If you’re like me, you love smooth and creamy hummus and have spent days wondering just how Sabra does it.
Well, as it turns out there is a secret to smooth hummus and I’m willing to share to the secret with you all, my lovely readers! If you want really smooth hummus you have to remove the chickpea’s skin.
Yup – that’s the skin. I’m not even going to write what I think this bowl of chickpea skins looks like, but let’s just say the end result is worth it and although a bit time consuming, it’s actually pretty easy.
Directions for removing chickpea skins:
- Place drained, canned chickpeas into a pot of boiling water.
- Let boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, place in strainer, and run cold water over the chickpeas. Let cool.
- Once they’ve cooled a bit (about 5 minutes). Take each chickpea in your hand and easily peel off the skin. I found that using my thumb and index finger to pop the skin off works really well.
Use this method when preparing your favorite hummus recipe or try my recipe below.
Classic Smooth and Creamy Hummus
- 1 can chickpeas (drained, with liquid reserved)
- 2 T tahini
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 T toasted sesame oil
- 1 medium clove garlic, sliced
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/4 cup reserved liquid or water, more or less to thin dip as desired
- freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste
- ground cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Prep:
- Remove peels from chickpeas, per instructions above.
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients except bean liquid. Purée until smooth, gradually adding liquid as desired to thin dip and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
I added a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to add a bit of heat! We like things a bit spicy here at Casa EBF.
Over the weekend I served the hummus with fresh veggies and gluten free sesame seaweed rice chips- which are really tasty!!
I hope this tip is as exciting to you as it was to me!! Now go enjoy some super creamy, smooth and delicious hummus.
Perhaps it’s just because I’m into marketing, but I found this article quite interesting: Making Carrots as Cool as Junk Food. Maybe IT IS all about the package (twss)!
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
I had no idea that was the secret, but it totally makes sense! Let’s see if I have the patience to do it now…
Wow, I had no idea that was the key to smooth hummus. I’ll be honest, I probably will never do this because it just seems too time consuming but I am so glad I now know!
Love to you sweetheart!
who knew! thanks for the insiders tip
Now that’s hummus dedication! Never would have thought that was how to get it smooth?? Great tip! Love the twss joke haha
That’s a great tip. I can see how de-skinning chickpeas takes extra time, but they come off so easily that I don’t think I’d mind.
GENIUS! …And this is why I want to have kids someday. To make them to my tedious food prep.
Shoot! I actually talk about this mehod in the book. Here I thought I was the only one who knew
Ha! Me too, Mama Pea! So I guess none of us have secret insider knowledge. Boo.
Sorry to spill the beans.
wow, that is so interesting! maybe i’ll endeavor to do that one day! probably not though – i dont mind chunky hummus! i dont discriminate haha. and i think the skins look like annie’s mac and cheese shells!!
That totally makes sense, and it looks a lot easier than I thought it would be, albeit time consuming! Thanks for the tip
YOU – young lady, are EXTEREMLY brilliant!!! Love this idea – I always wondered how Sabra did it!
I’ve never thought of that, but it makes so much sense!
That bowl of chickpea skin kind of grosses me out too — something about the texture and color–ew!
Yay – great discovery! I’m going to try this out.
Hi! I stumbled on your blog. I am a fellow veg-head, CSAer, runner, etc, loving your site! Anyway, I HAVE wondered about how Sabra does it. My hubby and I typically make a month’s worth of hummus at a time and freeze it in 4s. We start with dried beans, the point being, it is already a process. A lazier option: last month we used white northern beans and they had a creamier consistency than the chic peas.
Thanks for solving the mystery!
I had no idea! That sounds totally worth it. I’m always up for spending a little time to make something super awesome. The next time I’m making hummus I’m going this route for sure. Thanks for the hot tip
I lovvvve Lundberg rice chips – they are one of the few “junk” items that make it to the pantry. I highly recommend the trying Honey Dijion flavor – they are my favorite! Nacho and Sante Fe deserve honorable mention, Wasabi …eh….
Tehehe – I think I know what you think those skins look like.
Anyway…GREAT insight! I would have never known and as we got our first food processor last weekend, now I will know exactly what to make first. Your final product looks creamy and delicious. Thanks, Britt!
Great trick. I would have never thought of that! I actually think it doesn’t sound that bad. If I cook beans from scratch the skins tend to come off anyway when I soak them.
wow, so cool. definitely trying that!! and that is quite the interesting picture of skins
Yum yum yum…what a great idea. You can tell how creamy it is in the photos!!
So now I have a new trick to show my hubby, who thinks he is the hummus making king! This makes so much sense, and I appreciate you sharing it with us!
