Hummus

A low FODMAP hummus of well-rinsed canned chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic-infused olive oil, and cumin.

Prep 10 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 8

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) chickpeas, drained and very well rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups / 240 g drained)
• 1/3 cup (80 g) tahini, well stirred
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
• 3 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, as needed
• Smoked or sweet paprika, to finish (optional)

Instructions

Rinse

1. Tip the can of chickpeas into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water for 30 to 45 seconds, tossing with your fingers. Do not save the liquid from the can.
2. Shake off excess water and let the chickpeas drain while you set up the food processor.

Whip the tahini

1. Add the tahini and lemon juice to a food processor. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping down the sides once or twice, until the mixture turns pale, thick, and fluffy. This is what makes the hummus smooth.

Blend

1. Add the chickpeas, garlic-infused oil, salt, and cumin. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides, until smooth.
2. With the motor running, stream in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the hummus is light and spreadable.
3. Taste and adjust: more salt, more lemon, or another splash of oil.

Serve

1. Spread into a shallow bowl, make a well in the center with the back of a spoon, and drizzle with a little extra garlic-infused oil. Dust with paprika if using.

Tips & Substitutions

• Keep the serving to 1/8 of the batch. That's about 1/4 cup of hummus, made from roughly 30 g of chickpeas, under the Monash low FODMAP serve for rinsed canned chickpeas (about ⅓ cup (80g)). See is hummus low FODMAP? for more on portions.
• Pair with low FODMAP dippers. Cucumber rounds, carrot sticks, and endive leaves work at snack-size portions, as do plain corn tortilla chips (about 1 cup per person) or rice crackers with no onion or garlic on the label.
• Most store-bought hummus has raw garlic. Sabra, Cedar's, and other supermarket brands use fresh garlic, which is high in fructans; fructans don't dissolve into oil, so garlic-infused oil gives the flavor without them.
• Flavor variations. Blend in 1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers (check the label for garlic), swap half the lemon for lime with 2 tablespoons cilantro, or add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika.
• Thin with ice water, not the can liquid. The canning liquid holds the FODMAPs that leached out of the chickpeas, which is why you discard it and rinse.
• Warm the chickpeas for extra creamy. Simmer the rinsed chickpeas in fresh water for 10 minutes before blending to soften the skins.

Why This Works

Rinsing the chickpeas. FODMAPs leach into the canning liquid, and rinsing clears most of them off, which is why rinsed canned chickpeas are low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (80g) while dried chickpeas cooked from scratch test higher. See are chickpeas low FODMAP? for the breakdown.

One-eighth of the batch per serving. One can split across 8 portions puts each serving under the Monash canned chickpea serve. Portion onto individual plates if you're sharing.

Tahini well within its serve. Monash lists tahini as low FODMAP at about 1 tablespoon (20g) per serve, and the 1/3 cup in this batch comes to just under 1 tablespoon per portion.

Garlic-infused oil instead of raw garlic. Fructans dissolve in water, not oil, so the garlic flavor moves into the oil and the fructans stay behind in the strained-out solids.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days at 40°F (4°C) or below. The top will darken slightly; stir in a little fresh oil before serving. Hummus doesn't freeze well because the tahini separates on thaw.