanding hummus we get at a local food cart and restaurant called Banzo. These folks make some of the best hummus and falafel I’ve ever eaten. It's sooth, light and creamy, without having a too-strong flavor. That's exactly what I was going for in this recipe. I hope you'll agree, I think I've nailed it.
How to Make Oil Free Hummus
It may be traditional, but you won’t find any olive oil here. This hummus recipe gets its light, creamy texture from a somewhat unexpected ingredient: miso paste. Okay, I know, miso is definitely NOT Mediterannean. But I think it transforms this oil free hummus from ordinary to pretty great.
The miso, along with some reserved aquafaba from the chickpeas, creates a fairly neutral substitute for olive oil that makes this hummus light and smooth--without relying on a lot of tahini.
If you find yourself eating hummus constantly and want a light, oil free recipe you can fall in love with, give this one a try. If you love it as much as I do, let me know! If you have an idea to make it even better—I’d love to hear that too.
If you like this whole food plant-based recipe, you might also like:
- Oil Free Baba Ganoush
- Avocado Pea Mash
- Easy Vegan Oil Free Pesto
- Guacamole
- Oil Free Mayonnaise & Aioli
Oil Free Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas LIQUID RESERVED, drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cup well cooked chickpeas)
- 2 tablespoons tahini (or more, to taste)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest about ½ lemon
- ¼ cup miso
- 1-2 large cloves garlic (or more, to taste)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Optional: ⅛ cup pine nuts (plus more, toasted, for garnish)
- Optional: Garnish with roasted pine nuts and paprika
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor, and process until completely blended and creamy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Thin with 1-2 tablespoons of reserved chickpea liquid ('aquafaba') as needed.
- If desired, garnish with paprika and roasted pine nuts.
Jennifer Benson
I make my own Tahiti by grinding sesame seeds. It’s not as oily as commercial brands. How should I compensate?
Elizabeth Shah
If your tahini is thicker, I'd try adding a little extra aquafaba (chickpea liquid), water or lemon to thin the hummus if needed. Good luck!
Susanne
As far as “directions”...?? I’ve never made hummus so do you just mix in a blender ?
elizabeth
Oops--I just added the instructions. Not sure what happened there!!!