Zahav’s Hummus ‘Tehina’ Recipe (2024)

Be warned that this recipe is NOT as it appears in the book. They've tried to make it simpler, but you can't put this much tahini in a blender! The tahini and lemon juice should be combined *in a bowl*, after the lemon juice has been steeped with the garlic. Use a whisk to combine, adding cold water as needed to thin it out. The texture should be like waffle batter. Then make the hummus in a food processor, not the blender! Use the chickpea cooking water to thin the hummus if you like.

No one has commented on this, but while using baking soda does soften the chickpeas, it also accelerates leaching of many of the vitamins and minerals thus making this dish nutritionally empty. Overnight soaking and sufficient cooking make the chickpeas perfectly soft for making a creamy hummus. Also agree, after making hummus at least once a week for as many years as I can remember I would never use 1 cup tahini for this quantity of chickpeas. 1/4-1/2 c max.

Baking soda helps soften legumes (like chickpeas and beans) more quickly because it creates an alkali environment that weakens the beans’ pectic bonds. The result is super creamy hummus instead of dry & chunky hummus.

If you can get your hands on a jar of Soom tahini, it will make all the difference. It's a local Philly company and I've heard that's what Zahav uses in its amazing hummus.

Way way too much tahini for the chickpeas. The hummus ends up more of a tahini sauce barely held together by chickpeas. As written the recipe has no chickpea favor at all even if the texture is nice. I'd cut the tahini by half and go from there.

If using canned chickpeas be sure to drain them and rinse with hot water. I like to add some cooked beets and/or roasted red pepper to the blender to add taste and color. I make my own tahini, it is really easy to do and is so much cheaper than store bought. It is just sesame seeds and a little oil, ground in a food processor or similiiar machine. I use a Nutri Ninja. Then when the tahini is made I add the rest of the hummus ingredients to the machine.

How about a generous dusting of za'atar instead of paprika? I've found that to be very tasty.

I have found there are big differences in tahini. I bought some Israeli tahini, which was creamy and needed very little ice water. Then I bought some Whole Foods 365 tahini, which was very heavy and no amount of ice water seemed to thin it.

This is truly delicious. I made the recipe as directed, and it came out incredibly smooth and well balanced. I commented below, but I'll mention it here. The recipe calls for one cup DRIED chickpeas which equals three cups cooked. I added close to 2/3 cup water throughout the process which was a little too much by the end.

Highly recommend sumac in place of paprika. Spicy, citrusy and addicting.

It is one cup dried chickpeas. That means three cups cooked chickpeas.

Please tell us how big a serving size is for the nutritional info, not just that it makes 32 servings. That info would require me to measure the final product and divide by 32 to determine the serving size. Nutritional info with a serving size is next to useless.

I use canned all the time in the fiod processor and never peel them. No issues with grittiness or "gas". Recipe I use is basically what mom mom and grandmother used for years. If I have to peel chickpeas to make hummus I'll never make it.

This is so excellent! I made it exactly as described in the recipe. So very very good! Please make it as described!

I’ve been making hummus for over two decades and never made it as smooth and creamy as the versions I had when I lived in Turkey (they warmed it in an earthenware dish!) this recipe matches the Turkish versions and the key is using the soaked chickpeas and a higher ratio of tahini (4 parts chickpeas to 1 parts tahini). I’ve never achieved this consistency with canned and it’s worth the effort.

Just for fun, this is how my mother made hummus, in the 1960s, in USA. Back then, Tahini was not something found at the A&P. Using a blender, canned chick peas (with the liquid) and blue cheese salad dressing.

This really is a hummus of distinction. However - do not attempt this using a blender. There is not enough liquid, and if you add enough to make the blender churn, the result will go beyond creamy to downright runny. I stopped before it got there, and transferred the work into my food processor. Creamy, but holds up nicely.

I used 1 can of chickpeas, shelled in water then boiled for about 30 mins. 1/4c tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 small clove of garlic (any more would have been overpowering) and added paprika. Next time I would leave out the cumin, it's not my favorite in hummus. Finally a hummus recipe I will use again!

Any tips for making this ahead of time for a dinner party? Store it warm, serve it cold, reheat?

Remember 2/3 c COLD water

I get the ice cube/water method, but really, just use some of the chickpea cooking liquid. It' more flavor.

A cup of a tehina? That’s way too much for a cup of chickpeas. Perhaps 1/4 of a cup of tehina would suffice. Truth be told I much prefer Yotam Ottolenghi’s hummus recipe. It’s simpler and comes out perfect every single time.

Awesome recipe. I like the chicken peas better with a little bit of firmness left after cooking. 40 min cooking seems fine for that. Also I go easy on the water added to the tahini initially. Again, this allows me to preserve a slightly more "grainy" structure at the end.

I skip step 3 and use food processor instead of blender. Throw everything at once (except the water)in the processor and it would be hasslefree. Add some water once everything is smooth and continue to blend in the food processor. I prefer it little runny because it tends to dry once cool. I add zaatar and paprika after drizzling with olive oil for a colorful look and add pitted kalamata olives around the serving platter - it certainly makes it more instagramable!

Only need 1/4 C - 1/2 C of tahini

This hummus is very creamy, but wasn’t flavorful enough for me. I made a drizzle with olive oil, salt, diced parsley, & minced garlic and poured it over the hummus. Delicious!

I’ve tried many, many recipes over the years. This is now my favorite. I use canned chick peas, so I skip the overnight soaking. So amazingly creamy and delightful!

Wonderful smooth hummus! I followed the recipe and the proportions worked out perfectly for my food processor with the additional water. I added additional lemon for flavor and added a sprinkle of Za'atar.