Can You Freeze Hummus? With This Recipe, You Can!

Growing up in a Middle Eastern family, homemade hummus was a staple in our household. It was perfectly normal for this dish to show up at pretty much every family gathering. Over time, hummus caught on as a popular dip and now there's a ton of versions that include everything from red pepper to chocolate and even beets! I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to homemade hummus and almost always stick to my mom's original recipe.

Did you know that you can freeze your own hummus? You can make a huge batch of it and freeze it in half-cup or 1-cup portions. Hummus is the perfect compliment to veggies, you can spread it on a sandwich, or you can use it as a dip for your pita bread. My absolute favorite is to top the hummus with sauteed mushrooms as it tastes delicious.

What's your favorite way to eat hummus? Comment below.

Favorite Ways to Eat Hummus

• Serve in a plate and top with sauteed mushrooms, serve with pita
• As a dip for vegetables and pretzels
• Spread in a sandwich
• With Falafel

Canned versus Dried Beans

Growing up, we always made hummus with canned beans. It's definitely the easiest method. I've made hummus from dried garbanzo beans and didn't notice any difference in flavor to justify all the extra steps and effort. However, I know it might also be more difficult during COVID-19 times to find canned beans.

You can definitely buy dried garbanzo beans and soak them. If you choose to do that instead, here's a few extra steps you'll want to take:

• Soak overnight in large bowl of water
• Boil the drained garbanzo beans with fresh water and baking soda (~40min)
• Drain the garbanzo beans

Let's Talk Tahini

Tahini is made from ground up sesame seeds. If you have never had it before, it is incredibly creamy and nutty. The bottom of the jar is very thick so you want to make sure you give it a really good stir before using. You can find tahini in a lot of grocery stores these days and even online. However, if you're struggling to find some, here's a great recipe from Lisa Bryan over at Downshiftology for how to make your own tahini at home. All you'll need is sesame seeds and olive oil - it's that easy to make!

If you end up making your own homemade tahini, I recommend freezing it in our half-cup trays so it lasts longer and is easier to defrost in small portions.

How to Make Freezer-Friendly Hummus

First, gather and prep ingredients

This recipe calls for 2 15.5oz cans of garbanzo beans.

Then, blend tahini, lemon juice, salt, and ice water until smooth

My mom prefers to use a food processor but I also occasionally use our Vitamix blender. You can use either. I'm sure an immersion blender would work too.

Additionally, you can also add 2 cloves of garlic (I prefer it roasted)

Now add rinsed garbanzo beans, olive oil, and cumin

We always make sure to rinse and drain the garbanzo beans to reduce some of the sodium from the salty water they sit in to preserve them in the can. You don't have to rinse the garbanzo beans but you will need to strain out the water before adding it to the food processor or blender.

I also recommend using a rubber spatula to scrape down the tahini from the previous step.

Make sure to blend until smooth

If the hummus is a bit too thick, add an extra tablespoon of ice-cold water and then blend again. Continue to add a tablespoon of water until you have reached your desired consistency.

Final step! Spoon onto a bowl or plate, add optional garnishes

My mom loves to include olive oil, paprika, and a sprig of parsley on top of her hummus. Sometimes, my mom will add whole garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained) to the top of the hummus for chunkier consistency.

I love adding olive oil and sauteed mushrooms. 

Hummus will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I recommend taking it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to use it.

Have leftover hummus? Freeze to enjoy for later.

If we have more hummus, I tend to freeze it in a Souper Cubes freezer-safe container in half-cup portions since it's enough for one person. If Jake and I both want hummus with our meal, then I'll typically take a full cup of hummus out of the freezer bag. I recommend freezing hummus without any toppings.

To serve again, here are some ways to defrost hummus:

1. Place in a bowl or plate and let it thaw on the counter for a couple of hours with a cover, then stir together and place in refrigerator until you're ready to eat hummus
2. Place in a bowl or plate and thaw hummus overnight in the refrigerator
3. Place in a microwave-safe bowl or plate and heat up in 20-second intervals until you have thawed hummus. Mix together.