I love a good hummus, particularly sprouted hummus, but many of the versions I’ve tried are, well, painfully gritty and dull in flavor. For me, hummus should be something luxuriant, with a smooth texture and a rich flavor pronounced by the earthiness of chickpeas, the fruitiness of olive oil and with a sparkle of fresh lemon.
But, again, most hummus that I find either in restaurants (Jerusalem in Denver, you’re the blessed exception) or in the refrigerated cases at my local health food store offer a texture that is at once both pasty and gritty, with a dull, watery flavor that lacks the much-needed punch of brightness that both extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice provide.
It’s a sad, sad thing.
About Garbanzo Beans
Garbanzo beans, AKA chickpeas, are a beige-colored legume with a heart-like shape. Like most legumes, Garbanzo beans are rich in B vitamins, particularly folate, thiamin and B6. They’re also a good source of minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. Their flavor is buttery, and earthy, and that characteristic earthiness is beautifully offset by spices, and chile peppers in particular.
Where to Find US-Grown, Farm-Direct Garbanzo Beans
I favor buying farm-direct, where possible, not only because of the accountability those relationships offer, but also because doing so ensures I purchase and feed my family the freshest possible product. This, of course, can be difficult for ingredients like whole grains and pulses, as these growers don’t typically sell at farmers markets, and the bulk bins at health food stores seem like the most reliable source.
The only problems are that, I don’t know how long the beans and grains have been sitting in those bulk bins, and I certainly don’t know where, specifically, they came from.
Track Your Food Down to the Field Where It Was Grown
I recently started working with Palouse Brand, who is sponsoring this post. They’re a grower out of Washington that specializes in identity-preserved garbanzo beans, wheat berries, split peas and lentils. They not only produce a beautiful, and wholesome product, but they also offer such transparency that you can track your purchase of pulses or grains down to the field where they were grown.
Why Identity Preservation Matters
This is a process known as identity preserving (read about it here), is a process of such detailed record keeping that you can track conditions, seed date, harvest date, and even varietal.
Before I made my sprouted grain hummus, I plugged in the lot number for my bag of garbanzo beans and learned that the beans in my bag were the Sierra variety, seeded in April of 2013 and harvested in the fall. You can see it for yourself here. Pretty cool.
You can support this level of authenticity and transparency, when you make purchases from companies and farms that employ Identity Preservation, like Palouse Brand.
Making Sprouted Hummus
Beyond knowing where your food comes from, there’s benefit in preparing it so that you optimize the quality of nutrition it can provide your body, and the flavors, and texture it can present at your table. I tend to favor sprouted hummus for a variety of reasons as soaking and sprouting pulses like garbanzo beans makes them easier to digest, and deactivates components that can make minerals contained in the beans otherwise difficult to absorb.
The Secret to Super Creamy Hummus
So, if you’re like me, and you absolutely deplore gritty, pasty hummus, there’s a few tricks to getting the absolute best results. First, work from dry beans and, failing sprouting them, be sure to soak them overnight, as the flavor is superb and less gritty compared to canned beans. Second, make sure to remove the papery skin that envelops the cooked chickpea (you can simply pinch the cooked bean and it slips right off) as this skin can also make your hummus gritty. Lastly, don’t make the mistake of watering down your hummus, and, instead, use plenty of olive oil which will make a smooth, velvety emulsification.
| Sprouted Hummus with Garlic and Chiles | Print |
- ½ cup dried Palouse Brand Garbanzo Beans (buy them here)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 minced serrano pepper, optional
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (see sources)
- Rinse the garbanzo beans, and pick out any loose bits of debris. Place them in a bowl, and cover them with warm water by two inches. Cover, and allow them to soak at least 18 and up to 24 hours. Drain the beans and rinse them well.
- Pour the beans into a fine-mesh sieve or into a sprouting jar (available here). Rinse and drain the beans two to three times a day for two to three days, or until the sprouts barely emerges from the tip of the bean.
- Rinse the beans well, and pour them into a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue simmering the beans for 1½ hours, or until tender. Drain and rinse well in cold water.
- Slip the papery skin that envelops the garbanzo beans off, and place the beans into the basin of a food processor. Add the garlic, serrano pepper, lemon juice, salt and tahini. Pulse for ten seconds until the ingredients are loosely blended.
- Pour the olive oil into the feeder tube, so it drips into the basin of the food processor in a slow and thin stream, and process until the olive oil is spent and the hummus is well-emulsified. Serve immediately, or spoon into an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge about a week.
Question regarding sprouting and then cooking. Would you not be destroying all the benefits of a sprouted food once heated above a certain point?
Thank you..
No. The point of sprouting is to release minerals and improve digestibility. Minerals aren’t affected by heat, and cooked chickpeas are still a source of vitamins. Raw pulses and grains, even sprouted, are very difficult to digest. But it’s a really good question. What is damaged by heat is food enzymes, but that’s why it’s important to eat a wide variety if foods prepared a wide variety of ways.
Thank you for this extremely helpful response! Have been wondering the same for many moons.
