Creamy Hummus Recipe: Stovetop or Instant Pot

This recipe for flavorful and creamy hummus can be made in the instant pot or on the stovetop. A Smoky and spicy walnut topping makes this hummus appetizer just that much more delicious!

You know you have those go-to foods in your home that you enjoy regularly. We have several food items that I picked up every week back in the day. Since our forced staycation, with limited trips to the grocery store, I’ve had to make some of our regular favs.

One of those items that were on our regular grocery list was hummus. I would buy a big tub of it at Costco every week to ten days.

As fate had it, I had all the ingredients I needed to make this delicious and creamy hummus recipe; dried chickpeas or garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and cumin.

Let’s do a quick pause and clarify that chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same exact thing, the only difference is that ‘garbanzo’ is just more fun to say!

I have made hummus in the past, and while always tasty, it is hard to get it as smooth as we like. And, this part I’m going to whisper because I’m a tad embarrassed by it; I even sat down once and took all the skins off of the cooked garbanzo beans as directed by some hummus authority somewhere.

And yes, when I removed the skins, it did result in creamier hummus, but…really?

I did it once and I’m not going to do it again.

So, what’s a hummus loving gal supposed to do to get the creamiest hummus possible, short of sitting in a closet peeling the skins off of chickpeas?

Brine your beans!

I did some research and discovered that soaking or brining dried beans in water and salt results in softer skins. It has to do with sodium ions replacing calcium ions, which then permits more water into the skin. If we aren’t going to remove the skins, we can at least make those skins softer, resulting in a creamier hummus when processed.

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If you have an Instant Pot, now is a great time to use it for a delicious Instant Pot Hummus. My Instant Pot gets a workout cooking beans! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t fret. You can still make this on your stovetop.

Creamy Hummus with Smoky Walnut Topping

Yield: 7 cups

Soaking Time: 1 day

Cook Time: 1 hour

Processing Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

A creamy and flavorful hummus topped with smoky and spicy walnuts.

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Ingredients

For the Hummus:

• 1 pound dried garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• 2-3 quarts of water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6-12 cloves of garlic (6 will make a very mild garlicky hummus...adjust per your taste)
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 3/4 cup tahini

For the Spiced Walnut Topping:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 peeled garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Rinse and sort garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2. Combine dried beans, salt, and water in a bowl to soak for 24 hours. Make sure the water covers the beans by 2-3 inches, adding more water as needed to keep the beans covered by water
3. Drain the chickpeas, but don't rinse them. Discard the soaking water.
4. Add chickpeas to your instant pot and cover with 6 cups of cold water
5. Cook the beans for 35 minutes at high pressure by setting your instant pot to MANUAL and HIGH for 35 minutes. If you are cooking on the stovetop, bring your beans to a boil and then let them simmer for 90 minutes, until very tender.
6. Let Instant Pot naturally release, which should take about 35-40 minutes.
7. Make sure you reserve the cooking liquid when you drain the chickpeas.
8. Coarsely chop the garlic and put it in your blender or food processor with 2/3 cup of lemon juice. Just let it sit there for at least 10 minutes.
9. Add the tahini, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the garlic and lemon juice and process for a minute or two until light and fluffy.
10. Add the cooked garbanzo beans and process for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary.
11. Use the reserved aquafaba (garbanzo bean cooking liquid) to thin the hummus to the desired consistency, adding just a wee bit at a time. Process for 5 minutes until very smooth.
12. This makes a lot of hummus (about 7 cups); it freezes great. I freeze a jar of the aquafaba as well, using it to 'freshen up' the hummus as necessary.

For the Walnut Topping:

1. Add all ingredients to your food processor, pulsing until just combined. I like to have bits of walnuts as opposed to a smooth puree...it's up to you.
2. This walnut topping freezes well, too. Freeze it in a separate container.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade, Self-Cleaning 64 oz Container, Black - 001372
• 
  Cuisinart FP-11SV Elemental Food Processor, Silver
• 
  Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 3.5 ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 684mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

It would be great if you could take a minute and leave a comment below, as well as how many stars you think it deserves. Help other readers by asking any questions you have or sharing any modifications to the recipe. I'd love to hear how you served it! If you are on Instagram, then tag @nourishandnestle on Instagram and hashtag it #nourishandnestle! Many Thanks

So there you have it my friends, a creamy hummus that won’t require you to do silly things, like remove skins from garbanzo beans!

And this hummus served alongside Marinated Castelvetrano Olives or Roasted Olives with Feta makes a lovely, Mediterranean inspired array of appetizers. Chances are, you won’t even need to cook dinner for the night!

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Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!