Homemade hummus and I had a love-hate relationship in the kitchen for a while. It should be so easy, but yet it never was. There’s a zillion recipes out there but for some reason each attempt would turn out just… blehhh. Too oily, too grainy, odd after-taste… you name it and sadly, I’ve made it.

Not anymore.

We sorted our issues out about a year ago and I’ve been making this recipe ever since and I do declare, it is fool-proof. It’s shaved countless dollars off my grocery bill, the texture is perfectly smooth and my-oh-my does it taste good!

Here’s what you need:

1/2 a Vidalia Onion, 1 can Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas), 1/2 a Lemon, all the Garlic you own, and Sesame Tahini

First things first, give your onion a rough chop. It doesn’t have to be perfect or tiny seeing as how you’re going to blend it anyway.

Now toss those into your favorite sauté pan with a drizzle of oil and a quick sprinkle of sugar (caramelized onions… is there anything better?)…

…crank it up to medium-high and let them go. I’m secretly already jealous of how your kitchen smells.

My mom always told me if you don’t wash beans really well before using them so they’ll taste like the inside of a can… I took her on her word and have rinsed them ever since so…. go ahead and do that. But wait! Before you dump them, you know that rather gross water-liquid-substance that’s in the can with your little beans? Measure out 1/2 cup and dump it in the blender. It will help everything blend smoothly without having to add copious amount of oil.

P.S. Forget to take a picture of this step.

P.P.S Also forget to take a picture of the garlic. You’ll have to imagine my 5 giant cloves. “Too much garlic” is a phrase you’ll never hear me say and if I had more there’s no telling when I would have stopped.

Next….

Grab your favorite measuring spoons , you know the ones your boyfriend got you in Vegas? Stir up your tahini (it’s like natural peanut butter, but made from sesame seeds so the oil is on top), and portion out two tablespoons into the blender.

Remember that 1/2 a lemon from before? Show it some love like this and then chuck the rind.

I swear my wrists aren’t as rotund as that image would have you believe.

By now your kitchen is smelling all sorts of heavenly, which means your onions are finished and looking something like this,

Let them rest and cool off a bit before adding them to the blender. If you eat them all, then there won’t be any left for your hummus and you’ll be one sad lady (or gent!)…you just have to trust me on this.

And then it’s all in there! Give it a nice pinch of salt and your work is done.

After a quick whirl, it will look something like this.

Perfectly smooth. Perfectly salty. And perfect, perfectly delicious.

The best part of this recipe is that it’s a bit of a blank canvas. Don’t be afraid to add some other flavors, chipotle peppers, roasted eggplant… the options are endless!

Hummus is good up to a week in the fridge… though mine never last that long Enjoy!