Anytime you cook something, you kill both it and the nutrition it provides.
🙂
There are some foods, such as kale and spinach, that must be cooked to release acids that inhibit nutrient absorption. A totally raw diet is taxing on the digestive system.
Any trick to removing the skins? I’ve tried it before and it just takes too long to remove them one at a time from a whole batch.
I’m wondering the thing.
My question exactly!
seems like almost too much work to take the skins off every bean. Is that a joke, like poking a whole in every bean to avoid the gas it causes?
To remove the skins, I will try to use a food mill. I own a Victorio strainer which I’ve been using for the past 5 years to make a lot of applesauce fast, so that design should work for garbanzo beans too! I am excited to try it!
For a couple of pounds or less, I just let the softened beans float in water in a large aluminum bowl and handle them for a minute. The skins really do slide off and float to the top of the water. A 5 minute job max and totally worth it.
Perfect timing! I picked up a recipe for fermented hummus from a fermentation workshop a couple weeks ago and had been researching to find out whether I should soak the garbanzo beans with some whey or sprout them before making hummus and then Voila! Your post appeared! Thanks, Jenny! And thank you for sharing the wisdom and skills most of us didn’t get from our mothers.
Hi! I love your site! I do have a question about your hummus. Is there a reason why you don’t incorporate tahini?
The recipe does include it! So either it was a typo that is now fixed or you just missed it. It calls for 2 T. =)
Wondering how to pick skins of easily. It is quite a chore and therefore I stopped doing it.
Also, Is the source you use to purchase these pesticide free?
Thanks!
I’m wondering if the only trouble with leaving the skins on would be a little grittiness or would it really make it terrible?
It doesn’t make it terrible by any means– certainly still yummy without taking off the skins, but it does improve the texture to remove them. It just makes the hummus more creamy and smooth– basically it’s the difference between good and great.
I know people who leave the skins on and others who remove them. I usually fall somewhere in the middle – I pick them off until I get bored (usually about half way through), and then I just throw them all in a blender. Like the commenter before said, peeling just affects the texture of the hummus (though there could be some nutritional issue I don’t know about).
On a side note, one thing I like to do with hummus is (if you’re using good quality olive oil) to drizzle a pool of olive oil on top instead of adding it all to the hummus itself so that you’re able to really taste the oil. I also sometimes make a meal of hummus by cooking up some toasted pine nuts mixed with sauteed ground beef/lamb, diced/minced onion, and spices (allspice, cinnamon, salt, pepper). Then I serve the meat mixture on top of the hummus with warm pita and salad on the side, yummm.
Thank you for this article! I have never heard of such a thing but now I will request it. P.s. I’ve found that adding a little sour cream is a good is really good for hummus!
HI! I love following your blog and recipes. Thank you for enriching us. In this one I had to smile and write as I lived in Denver, near Jerusalem in when going to Grad school. I had their hummus, pita and veggies no less than 3 times a week when heading to class. I love it! Thank you for igniting such a fond memory for my taste buds 🙂
liz
Thank you for a great article. It’s always nice to read anything about glorious hummus. But frankly, removing the skins from the garbanzos is exceedingly laborious and unnecessary. I worked as a chef in an Israeli restaurant where some of the best hummus I’ve ever eaten was produced fresh daily. We NEVER removed the skins and it was the smoothest, silkiest most voluptuous hummus I’ve tasted anywhere, bar none. Never was there even a hint of grittiness. My homemade version is just as smooth. I think what matters most is to neither over nor under cook the beans, and, as you stated, be very generous with the olive oil and refrain from adding any more than a tablespoon or two of water. Also, I think people greatly underestimate how long it takes a food processor or blender to break down and transform the beans into hummus. It takes much longer than you think! Even our heavy-duty restaurant equipment did not whiz through this task effortlessly, and it’s even harder for consumer appliances. People have burned out their blender motors making hummus. Be patient. Stop the machine often, scrape down the sides and stir from the bottom. You want to incorporate all the mixture thoroughly so it flows evenly through the blades. Take your time, and you will produce silken manna to swoon over.
I used to work at a Lebanese restaurant for about a year (better than Jerusalem’s) and the trick is to dissolve the skins instead of removing them. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon to water during the cooking process. Makes a world of difference!
Add a 1/2 tsp of what??
I believe Alyssa meant Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), it “softens” the water and make them more basic than acid.
In that environment the skins of the beans are dissolved. This is a technique being used in many places in the Middle East. There are many pro and cons but it does the job 🙂
Be’teavon & Bon Apetite!
Amit
I read that this kills the nutrients though. Research it. (relates to softening all beans)
Does using a pressure cooker to cook the beans affect the taste or texture in any way ?
I made this recipe and it is awesome!!! To help remove the skins I put the cooked Garbanzo beans in a bowl with cold water and scooped the skins out with a slotted spoon as they floated around. and then I would stir the beans around to get the skins to come up and scoop some more. I don’t think I got all of them but I got most. And this seemed to speed the process a bit. Great hummus recipe! Thank you!
