Healthiest Hummus Recipe (NO GAS, no nightshades, Blender option)

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This Healthiest Hummus Recipe takes into account the fact that many people have gas after eating beans. I’ll show you how to soak and cook beans, easily!, so you have no digestion issues with this wonderful condiment.

This version of hummus can be made in a food processor or blender.

Healthiest Hummus is also nightshade-free and gives alternatives for other ingredients you may react to. This classic Middle Eastern favorite is perfect for Gluten-free, Vegan, VAD, Anti-Inflammatory, nut and seed allergies (I provide alternatives if you can’t have tahini) and more — gentle and traditional!

What does healthiest hummus mean

The main goal with this recipe is to produce a perfect tasting traditional hummus that does not give you (or me) gas!

That’s healthy!

Healthy can also mean different things to different people. So here’s what I mean:

No nightshades

This Healthiest Hummus Recipe helps to prevent inflammation by omitting nightshades like paprika, when it comes time to garnish.

Yes, olive oil in hummus (but not too much)

While some hummus recipes that say they’re the healthiest offer an oil-free recipe, I have no problem with a small amount of olive oil.

This recipe is completely authentic, no missing ingredients — for the perfect texture and flavor.

Tahini

Tahini is made from sesame seeds. It’s a seed butter that really makes hummus taste like hummus.

For those of you who need a hummus recipe without tahini, that’s okay, too. Because there are some good subs (I share in the recipe), and enough other ingredients in hummus that we can still achieve a good overall flavor profile.

However, if you can have tahini, I keep it in the main recipe for authenticity. Most people do fine with the amount used.

Ingredients in Healthiest Hummus Recipe

• dried chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans (or already cooked/canned chickpeas if preferred; if you’d like to use canned chickpeas to make this recipe, Eden Brand tend to be the most digestible canned product; but only the homemade soaking and cooking method I share here will create the no-gas beans.)
• baking soda — I learned this trick from my daughter who lives in the Middle East. While Americans debate about whether or not to use baking soda (in the cooking water) to break down beans and make them easier to digest, she goes ahead and uses a pretty large amount when she boils her chickpeas; and boy, does it work! The way my daughter prepares her hummus from start to finish informed this recipe and the way I make mine!
• tahini (See the Notes section below the main Recipe for tahini alternatives.)
• fresh lemon juice
• olive oil
• sea salt
• cumin
• fresh garlic, minced or crushed, or use dried if more convenient (optional, okay to omit for VAD)
• water, optional: Use only if needed. See Recipe.

How to make Healthiest Hummus Recipe

Two steps make this hummus recipe more digestible:

1. The first is: These beans soak (and get rinsed each day) for 3 days before we cook them.
   • This is easy and fast. But, it makes a huge difference, especially when combined with the baking soda in the cooking water.
2. Secondly, we use (a decent amount of) baking soda in the cooking water, which I mention in more detail above, and give the quantity for in the Recipe below.

I can’t wait for you to experience how easy it is to digest “properly prepared” hummus.

Soak and cook dried beans, so they produce no gas (easy!):

1. Day 1: Place 2 cups dried beans in large bowl. Cover with water by 3″, and set aside.
2. Day 2: After about 24 hours of soaking, pour beans into a colander, and rinse them well. Wash the soaking bowl. Add beans back to water, and cover with water a second time.
3. Day 3: Repeat steps from Day 2.
4. Day 4: Pour beans through colander, and rinse well. Place in pot. Add water to cover by almost 3″. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and simmer 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours, add baking soda, cover again, and continue to slow simmer 1 hour, until beans are very soft.

Make Healthiest Hummus Recipe:

1. Pour off cooking water, and rinse beans a few times to pour off most of the baking soda, cool off and pour off loose skins.
2. Allow beans to fully/mostly cool. Measure and add 3 cups beans to food processor or blender (you will have 3 cups leftover for your next batch, so seal and freeze them — great time saver).
3. Add remaining ingredients on top of beans in blender: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, cumin and garlic.
4. Purée on lowest speed, or pulse as needed until smooth paste begins to form (then purée). Blend for 15 seconds at lower speed. Blend 30 to 45 seconds at medium-high speed. Note: If needed in blender: Add a small amount of water, if necessary, so blender blends smoothly (2 to 4 Tablespoons).

What to eat with hummus

Oh, I love this topic — because I love hummus!

I personally eat it for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.

Hummus for breakfast?

While it might not fit your lifestyle to eat hummus for breakfast, it is actually wonderful on toast, especially if you’re trying to avoid extra fats or sweeteners (like butter, coconut oil, jam or honey).

I like to eat hummus on sourdough toast, with some meat on the side. This kind of breakfast is very satisfying and a great way to start the day. (Some folks add cucumber.)

Hummus for lunch

We eat hummus daily for lunch. It goes on all my kids’ sandwiches. We don’t use mayonnaise (sorry, it’s gross and not healthy) and rarely eat mustard (it depletes zinc). So hummus is the perfect condiment for meat and veggie sandwiches!

And everyone in my family loves it. We never tire of hummus.

I also put hummus into lettuce, and then add meat, for sandwiches without bread.

