This recipe is in honor of my love for all-things hummus. Hummus is yummus; it’s science.
I remember the first time I heard of hummus. I was getting my haircut by my super trendy hair stylist at the time, way back in like 2007 and she started telling me how all of the “cool restaurants” are now serving hummus as an appetizer.
Hummus. I was intrigued. So I ventured out and located a nearby Mediterranean restaurant and went head first into my first bite of the creamy, garlicky dip I’m now so fond of. It was love at first bite. There’s no going back now. You can learn more about hummus and its origins here.
For this recipe I didn’t have any tahini on hand but I DID have some sesame seeds! So I toasted them up, put them in the food processor with a bit of grapeseed oil and voila! I had tahini on my hands! Just like store-bought but WAY better and creamier! You should do it sometime – it’s much more cost effective and super easy. Learn more about tahini and how to make it here.
So this hummus. It’s flavored with garam masala – a traditional Indian spice blend that usually includes cinnamon, cumin, coriander, black pepper, clove, nutmeg and chili.
You find it at most markets these days, but I decided to try my hand at a batch of my own. And thanks to the help of the Kitchn – my go-to for all-things kitchen basics and DIY – it was a total success. Hoorah!
This hummus is so quick, easy and flavorful! You only need:
Chickpeas.
Garlic.
Fresh lemon juice.
Tahini (that you made yo’self)
Sea salt.
Olive oil.
Paprika.
& Garam masala.
Then you’re in biznass, like WHOA.
Take a tip from me. The toasted sesame seeds on top MAKE this. I remember seeing Jessica do a similar technique with her Everything White Bean Hummus (OMG) and she was super onto something. Make this hummus STAT. You’ll thank me when you’re noshing down on garlicky, spicy, creamy goodness.
kthanksbye.
Garam Masala Hummus with Toasted Sesame Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (half liquid drained)
- ~1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 1/2 small lemons yield ~1/4 cup or 60 ml)
- 3 small cloves garlic (grated or minced)
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ~1 tsp garam masala (storebought or recipe here)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the olive oil and garam masala to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- While blending, add olive oil through the spout.
- Once blended, add garam masala 1/4 tsp at a time until you reach your preferred level of flavor. I went with 1 tsp (amount as original recipe is written), and also added a bit more lemon juice. Adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Serve and sprinkle with more garam masala and toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve with pita, pita chips and veggies. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Tara says
Absolutely obsessed!! Will never go back to making hummus any other way. THANK YOU for such a wonderful twist on a classic!!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the wonderful review, Tara. So glad you enjoyed this hummus!
Carrie says
What type of paprika is used – sweet or smoked?
Either would work! We prefer smoked.
Cathy Gomez says
I made this for a girl scout event. We made up containers with small samples and pieces of pita. We had 200 girls ranging from 5yrs to 18yrs and several adults. I went light on the garam masala because I wasn’t sure how picky the girls would be. This was a big hit! We printed the recipe in case there were any food allergies, and several of the moms took pictures of the recipe to make at home. I will make again for the family.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Cathy!!
Jill Henning says
Beautiful and delicious! So happy with the spice mixture I made . Use it so often and has upped my game in the kitchen Dana. You’re amazing 🥳
Thanks for sharing, Jill!
Cathy l Gomez says
This was such a hit with my girl scouts, I’m making it for my wine club this week. Oops I mean my book club
Lol! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Cathy! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jeannette says
The best ever eaten and so easy to make
Anna Sajeski says
I made this a couple days ago and want to eat it with every meal!! I recently started making my own hummus and I could never go back to the store-bought stuff. This version is so insanely delicious thanks to the addition of garam masala – what an ingenious twist on a classic recipe! I’ve been enjoying it with all of the fresh veggies, but my favorite dipper so far has been roasted mini sweet peppers. I also LOVE it smeared on top of a hard-boiled egg. Thanks Dana!
Jeff W*** says
Hi Dana,
I like your recipes. I’ve made the five ingredient no bake granola bars at least 3-5 times now. I vacuum seal them for use on the trail. I’ve added dried blueberries and they shine!
Going to make the tahini. I dislike how the oil separates in the jar of store bought tahini–it’s such a chore to re-homogenize! I know of only one way to do that right–your way!
Great hummus! One thing I noticed about hummus: no rules–do what you want to make it the hummus you want. But beware Trader Joe’s habenero sauce! It’s almost flammable!
Mark V says
I’m a little late to the party, but I wonder if it would help to gently heat the garam masala in the olive oil before stirring it into the hummus? Or simply toast the dry masala for a minute before adding it to the mix?
Sara says
just tried this for the first time, awesome recipe! i didn’t even make the tahini separately, just threw about 1/3 cup of toasted sesame seeds in my blender with all the other ingredients, and it is soooo good! will never buy store hummus at the store again!
Cara says
I’ve always felt completely lost with cooking. Thank you SO much for creating a site with recipes that I can actually make, and well! I have always felt overwhelmed by recipes with 20+ ingredients (many, with things I don’t have and rarely use). This has been a life saver for me! Can’t wait to try this hummus recipe.