I love those rice chips! I tried them for the first time at the rinky-dink airport in St. Lucia of all places. They didn’t have much there in terms of food (and our flight was delayed by three hours) so those chips were life saving. Have you tried the BBQ flavor? I’m not sure what the ingredients were like but they were yummy.
Thanks so much for the tip! Next time I make hummus (and when I have some time), I will have to try this. I like my hummus more creamy, but my last attempt at making it was not very successful at all.
I actually had to do an assignment a few weeks ago about hummus and learned that it is traditional to remove the skins. However, I kinda like the skins (and the extra fiber) so I usually just leave them on:)
Great tip, I wonder if pushing the chickpea puree through a chinois accomplishes straining out the shell as well. I can’t see myself peeling the chickpeas on a regular basis. (maybe just for guests!)
Hmmm…it seems like such a pain in the ass to take off all those skins, but at the same time, so much more economical than buying tubs of Sabra. I might need to do me some hummus making this weekend!
I don’t know why, but you just blew me away with that tip. I was always wondering why the heck my hummus isn’t as smooth as theirs. I have to try this, I mean it’s certainly easier to have chunkier hummus, but I need this in my life! Thanks for sharing! And, how did you figure this out??
omg sounds so obvious but i had no idea! genius!
I never would have thought!! I’m still not sure I have the patience to peel each skin off my chickpeas, but at least I’ll know why my homemade hummus isn’t as smooth! Ha ha.
My husband and I have been removing the skins on chick peas to make hummus for a while (well, that’s my job since he does all the actual cooking) and I got tired of doing it, so we decided to make a batch with skins and one without and do a taste test, and apparently nobody can tell the difference, so now we just leave the skins on.
By the way, where in town can you buy Sabra hummus besides Costco? We had a membership and let it expire, and plus I hate to drive all the way out to Glen Allen anyway (he he, the entire 15 minute trip from the Near West End, that is… living in Richmond has totally skewed my perception of what a long drive is).
Hi Courtney – I buy my Sabra hummus at Kroger – it’s in the fresh cheese section near the deli.
Thanks, you just made my day! : )
Brittany! You are amazing, great post! So here I am, thinking I am a hummus whiz….umm not so much.
I did not ever think about the skins…I will be playing with this for sure. Sometimes I do like it chunky, sometimes I like it smooth, so Good to know! It will come down to my patience….lol! Thanks. 
What a great tip! Hummus will be perfect football game fare! Thank you for sharing.
I still haven’t made my own hummus yet. I should really start because it seems much economical!
Thanks for the tip! I can’t wait to try smoooooth hummus!
WOW- really!!! This is amazing- I can’t wait to try it this weekend!
What a cool tip! I’ve never made homemade hummus before, but thanks to your yummy photos and helpful instructions, I really want to give it a try!
Amazing! I’ve been making hummus for years and never knew this. I must now make this today. Thank you!
I’m so glad I found this! I’ve been wanting to make SMOOTH hummus, but mine always comes out chunky!
I almost made hummus yesterday, but now I’m glad that I waited! This is such a helpful post – and so timely!
1- I’m so glad I know this now (I found you through Janetha) and 2- Maybe it’s because I work in PR but I think that article is fascinating too. I watched a video where they gave a choice of a plain cupcake or a banana decorated with Dora stickers to preschoolers, and they ALWAYS chose the decorated treat, whether it was the banana or the cupcake. Reminds me of that concept.
Finally! I made my first batch of skinless chickpeas hummus today and, after years, I have finally achieved the ideal texture. Thank you!
That said, there has to be an easier way to skin a chickpea. I haven’t tried this method yet, but my next batch will attempt this technique: http://www.vegetarian-cooking-recipes-tips.com/how-to-skin-chickpeas.html.
Hi! I found your site yesterday when I was looking for a solution to the smooth hummus challenge. I just had to share the answer that I found on another website with you. It’s certainly a lot less labor intensive than removing skins from beans! Here goes…the secret is to cook your garbanzos with a teaspoon of Baking Soda!! It softens the skins to almost mush, and I can tell you that the finished product looked EXACTLY like the hummus I eat at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. (And like Sabra, too!)
So, give it a try and see if you don’t have fantastic results like I did. Hope this helps!
Cheers!
I love this recipe! You’re such a lifesaver–I had to make this for a party over the weekend, and I’ve always had trouble with smoothing my recipe out…thanks for sharing! I’ve even blogged about your recipe @ my blog (http://fouronethreesayshello.blogspot.com/). Come stop by!
Ps- love the blog! I look forward to reading daily!
Lindsay
So glad you liked the smooth hummus trick Lindsay! Thanks for reading.
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