Hummus for dinner

Use hummus as a dip or condiment with raw veggies, like cucumbers, and homemade breads, like: Flatbread, Oat Bread, Rice Bread, Spelt Bread, Low FODMAP or sourdough.

Whisk into a really good vinaigrette for a thicker salad dressing.

Use alongside meats like roasted red meat, burgers or grilled/baked chicken.

Create a mezze feast: with many bowls and plates of Middle Eastern foods.

How to garnish hummus

Many people garnish hummus with the nightshade spice, paprika. Because this spice often causes inflammation, we stay away from it.

Others use red pepper, which I avoid for the same reason.

Instead, garnish hummus with any of these lovely choices:

• a drizzle of olive oil or toasted sesame oil (Find it here. The flavor of sesame oil supports the role of tahini in the recipe, and tastes deep, mysterious and wonderful.)
• fresh herbs like mint, dill or sautéed rosemary; parsley is traditional as well, but I avoid it because it’s very high in vitamin A (which is toxic when we eat too much, and most people already get too much)
• extra garbanzo beans, whole — This is common in the Middle East.
• za’atar spice blend (find it here) — a favorite Middle Eastern spice for me, made from sesame, traditionally hyssop, but oftentimes oregano and sumac. Wonderful if you’re serving Healthiest Hummus with meats.
• large flake sea salt (here)

Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Healthiest Hummus Recipe (no gas, no nightshades, blender option)

This Healthiest Hummus Recipe takes into account the fact that many people have gas after eating beans. I'll show you how to soak and cook beans, easily!, so you have no digestion issues with this wonderful condiment.

This version of hummus can be made in a food processor or blender.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time3 hours hrs

Time for the water to come to a simmer.15 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course: condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Egyptian, Greek, Israeli, middle eastern, Turkish

Keyword: healthy, hummus, nightshade-free, no gas

Servings: 15 servings

Calories: 162kcal

Author: Megan

Cost: $3

Equipment

• cooking pot
• food processor or high powered blender (affordable one here that works well for hummus)

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried chickpeas aka garbanzo beans (or 3 cups already cooked/canned chickpeas) -- 2 cups of dried chickpeas produces 6 cups cooked chickpeas. This recipe uses 3 cups, so freeze the remaining for your next batch. This is a big time saver. If you prefer, only soak 1 cup beans, so you'll have no leftovers after cooking. (If you'd like to use canned chickpeas to make this recipe, Eden Brand tend to be the most digestible canned product; but only this homemade soaking and cooking method will create the no-gas beans.)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda I do sometimes double the amount of beans I cook, and freeze extra beans for future hummus-making, which saves time because I do more of the soaking and cooking all at once. If you double the recipe: DO double the amount of baking soda in the cooking water.
• ⅓ cup tahini See the Notes section below the main Recipe for tahini alternatives.
• ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1-½ to 2 teaspoons sea salt or Potassium Salt (for more of the minerals we need): Start with 1-½ teaspoons sea salt, and then blend in remaining if needed after tasting.
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic fresh: minced or crushed (½ to 1 small clove), or use ½ teaspoon dried (optional, okay to omit for VAD)
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons water optional: Use only if needed. See Recipe.

Instructions

Soak and cook beans (in a special way: so they produce no gas -- easy!)

• Day 1: Place 2 cups dried beans in large bowl. Cover with water by 3" (as they will absorb the water and expand).
• Day 2: After about 24 hours of soaking (the bubbles on top show you the sugars [oligosaccharides] escaping that would cause gas), pour beans into a colander, and rinse them well. Wash the soaking bowl. Add beans back to water, and cover with water a second time by at least 2".
  
• Day 3: Repeat steps from Day 2.
• Day 4: Pour beans through colander, and rinse well. Place in pot. Add water to cover by almost 3". Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and simmer 2 hours.
• Add baking soda, cover again, and continue to simmer 1 hour, until beans are very soft.

Make Healthiest Hummus Recipe

• Pour off most of the cooking water from pot (I only use a colander as a safety net this time), and rinse beans a few times to cool off and pour off loose skins.
• Allow beans to fully/mostly cool. Measure and add 3 cups beans to food processor or blender (you will have 3 cups leftover for your next batch, so seal and freeze them).
• Add remaining ingredients on top: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, cumin and garlic.
  
• Purée on lowest speed, or pulse as needed until smooth paste begins to form (then purée). Blend for 15 seconds at lower speed. Blend 30 to 45 seconds at medium-high speed. Note: If needed in blender: Add a small amount of water, if necessary, so blender blends smoothly (2 to 4 Tablespoons).
  
• Serve. Or refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Healthiest Hummus lasts in the fridge, covered, for a full week.
  

Notes

Tahini alternatives

If you need to avoid tahini for any reason, replace with another nut, seed or tiger nut butter you can have. The best options are:

• pecan butter (here)
• almond butter (here)
• tiger nut butter (Find it here, if you can't have nuts or seeds.)

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg

You can Pin Healthiest Hummus Recipe (no gas, no nightshades) here:

Other healthy condiments

• 2-Ingredient Asian Lime Dressing (for lettuce, cucumbers or noodles)
• Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (Mexican Crema, dairy-free)
• Nightshade-free Salsa Round-up