The recipe yields a silky, smooth hummus, and once you nail the method, the variations you can do are endless. I love to take it in different directions, and the version you see photographed here is fortified with a couple of generous handfuls of spinach. I'm also including notes related to a few other favorite variations down below as well. Because, as much as I love classic, straight-forward hummus, I also like to make an herb version, a spinach hummus, there's a beet version, and (pictured here) berbere spiced hummus - maybe my favorite version yet?!. It goes on and on.
Notes
Instant Pot Hummus Variations Berbere Hummus: The version pictured here is flared out with berbere, a spice blend typical to Ethiopia and Eritrea. I like the berbere recipe in Josef Centeno's Baco cookbook. But if you don't have it, google around for another version online. To make the berbere-accented hummus, add 1 tablespoon (or more to taste!) of berbere spice to the blender with the other ingredients. Also, sprinkle on top of the hummus, after drizzling with olive oil. As pictured: add 2 big handfuls of spinach, toasted pepitas, and sesame seeds for serving Beet Hummus: throw a small, peeled (yellow, orange, or red) beet or two into the pot along with the chickpeas, and proceed with the recipe. Alternately, you can add the beet raw to the blender. Herby Miso Hummus: Add a dollop of this wintery miso paste to the blender, Turmeric-soaked Chickpeas with Yuzu and Black Pepper Hummus: I'll post my technique for these chickpeas soon (working on it!), I season that hummus with a generous splash of yuzu juice, which you can find alongside Japanese ingredients on occasion in well-stocked grocery stores. Also, lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried chickpeas - 1¼ cups
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt - divided, plus more as needed
- 1 lemon, juice of - plus more as needed
- 2 cloves garlic - grated or chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ice water - as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - plus more for serving
Instructions
Cook the chickpeas
- Pour the chickpeas and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt into the Instant Pot and add water to cover by 1 inch.
- Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes.
- Allow the recipe to naturally release.
- The chickpeas should be tender and soft. If not, cook at high pressure for another 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Drain the chickpeas.
Make the tahini sauce
- Place the lemon, garlic, cumin, and remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a blender or food processor and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes without processing.
- Add the tahini and process to combine; you'll end up with a thick paste.
- Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and blend it in, and then continue adding ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending until tahini has thinned down to a sauce consistency.
Blend the hummus
- Add the drained chickpeas and the olive oil to the tahini and blend to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as necessary.
- If the hummus looks too thick (likely), add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just keep going until it thins to your liking.
- If you're making spinach hummus, go ahead and add the leaves now, and blend until smooth and integrated. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Scrape the hummus into a serving dish and top it with a generous drizzle of olive oil and any additional toppings you like.