This herb hummus is what happens when you get tired of the flat, one-note flavor of the tubs at the grocery store. A full cup of fresh basil, cilantro and parsley turns a basic chickpea puree into a vivid, green-flecked dip, whipped super smooth with garlic, cumin and a heavy hand with the tahini.

A bowl of vibrant green chickpea hummus topped with whole chickpeas, paprika, olive oil, and fresh herbs sits on a light textured surface.

Yes, making homemade hummus takes more time than popping a lid off a plastic container, but it’s so worth it! I put bowls of this luxe, herby hummus right next to my roasted eggplant baba ganoush on a mezze table because not only does it taste great, it’s miles away from the stuff you buy in grocery stores.

What makes this hummus so creamy

I didn’t always bother making my own hummus until I had a life-changing bite at an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia — served warm, not fridge-cold, with a texture closer to whipped cream than anything I’d made at home. Chasing that texture meant testing more methods than I’d like to admit, including baking soda and painstakingly peeling every chickpea by hand (never again). Here’s what actually made the difference:

  • Use a LOT of tahini: This recipe uses a full half cup for just 2 cups of chickpeas — more than most hummus recipes call for — and that ratio is doing as much work as the food processor time. Less tahini, less creamy, no matter how long you puree.
  • Drizzle in ice-cold water while the chickpeas puree — it’s what gives this hummus its lightest, creamiest texture, more than oil alone ever could.
  • Don’t rush the food processor. Three minutes is longer than most recipes call for, but that extra time is what breaks the chickpeas down into a truly smooth texture.
A plate of creamy hummus drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with paprika, and garnished with fresh parsley, served with pieces of pita bread on the side.
This is the texture ‘ultra-creamy’ should look like — thin enough to fold into a piece of pita, not stiff enough to hold its shape on a spoon.

What you need for herb hummus

  • Chickpeas: Old dried chickpeas are the number one reason homemade hummus turns out grainy instead of smooth — they never fully soften, no matter how long you cook or puree them. Cook dried chickpeas from scratch (buy them from a store with steady turnover) or just use canned: 2 drained 15-ounce cans get you there. Either way, the goal is chickpeas soft enough to break down completely, since any resistance in the bean shows up as texture in the final dip.
  • Fresh herbs: This is what turns plain hummus into herb hummus — a full cup of soft, leafy herbs, not a token handful for looks. I like a mix of cilantro, basil and parsley, but any combination of soft herbs works as long as they’re tender enough to puree completely smooth. Skip anything woody, like rosemary or thyme — they won’t break down in the food processor, and will leave the hummus flecked with stringy bits instead of an even, saturated green mix. Dried herbs are a hard no — they won’t give you the fresh, grassy flavor the whole recipe depends on.
  • Tahini: Look for liquid tahini paste made from hulled Ethiopian sesame seeds — you can bet I’m the one in the grocery store shaking every jar before I buy it. Hulled sesame purees smoother and tastes less bitter than the unhulled kind, which matters here since tahini is half of what gives this hummus its texture. If yours has separated into a hard layer at the bottom, stir it back together well before measuring — a lumpy tahini paste means a lumpy hummus.

More for the mezze table

  • Smear hummus across a platter and top with juicy spiced turkey meatballs for a version of the spread that you can eat for dinner.
  • A bowl of vegetable tabbouleh keeps the fresh-herb thing going — bulgur, parsley and mint echo the herbs in the hummus itself.
  • Spiced chickpea salad comes at the chickpeas from another angle, but they work together beautifully — the salad is cold, lemony and textured with crunchy pita chips, next to hummus’s smooth, whipped version.
A bowl of vibrant green chickpea hummus topped with whole chickpeas, paprika, olive oil, and fresh herbs sits on a light textured surface.
4.96 from 22 ratings

Herb Hummus — Ultra-Creamy Whipped Chickpeas

Karen Tedesco
This is the hummus that ruins store-bought versions for you (maybe forever) — whipped up with a generous amount of tahini and a full cup of fresh herbs, so it's more green than beige. Give the food processor its full three minutes and don't rush the process — that's the whole secret.
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Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients
 

Yield: 3 cups (1/4 cup per serving)

  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (drained)
  • 1 plump chopped garlic clove
  • ½ cup tahini paste
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, plus more if needed
  • 1 cup fresh herbs – I like a mix of cilantro, basil and parsley
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin, optional
  • Fine sea salt
  • Ice cold water, as needed

Garnish

  • Paprika, smoked or sweet
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Equipment

Instructions
 

Make the hummus

  1. Put the chickpeas in a food processor. Add 1 plump chopped garlic clove, ½ cup tahini paste, ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh herbs, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons ground cumin and 1½ teaspoons salt. 
  2. Puree the mixture for least 3 minutes, dribbling in cold water 2 tablespoons at a time until the hummus is velvety smooth.
  3. To serve, scoop some hummus onto a shallow bowl or plate and spread it out with the back of a spoon. To garnish, dust with paprika and drizzle with olive oil.

Notes

This hummus tastes best freshly made, but it holds well refrigerated for up to 5 days.
To cook chickpeas in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker:
  • Put a half pound of dried, unsoaked chickpeas in the pressure cooker pot.
  • Cover with 6 cups water and add 1 teaspoon salt.
  • Cook on high pressure 42 minutes, releasing the pressure naturally. Drain and cool.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 82kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 2g Fat: 8g Sodium: 4mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 0.1g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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