A Sriracha Hummus Recipe So Easy You’ll Never Buy Hummus Again

This sriracha hummus uses a classic technique to make smooth and creamy hummus that you can’t get from store bought. 

Although I like to include my recipes into an country category I need to preface that I don’t think sriracha hummus is a traditional recipe in Israel.

You’re not going to see this as typical food in Jerusalem restaurants.

However, the method for making this creamy hummus comes from an Israeli chef so before you send me hate mail, please forgive me squeezing this hummus recipe into this category. 
 

How to Make Smooth Hummus

I love hummus in restaurants. It’s smoothy, creamy and completely luxurious.

But I have never been able to recreate that texture before this recipe. 

I knew it wasn’t equipment as I have a Vitamix and Kitchen Aid food processor that will pulverize anything. 

I always assumed it was because there was more olive oil or tahini than I was prepared to put in as I wanted to keep it a healthy snack. 

Some people swore that you needed to peel the chickpeas before blending – but who has time for that? 

But finally I discovered it was none of those things.

Mindlessly looking at food on the internet I discovered that Bon Appetit named a hummus the best dish of 2015.

Yes. A dip was the best thing they had eaten that year.

So of course I had to read on! 

Israeli chef Michael Solomonov supposedly makes the world’s best hummus at his restaurant in Philadelphia. 

Dizengoff, an Israeli hummusiya opened in 2015 to much acclaim. And seven years later it’s running strong with three locations in the city. He also co-owns several other restaurants in Philadelphia.

Solomonov has also authored two cookbooks: Zahav and Israeli Soul and won two James Beard cookbook awards.

But let’s get back to his hummus!

He actually shared his hummus recipe secret – he cooks the chickpeas with baking soda. He says it raises the pH level of the water, which helps make them softer – thereby making a smoother hummus.

This is such a simple cooking technique and makes the sriracha hummus so much better. 
 
 

Cooking Chickpeas for Hummus

There are SO many ways to cook chickpeas aka garbanzo beans. You do not need to pre-soak chickpeas like you do other beans. But it does shorten the cooking time.

Here are two of my favourite ways, they also happen to be the fastest:

1. Open a can of chickpeas!
Oh hey, they’re already cooked. Awesome.

2. Cook chickpeas in the Instant Pot
I throw a cup of dried, rinsed chickpeas (pick out dried up looking beans) into the Instant Pot with 1.5 cups of water and a garlic clove and cook on the manual for 35 minutes. I quick release the pressure and voila they are done.

And it really was a mess.

This is why you cannot put the baking soda into the Instant Pot, it will clog up the venting hole. 

Once you’re done boiling make sure to rinse the baking soda water off. Mine looked like the photo above and I was ready for blending.
 
 

Hummus Ingredients

Sriracha

I chose to make this spicy hummus with sriracha  because my mother adores the hot sauce. Huy Fong from California is the original sriracha sauce but we have some store brand knock off.

And you could make it with any spicy sauce. I think chipotle or gochujang would also provide a nice deep, smokey spicy flavour which could be interesting.

Whatever you choose, I would blend 2/3 of the amount you think is correct in the beginning and then wait a bit. Things tend to get spicier as they sit. And you can always stir in more hot sauce as needed.

To make things a bit spicier I garnished this sriracha hummus with habanero chili pepper powder before serving to give it an extra kick.

Canned or Dry Chickpeas

As I mentioned I have an Instant Pot so cooking the chickpeas from dried was easy.

Although chickpeas are one of the few beans/legumes you don’t need to soak overnight I still find them a pain to cook on the stovetop. I find as they simmer they are too hard forever and they 30 seconds later they are overcooked. Although that’s a good thing in hummus.

So if you’re using canned chickpeas you will not get a side eye from me. 

Whatever you use, the key to the smooth hummus is in the baking soda tip above – 20 minutes of boiling makes a big difference.

Olive Oil

In traditional hummus you strive to use the best olive oil you can find to impart its delicious flavour.

In this case as the sriracha flavour is overpowering I used a neutral flavour olive oil.

Lemon Juice or Lime juice

When you can always use fresh lemon or lime juice. It is so much better than the bottled stuff. But as I made this during a time we were all staying at home, I used what I already had. 

Whatever you use, while you’re cooking the chickpeas put your garlic in the juice. The acidity of the lemon juice helps mellow the harshness of raw garlic.

Traditional hummus recipes uses lemon juice. After I made this I thought lime juice might be a nice addition to sriracha hummus as its a bit brighter. 

Tahini

On its own I’m not a huge fan of tahini. I’m just not that into sesame. But I must admit it really does add a layer of flavour, even with the intense sriracha, that adds to the hummus. 

Again they say you should buy the best tahini you can find. Solomonov says his favourite tahini is Soom, which you can buy online. 

But I didn’t want to commit to a jar so I found it sold by the weight at the local bulk food shop. Solomonov uses 2/3 cup, I have cut back significantly for this recipe.

Perhaps a trip to Israel is needed to truly appreciate this ingredient.

Salt

Most people try to cut back on salt when cooking. But really our issue with too much sodium is packaged foods and fast food, which is filled with sodium.

Salting your food brings out flavour. If you stay away from packaged food you’ll be okay.

I used non-iodized salt for everything. My go-to salts are this grey sea salt and I learned that chefs use this kosher salt, which is good quality yet much less expensive than supermarket brands.

Sriracha Hummus From Scratch Questions

How Much Hummus Does This Make?

This recipe uses 1 cup of dried chickpeas, which results in a standard size for a can of chickpeas. It makes two cups of creamy sriracha hummus. 

Can I Double the Recipe?

You can easily double the recipe without any issue. 

What if I Don’t Have Tahini?

You can skip it, or use the following substitutions:

• sesame oil
• peanut butter
• Greek yogurt
• sunflower seed butter
• nut butters such as almond or cashew

How Long Does Hummus Last?

You should eat it within the week. 

Can Hummus Be Frozen?

Yes you can freeze hummus. Although the texture is a bit different. So I prefer to just make smaller batches.

Put the sriracha hummus in an airtight container that is meant for the freezer. Leave a bit of room at the top as it expands when it freezes.

You’ll need to pour a very thin layer of oil on top. It will last in the freezer for four months. When defrosting hummus you’ll need to stir it together. If it still feels grainy blend it in a food processor with a bit of water.

You must eat it within the week. 

Is Hummus Healthy?

Healthy is a relative term, but this hummus is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Served with pita chips, crackers or vegetables it is a great snack.

It’s also perfect for parties, barbecues, picnics where most of the snacks will be fried or heavier.

And because it’s spicy people won’t complain you brought healthy food.

Sriracha Hummus Recipe

For this recipe I blended the chickpeas while they were still warm, which I think helps for a smoother texture.

And I also used my Vitamix for this, while it is more difficult to clean, it blends better than a food processor.

As much as I love my food processor, if you can only splurge on one kitchen appliance it should be a Vitamix.

After I bought one for myself I gave my mother one. She was so convinced we bought one for my sister.

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