This Instant Pot Hummus comes together in a little over an hour and is full of savory flavor! You do not have to soak the beans, meaning you can make it the same day. The instant pot does all the work for you!
Dips are some of my favorite recipes to make! With endless options like baked clam dip, sweet and spicy cranberry jalapeno dip, caramel apple cheesecake dip, whipped feta with honey dip, and roasted garlic and eggplant dip, I always have an option on hand for snacking.
My kids love pairing them with dippers like sourdough crackers with herbs and olive oil, sourdough bread, or veggies. However, I have over 40 ideas for what to dip with hummus that I rotate!
Cheap and easy, this recipe comes together in a single day without the need to soak the beans. Plus, you can make double or triple the amount of store-bought for a portion of the cost, and you can control the ingredients and flavor. It will be a family favorite, and you’ll never go back to pre-made options again!
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A Little Background on Hummus
Hummus has been around for centuries. It is a Middle Eastern dish that is traditionally served with pita bread. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, were one of the first legumes ever harvested. As a result, they have been incorporated into a variety of recipes.
Original hummus recipes combined lemon juice, olive oil, and chickpeas to create a simple dip. Over the years, the dip has morphed into the slightly more complex versions we use today.
Today, basic hummus tastes savory with a distinct nuttiness. However, you can find it in just about every supermarket in every different flavor, including spicy hummus, dill pickle hummus, and even chocolate!
Ingredients to Gather
Homemade hummus comes together with just a few pantry staple ingredients!
- Chickpeas. The base of the dip. Use dried chickpeas, not canned varieties.
- Garlic cloves and onion. Add a pungent, savory taste.
- Salt. Don't skip this! It enhances the rest of the ingredients and prevents your hummus from being bland.
- Tahini. This is a spread made with sesame seeds that adds a rich nutty flavor and helps create the smooth, creamy consistency we want. Find it in the nut butter or ethnic sections of your local grocery store.
- Lemon juice. Adds a bright, refreshing flavor. Freshly squeezed is best!
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Instant Pot Hummus
- Step 1: Rinse the chickpeas under running water.
- Step 2: Add the chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, onion, 4 cups of water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Then, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda. This will make the skins of the chickpeas incredibly soft so they easily blend later on.
- Step 3: Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for a cook time of 1 hour. Then, let it naturally release for 30 minutes.
- Step 4: While the Instant Pot is naturally releasing, pour the lemon juice into a high-speed blender or food processor. Then, add 4 garlic cloves. Let the mixture sit until the natural release is complete. The lemon will help reduce the pungency of the garlic.
- Step 5: After the Instant Pot is done releasing, carefully open the lid. Drain the chickpeas over a bowl so you can save the liquid. Try to fish out the onion, and throw it out. It may have cooked down to nothing. If that's the case do not worry about getting all the pieces out. Check the chickpeas for doneness. They should be tender!
- Step 6: Add the chickpeas to the blender, and blend for about 1 minute before adding the tahini. Blend again until well combined. The mixture will be very thick!
- Step 7: When the hummus is to the thickness that you desire, serve immediately topped with extra virgin olive oil, chopped parsley, and sprinkle with paprika. If not serving immediately, place it in an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Lynn's Tip!
Add ¼ cup of water at a time t to thin out the hummus mixture. Keep blending until you are happy with the texture. I like mine a little thicker. So, I added ¾ cup of the leftover cooking liquid. Remember, you can always add more liquid, but you can't take it back.
Variations
This hummus is delicious just the way it is, but you can add lots of spices to make it different every time!
- Everything Bagel Hummus - Add 1 tablespoon of Everything Bagel seasoning to the food processor when blending the chickpeas.
- Spicy Hummus - For a little bit of extra kick and heat!
- Roasted Garlic Hummus - Roast a head of garlic and add it to the food processor when blending the chickpeas.
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - Add a small jar of roasted red peppers, drained, to the food processor with the chickpeas.
- Sundried Tomato Hummus - Add 2 tablespoons of drained sundried tomatoes to the food processor.
- Dill Pickle Hummus - For a little extra zing for the pickle lovers in your house!
How To Make Instant Pot Hummus Extra Creamy
The key to making creamy hummus is to deal with the skins of the chickpeas. A lot of places will suggest pealing them individually. I wasn't about that.
First, it's a lot of work. Those chickpeas are tiny!
Second, those chickpeas are hot! It's nearly impossible to peel them all when they are scorching hot. I'm impatient. So, I didn't want to wait the extra time to let them cool, then handle them, then peel each and puree them.
Instead, I added a half teaspoon of baking soda to the pressure cooker, and it made the skins super soft. When you puree them they don't add a course texture, they basically disintegrate into the hummus. Perfect!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but you don't need to cook canned chickpeas. So, you'll want to skip cooking and simply blend the ingredients.
Leftover hummus will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes! Hummus freezes beautifully! Place the cooled hummus into an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months Thaw in the fridge overnight when you're ready to serve.
When researching the best way to make hummus, a lot of people soaked the beans overnight. You can do this, but you don't have to. When making Instant Pot Hummus, add extra salt to rehydrate the beans and to cook them fully so you don't have to worry about soaking them overnight.
Other Recipes To Try
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Hummus
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried Chickpeas
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 1 Onion Peel and cut in half
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups Water
- ½ cup Tahini
- ¼ cup Lemon juice Juice of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Rinse the chickpeas under running water.
- Add the chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, onion, 4 cups of water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the Instant pot as well. This will make the skins of the chick peas incredibly soft so they easily blend in the blender later on.
- Turn the Instant Pot on high for 1 hour. Then let it naturally release for 30 minutes.
- While the Instant Pot is naturally releasing, get a high speed blender or a food processor and pour the lemon juice and the 4 garlic cloves into the bottom. Let that sit until the natural release is complete. The lemon will help reduce the pungency of the garlic.
- After the Instant Pot is done releasing, carefully open the lid. Drain the chick peas over a bowl so you can save the liquid. Try to fish out the onion and throw it out. It may have cooked down to nothing, and if that's the case do not worry about getting all the pieces out. Check the chick peas for doneness.
- Add the chick peas to the blender and blend that for about 1 minutes. Then add the tahini. Blend that again. The mixture will be very thick. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid to the blender to thin out the mixture. Add it ¼ cup at a time as to not make it too runny from the cooking liquid. Keep blending until you are happy with the texture. I like mine a little thicker, so I added ¾ cup of the cooking liquid. You can always add more liquid, but you can't take it back.
- When the hummus is to the thickness that you desire, serve immediately and top with extra virgin olive oil, chopped parsley, and sprinkle with paprika. If not serving immediately, place it in an air tight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Notes
- The baking soda in the Instant Pot will allow the skins to come off the chickpeas easily and blend into a creamy dip.
- Hummus will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Leslie says
There is a lot of tahini in this recipe!
Typically I see 1 can of chickpeas and 2 T of tahini in recipes. It is an expensive ingredient so I would like to know if this is correct and how much hummus the recipe makes? 3 cups?
lynnswayoflife says
Yes! It is a lot of tahini, but this recipe makes over 3 cups of hummus. I was able to fill a large plastic takeout container full of hummus. This recipe would still be delicious if you wanted to use 3/4 or 1/2 cup and then add more if you needed.
Chris says
what is the red on top of your hummus in this photo?
I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks.
lynnswayoflife says
I topped this hummus with sun dried tomatoes, but that is totally optional!