Oil-Free Hummus was one of the first recipes I created when I first started a plant-based diet in 2011. Hummus isn’t required for plant-based eating but almost everyone I know who eats plant-based loves hummus.
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Oil-Free Hummus
If you are eating an oil-free, whole food, plant-based diet, it’s important that you make your own hummus. Almost all store bought containers of hummus have added oil. I avoid added oil and don’t cook with oil. The only exception I made is that I will use cooking spray when making pancakes or muffins so they don’t stick to the pan. Since I don’t make either very often I’m ok with that exception.
My hummus is not traditional. I don’t use olive oil or tahini. I’ve used tahini in a few recipes but I don’t notice much difference so I just leave it out. That’s one less ingredient, one less measuring cup, and less fat.
Homemade Hummus is Easy
When it comes to cooking, hummus is one of the easiest things there is. You don’t really need to cook and you only need a few ingredients. This time, I used canned chickpeas but when I’m batch cooking, I’ll make a big batch of chickpeas so I can make hummus, have chickpeas for Chickpea Nuggets and leftovers to add to salads.
You do need a high-speed blender or food processor. I’ve used both with good results. I’ve had this Hamilton Beach 10 cup food processor for 8 years and it still works great. I also have a Blendtec blender that we got many years ago at Costco. I’ve made countless sauces and dips in these two.
Choosing Chickpeas
My favorite chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans, come from Palouse Brand. They are non-GMO and USA grown. In fact, you are given the field location and harvest date. They are the best chickpeas I’ve ever eaten.
When I’m out of Palouse Brand, or when I don’t have time to cook up a batch in my Instant Pot, I’ll use canned chickpeas. Which ever you choose to use, don’t toss out the liquid that comes with the chickpea, you’ll use it.
Oil-Free Hummus
This hummus is only flavored with lemon juice, garlic and optional salt. I like to sprinkle a little paprika on top as well but it’s optional.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas (or 2 cups of cooked chickpeas), reserve the liquid
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon, or 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chickpea liquid
- salt to taste, optional
- paprika for garnish, optional
Do
- Pour your chickpeas into your blender or food processor. Save the liquid to use soon.
- Add your garlic and lemon juice. If your lemon isn’t juicy enough for 1/4 cup of lemon juice, you may want to add another lemon or some lemon zest to give it more flavor.
- Add 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid, this is also known as aqua faba and some people whip it like eggs to make vegan meringues and other interesting dishes.
- Add optional salt if using.
- Blend or process until your hummus is creamy and smooth. If it’s not smooth enough, add another 1/4 cup of chickpea liquid and blend again.
- Pour into a bowl and garnish if desired. Enjoy with veggies, on sandwiches or any other thing you think of.
I love hummus. I often use it as a salad dressing or a sandwich spread. It’s so versatile and filling. Plus, this recipe is lower in fat with no oil or tahini so you don’t have to worry about over eating it. It’s like having a serving of beans with your veggies.
If you like this recipe, make sure to try my Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus, Spinach Artichoke Dip and Red Pepper Dip!
Oil-Free Hummus
This hummus is only flavored with lemon juice, garlic and optional salt. I like to sprinkle a little paprika on top as well but it’s optional.
Use this as your base recipe and add your favorite flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas (or 2 cups of cooked chickpeas), reserve the liquid
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon, or 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chickpea liquid
- salt to taste, optional
- paprika for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Pour your chickpeas into your blender or food processor. Save the liquid to use soon.
- Add your garlic and lemon juice. If your lemon isn’t juicy enough for 1/4 cup of lemon juice, you may want to add another lemon or some lemon zest to give it more flavor.
- Add 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid, this is also known as aqua faba and some people whip it like eggs to make vegan meringues and other interesting dishes.
- Add optional salt if using.
- Blend or process until your hummus is creamy and smooth. If it’s not smooth enough, add another 1/4 cup of chickpea liquid and blend again.
- Pour into a bowl and garnish if desired. Enjoy with veggies, on sandwiches or any other thing you think of.
Notes
Use this hummus as a salad dressing or a sandwich spread. It’s so versatile and filling. Plus, this recipe is lower in fat with no oil or tahini so you don’t have to worry about over eating it.
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A delicious and very easy recipe. I’m eating it now on fresh whole wheat sourdough bread. Thank you for the recipe.
Yay! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it! I made the most delicious veggie sandwich using whole wheat sourdough I got at the farmers market this weekend. It took it to the next level!
Garlic amount was too much! I put 2 and it was still too much.
try steaming the garlic and add it
I made it and then blended an avocado and some Apple cider vinegar and made a wonderful Salad Dressing. The nest Hummus Recipe, Love it Holly, Thank you. Kind Regards Jeff
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it and branched out to make it into something new!
Jeff Whitacre – added avocado and apple cider vinegar sounds great – what quantities did you use? Thanks
I’m not sure how much he used but I would start with half an avocado and add 1 tsp of vinegar at a time until it’s the taste and consistency you want. 🙂
Maybe Jeff will see it and answer.
