This creamy hummus recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s an adaptation of my original hummus recipe. Homemade hummus can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and makes the perfect snack for those 3 p.m. cravings when you just don’t have time to make anything.
The addition of pesto makes this particular hummus extra rich and luxurious. Paired with the crispy garlic pita chips, this is not a snack to miss.
I talked last time about using dried chickpeas to make this hummus and I really do think it’s worth it, although if you REALLY don’t want to soak your own, use 2 cans of chickpeas instead.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with canned chickpeas, it’s just soaking your own gives your hummus that extra fresh flavor. You’ll use some of the cooking water to thin out the hummus and make it extra special. If you’ve never made your own hummus by soaking your own beans before, I dare you to give it a try! You’ll never go back and it’s super easy, I promise!
Every time I make a recipe like this, that’s thrown together quickly at the weekend and lasts all week, I think I must make more of them. They are the kind of recipe everybody enjoys because it’s easy, healthy and delicious!
I’ve been munching my way through this plate of hummus all week, and now it’s gone and I’m writing this, I’m very tempted to go and make another plate! Do you have a favorite afternoon snack recipe? Let me know in the comments if you do, and if you make this version of my hummus!
Green Basil Pesto Hummus
Ingredients
Ingredients for the hummus
- 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight in cold water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin ground
- 2 tbsp chickpea cooking water reserved from soaking
- 4 tbsp green pesto
Ingredients for the Pita Chips
- 2 round pita pockets
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Pita Chips
- To make the pita chips, preheat the oven to 325⁰ F (170⁰ C). Lay the pita pockets flat and cut into 8 equal triangles. Open each triangle at the fold and cut along the fold so that you are left with 16 tortilla chip shaped pieces from each pita pocket.
- Lay the triangles on a baking tray with the rough side facing up. Brush the olive oil evenly across all the chips. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the open face on each of the chips to give them a garlicky hint.
- Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on them as they can turn quite quickly. As soon as they are golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Hummus
- Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours. After soaking, drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the chickpeas, simmer for 90 minutes then drain and rinse thoroughly. Reserve some of the cooking water for later.
- Add the chickpeas, garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, salt, pepper, olive oil, and cumin to a food processor. Pulse until the hummus reaches a smooth consistency. I like my hummus to still have some texture, but if you like it more creamy, pulse for longer.
- Add the cooking water one tablespoon at a time and pulse to mix in between each addition. I like 2 tablespoons for a medium consistency but you can add more or less depending on how you like your hummus. The more water you add, the thinner and creamier your hummus will be. Just be sure to add it 1 tablespoon at a time so as not to take it too far!
- Lastly, stir in the pesto to flavor the hummus.
hummus and garlic are the solution for cold weather, this is a perfect dish
Thank you! They are, it was hard not to eat all of this in one go! Let me know if you try it out!