Best comment! Thanks Cara! xoxo
Joshua says
How long does it take you to complete your pictures? All the work looks awesome. I thought I would share another garam masala rub which i’ve tried that you may find interesting in your hummus.
Thanks for your recipe.
It takes me 30 minutes to an hour to photograph and another 30 minutes to an hour to edit.
Boop says
Masala not Marsala
ah, thank you! don’t know how I missed that.
Lisa Corcoran says
Hi there…!
I had a recipe that someone gave me (after trying the fantastic hummus) and can’t find it now…it’s been months. Anywhoo, it had garam masala in it so I specifically bought some with the intent on making. Can’t find the original recipe but yours sounds amazing too! I was wondering if you thought that using smoked paprika would be too overpowering? Thanks for your thoughts!
Daphne says
Good Afternoon Dana, Firstly, can I say how gorgeous your photographs are and secondly, I love how you have re-worked hummus using Garam Masala. I eat a lot of hummus and was first introduced to it when I lived on the Island of Cyprus during the ’60’s and fell in love with it.
I am certainly going to make your version of hummus as I was given a gift of Indian spices by my daughter who lives in India, so I have them ready and waiting.
Oh yes, just before I go, I tried your pizza recipe and it turned out fabulously, so thank you, as I had never made a pizza before I discovered your version.
Best Wishes to you,
Daphne
Daphne, your’e so sweet! So glad you find our photography appealing and that you like this recipe, too. I love that it’s a a new twist on hummus as I eat it all the time and love to switch it up sometimes. Also, glad you liked the pizza too! Sounds like we have similar taste ;D
Sarah says
This recipe is EXTREMELY close to the traditional recipe! Love it, keep up the good work. :)
Claire (Eat Well. Party Hard.) says
I first added garam masala to my spice rack in college and have never looked back. This looks delish :)
ET says
Just found your blog – it looks great. Anything minimalist is good as far as I’m concerned.
One question – you go thru all the trouble of making your own garam masala and tahini but then used canned garbanzos! May I suggest trying garbanzos too from scratch – you might find they are much better just like tahini.
jessica says
Awesome! Now can you post an amazingly simple yet amazingly delicious recipe for homemade pita chips?? :)
Absolutely! I love making homemade pita chips – they’re THE BEES KNEES.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I am definitely into this recipe! LOVE!
Hannah says
This looks so good! Though I must admit I was really excited at first because I thought you’d made a hummus with marsala wine, but then I realised that you were talking about garam masala. Now I need to make marsala hummus :D
Anna says
The first hummus recipe I ever made (back in 2006 or so) lacked tahini and included an overload of cumin. It was horrible! Luckily, my Lebanese friend came to my rescue with what a hummus recipe should be, and I’ve been riffing off it ever since. Homemade tahini sounds awesome, I can’t wait to give it a try!! Great post!
Marie says
Oh dear !!!
Hummus craving !! This one looks delicious :)
Kristi says
I love hummus, and I love making my own hummus. it’s so good, and cheaper, too.
Tammela says
I love tahini and I love hummus…This variation looks glorious!
Angela Brown says
Hi there! I just discovered your blog, and really love it (your pictures are great!). I love making hummus at home, but usually cave and buy the tahini. For your tahini, how much sesame seed/oil did you use to get a good consistency? Thanks for sharing…I’ll def be back again soon! (P.S. – I blog about owning an NYC-based pop-up sandwich company with my husband and am writing weekly posts about the ins and outs of our first year in a permanent storefront [alongside recipes]…feel free to check it out!
Ash-foodfashionparty says
This is definitely my kind of hummus. Love the spices and your pictures are so beautiful.
Caitlin says
it looks so creamy i can almost taste it! definitely need to add garam masala to my hummus next time!
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green says
I’m (as always) in awe of your photos. They are so amazing! And I am a big time lover of hummus as well.. I don’t remember my first experience with it but I can assure you it was a good time. I love the bold flavours in this hummus.. mmmm!
Kathryn says
Love the addition of those garam marsala flavours to hummus – such a great change up!
Sophie says
I am seriously a hummus ADDICT. I can’t find tahini in the stores where we live, so I make it homemade all the time although mine turns out a little more like paste than liquidy. It’s so good though! Last week I added avocado to my batch of hummus and it made it extra creamy and dreamy!
shakti says
Lovely.
I see the recipes to send us mad with glee have arrived. Hummus is the nectar of the gods!
Tieghan says
Toasted sesame seeds are the best! I actually have a post coming up with them and hummus post too, but no sesame seeds involved! This looks so smooth and perfect!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit says
Hummus is on everything I eat at the moment. I love this recipe though, I feel like such a sucker for buying tahini!
Lucie says
Nice recipe, must try! Homemade garam masala is at home, so no problem :-)
Emma says
Look at you! Making your own tahini AND garam masala! I need to be bold and try a spiced up hummus. I almost always just make the traditional kind. Your pictures are stunning, as always!
dave fisher says
To make your own tahini: i would recommend using sesame oil instead of grape or olive. cheers…