Traditional Turkish Hummus

I love hummus.

It’s so creamy.

So smoooooooth.

It hits all the flavors that will make your eyes widen with delight and will transport you to a faraway place.

Hummus is a favorite Mediterranean dish that loved all around the world. It’s perfect to serve at parties as a dip or spread or use it to add flavor to sandwiches. It’s a delicious, healthy snack thank can be used as a dip for fresh crisp veggies such as carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, zucchini sticks, yellow squash sticks, red pepper strips and broccolini.

You can also use hummus as a condiment for wraps like this or this, mushroom stuffing, and sandwiches. There are many different recipes for hummus out there, as well as numerous ready-made hummus brands sold in stores.

Once you try this recipe for Turkish-style hummus, you just might stick it with for a lifetime.

Turkish vs. Middle Eastern Hummus

I’m sure you are wondering what’s the difference? The first is in the way it’s served and eaten. Something I quickly learned from my former Turkish mother-in-law, and a trip to Turkey in 2010. In Turkey, hummus is usually served as an appetizer, or meze. It’s usually served onto your plate and eaten with a fork, rather than served as a dip or a spread on sandwiches or pita slivers.


Cashew Hummus 3


Traditional Turkish Hummus

What You’ll Need
2.5 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Juice from 2 fresh lemons, or to taste
1/4 cup water from the garbanzos
1/2 cup tahini
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1/2 tbsp for garnish
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt

What You’ll Need To Know

Combine the cooked garbanzo beans, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, cumin , and sea salt in a Vita-Mix or food processor and blend until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Serve in a glass or ceramic dish, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle paprika and cumin over it. You can also garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley, pomegranate and garbanzo beans.

Side Notes

If it needs more silky body, add a little more extra virgin olive oil. If you like a stronger garlic taste, add more garlic. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.

If your lemon does not yield enough juice, you may need more liquid; use two lemons if you need to. Taste test!

Store in the fridge in a covered glass bowl or storage container. The flavors get better as it chills. Chilling the hummus also thickens it.


Originally published November 23, 2015; Updated on October 25, 2020

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