I have sprouted my beans a few times since reading your recipe, however this time my beans smell sour even after repeated rinsing and cooking. Is this normal and part of the fermentation process or should I toss them and start over?
I’ve read recipes that say to purée the beans while warm for the smoothest hummus.
I made hummus from sprouted beans once before and the final product came out bitter. What did I do wrong? TIA
My favorite part about cooking garbanzos is listening to them pop during the first several hours of soaking. 🙂 My method. Soak for about 36 hours (changing the water several times), then cook slowly until nearly done, then pressure can in pint jars. (I do not add salt to the pot on the stove, rather I add a half teaspoon to each pint as it is filled.). The canning finishes cooking them to creamy perfection and I have properly prepared beans with all the convenience of a can. I do at least five pounds at a time this way to fill the canner and make the extra effort worth while.
I never cook garbanzo beans and mine took forever to cook. I had it on the burner for 3 hours and still super starchy and then moved it to the slow cooker for 11 hours. I did soak for 24 hours and waited about 4 days to sprout. Is this normal? Thanks!
If it takes that long, usually either (or both) of two factors are at play: #1) your beans are old, or #2) you’re at high altitude and beans take forever to cook at high altitude.
To remove skins put the chickpeas in a bowl of cold water then scoop some in your hands and rub your hands together with the chickpeas still in your hands then drop them back in bowl. Keep doing this and the skins should float to the top
I got busy this weekend and most of my beans have a 1″ sprout or so. Any downsides to still using them?
So good!! Made a batch and then made a double batch. I’m going to feed it to my veggie/ bean hesitant friend this weekend. I’m trying to teach her to diversify her diet. So good. I had a pretty easy time removing the skin. When rinsing them with cold water I scrubbed at them with my hand and about half the skins came off. The others I pinched one at a time and they pop right out of the skins. Takes 5 minutes and the effort is worth it because this hummus is so much better than the hummus I have made in the past where I skipped this step.
Another method: quick and easy, no soaking and no need to remove skins.
Cook 8 cups chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Bring to the boil and (very important!) remove any froth that appears before fixing the pressure lid. After 30 minutes pressure cooking turn off heat and let sit for a few hours.
Drain water and keep aside then place the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl.
Use a ‘stick’ blender to mince and combine the chickpeas with 2 cups fresh lemon juice & pulp, 1cup chopped fresh garlic and 2 cups tahini. Take your time blending and add a few spoons of cooking water if necessary. The blender will feel hot after a few minutes; give it a rest until cool. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Fill containers with the hummus. Freezes well. Add chilli, olive oil, herbs etc before serving.
I’m wondering if I can sprout a large batch of the garbanzo beans, she’ll, cook, and freeze so I can just pull them out and make a quick hummus easily. Does anyone know rather this would affect the flavor or nutrients of the hummus? Secondly, I’m relatively new to sprouting at home. The sprouts themselves do not go into the recipe, correct? I’m imagining they would come off during shelling anyways…
That should say “shell” not she’ll – autocorrect, sorry!
Hi Kaitlin,
You can sprout, cook and freeze your chickpeas. I often do this, not for making hummus, but for other beans. And, yes, the sprouts go into the hummus.
Hi Jenny, I bought beans from your recommended website, and I followed the directions, rinsing my beans three times a day for 3 days. By the morning of day 3 Not all by beans sprouted, and the smell was pretty horrible. I live in Los Angeles, and the temperature inside my house during the day is about 78, and dips to about 70 at night. Does the foul smell indicate the process has been done wrong, or is that a normal fermentation side effect? Thank you!
Hi Reale!
It probably smells faintly like vomit and the top has is kind of milky and foamy, right? If you soak beans for a longer period of time (longer than 8-18 hours), they’ll start to ferment and they smell foul. Good news is that, as long as no mold appears, you should be able to rinse them off and cook them, and they’ll be just fine – and extra easy to digest.
While in the sprouting process, do I have to worry about mold growing? I’ve heard with beans you need to add a bit of vinegar to the water, is this true?
Hi Rachel,
Mold is a potential in sprouted foods if you don’t actively stir the chickpeas as you sprout them.
Thanks for a great recipe and clear instructions.
How can I extend the shelf life of hummus in the refrigerator?, Are there any health supplements preservatives in order to solve this issue?
Thanks, Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
I don’t know. Maybe google, “How to extend shelf life of hummus?”
Ok so I think some of my beans were soaking too long because they got mushy and slimy. I picked them out and rinsed the rest well. They are cooking now. Do you think that they will be ok? They should be safe after cooking, right? I guess I will let you know how they turn out!
I follow the directions exactly and used a sprouting jar. I rinsed the beans several times a day. At the moment they have been simmering on the stove for the last hour and the smell is incredibly pungent. I’m concerned that during the process they have gone bad. I don’t know if this is normal or not or if they are safe to consume. Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated.
I soaked my chickpeas and most of the sprouts are pretty long stems, do I take the stems off before cooking or just keep them on?
You might use them for a salad, but when sprouts are VERY long they’re not good for hummus.