Thanks for the recipe. How long will this last stored in the fridge?
Ally,
It’s excellent for about 4 days. I would still eat it for a few more but the texture may change a little. Giving it a little stir will help.
I’ve noticed on some of my other hummus recipes, if I garnish them with veggies like pico or peppers, they don’t last as long.
Most of our dips are eaten within a 3-5 days.
Delicious, thank you. I added a few kalamata olives to salt it up and added some chopped olives to top it off instead of the paprika. Just as an alternative to a great base.
Thanks for the suggestions Julia! My kids love olives and would love your option. I change it up every time. You can also zest some fresh citrus for a fun pop of flavor!
THIS IS SO GOOD! I’m doing very low fat and this is perfect, easy to adjust and customize if you want to use it for other things! THANKS
I’m so glad you like it Michelle! It’s the perfect base recipe for me too.
What if you cook your own, what liquid do you use rather than what they are canned in?
It’s even better if you cook your own! You can use the liquid that the beans cook in or water.
Hi! This recipe looks great! If I were to add more ingredients (a mix of roasted veggies) would I need to adjust the liquid amount?
Thanks!
I would decrease the liquid a little, puree the veggies, then add more liquid if needed.
Is the 4 cloves a typo? I mean holy shaving cream, I used 3 AND ended up adding more liquid and it’s still conspicuously strong. I genuinely can’t understand how anyone could eat it like that? Or did I just do something wrong?
I just made it and ate with homemade salsa chips which are also fat free. What a fabulous snack that is completely guilt free!!! Thank you and I’ll be making this for years to come!
Carolyn,
That sounds delicious! I just got some smoky salsa, I bet it would be great in this hummus, especially on top of a taco salad. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for letting me know!
When you list lemon as an ingredient, what do you mean?
Peeled lemon? Entire lemon? Juice of a lemon?
Used lemon juice so far, great recipe! Thanks!
Hi Diane,
You guessed right, the ingredients say a lemon or juice from a lemon. Sometimes I forget to buy a lemon but I always keep lemon juice on hand.
You can use lemon zest but I don’t usually go through that effort. Just juicing them lemon will work.
Here is a video I made that walks you through the whole recipe. https://youtu.be/YdSvc3aQGUc
How many cups and servings does this make?
This makes about 2 cups. If I’m using it on a wrap I’ll put about 1/4 of a cup in each wrap. If I’m adding it to a bowl with veggies for dipping, I’ll put about 2 tablespoons.
Hi! I just cooked tons of chickpeas, and I am looking forward to making this recipe. I am just wondering if I could freeze it. It would be fantastic if it is ok. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Luciana,
I haven’t tried freezing hummus yet. I think it would work ok but the texture might change a bit. I would probably process it through a food processor again after defrosting.
If I try it, I’ll let you know. 🙂
Help! I messed up and dumped out all the aquafaba from a huge batch I cooked. What can I use instead?
Water or veggie broth works too.
This looks fabulous! I tried to find your instructions on cooking the chickpeas in an Instantpot. Can you let me know where to find that on your site or give me instructions. Time to cook, soaking?, etc.
Thanks!
Hi Cathy,
I haven’t shared instructions for just cooking chickpeas that weren’t part of another recipe but I’ll share it here. You don’t have to soak the chickpeas but some people prefer to.
To soak: Cover with water at least twice as deep as the chickpeas, let sit over night. In the morning, rinse the chickpeas. Put them in the Instant Pot and cover with water. Cook on manual for about 25 minutes. Once done, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15-20 minutes.
Unsoaked: Rinse chickpeas, put them in the Instant Pot and cover with water. Cook on Manual for 50 minutes. Once done, allow pressure to release naturally at least 15-20 minutes.
Sometimes I’ll cook chickpeas on the long side when making hummus, and a bit shorter when making salads and soups.
Thank you for your simple recipe! I added sweet potato to my recipe tastes good!
Loved this!!! I used the 4 cloves of raw garlic which was a bit overpowering & garned some complaints from my bf about my garlic breath even a few days later. :-). I’ll make it again with either less garlic or use roasted garlic.
Oh No! We love it with a lot of garlic but some garlic is stronger than others. I think it would be safest to add 1 or 2, taste test, then go up from there.
I added a small roasted peeled beet for a hot pink hummus.
Can i use the lime juice instead of lemon juice?
I just made your recipe. The consistency was great, but it was a little too lemony. Funny that none of the comments mentioned that. I juiced a large lemon and measured out 1/4 cup. Next time I will use a little less lemon juice and it will be perfect! Great to have a recipe that doesn’t use oil. Thank you!
Not bad actually. Just one thing, halve the amount of garlic.
Loved this recipe! I just made it for the second time and I make approximately a pound of hummus that lasts a good while. I like that I don’t have to use tahini and can make this very quickly.
This recipe is OMG good!
The garlic was just perfect!
Thank you for creating this no oil, so I can enjoy it!
Definitely putting this on rotation!