Instant Pot Hummus is not only incredibly easy to make, but it is also so much better tasting than anything you can purchase at the store! Made with or without tahini, this recipe for pressure cooker hummus is creamy, smooth, and full of flavor.
Hummus has always been one of my favorite snacks. Served with veggies or pita chips, or as a spread on a sandwich, I could eat hummus every day.
And this Instant Pot Hummus is the BEST hummus, for 4 reasons.
- Fresh: If you ever wonder why hummus from restaurants tastes so much better than store-bought hummus, it is because it is made fresh--without preservatives and pure ingredients--like fresh lemon juice and quality olive oil. Fresh hummus always trumps the taste of store-bought hummus.
- Versatile: When making hummus at home, you get to control the ingredients. If you like garlic, add extra. Don't like it? Omit it. If you don't have tahini or have an allergy to tahini, you can leave it out of this recipe with delicious results.
- Affordable: Because this recipe starts with dried chickpeas, it is extremely affordable. Much cheaper than purchasing prepared hummus at home.
- Smooth: While you can prepare hummus using canned chickpeas, the magic of this recipe is that it starts with dried chickpeas. The chickpeas are cooked in the Instant Pot until they are super soft and creamy and the outer skins become so soft, there is no need for the tedious task of removing the outer skin--yet you are still left with the smoothest hummus ever.
Key Ingredients
- Chickpeas: Dried chickpeas are the base of this hummus recipe. They are cooked a bit longer than they typically need so that the skin breaks down and the chickpeas get ultra-soft, which makes for the creamiest hummus.
- Lemons: I can not stress enough the importance of fresh lemon juice in this recipe. If you used jarred or bottled lemon juice your homemade hummus may taste a bit bitter.
- Tahini: Tahini is traditional in hummus recipes, but many people do not care for it OR have an allergy to it. To make Tahini-Free Hummus, add sunflower seed butter or an additional 1- 2 tablespoons of olive oil to replace the tahini.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, garlic, and cumin add to the flavors of this simple hummus recipe. Feel free to omit one or all of those additions based on your preferences.
- Olive oil: Olive oil will help to finish off the hummus, making it smooth and rich. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
The Reason to Make Hummus Using the Instant Pot
The best hummus recipes are made by soaking chickpeas for at least 12 hours and then boiling them for hours. THEN skim the skins of the chickpeas off before blending up to make hummus.
The Instant Pot makes making homemade hummus an absolute breeze. The instant pot eliminates the hassle of soaking chickpeas and skimming off their skin, as it breaks down perfectly in the pressure cooker. The instant pot cooking process yields chickpeas that are beyond soft and blend up into an unbelievably creamy texture that rivals any Lebanese or Greek restaurant--just without the hard work.
And yes, I know you can just use canned chickpeas, but the taste of freshly cooked chickpeas is SUBLIME.
How to Make Instant Pot Hummus
Step One: Prepare Chickpeas
- Place chickpeas and water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Cook for 40 minutes on high pressure. This is enough time to break down the chickpeas, making them super creamy and smooth.
Step Two: Process Hummus
- Drain the chickpeas, over a large bowl to reserve the cooking liquid. You need to reserve that cooking liquid to make the creamiest, most flavorful hummus.
- Place the chickpeas in a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Add in the lemon juice, salt, spices, tahini if using, and ¼ cup of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth, adding in another ¼ cup of cooking liquid if needed to reach the desired consistency.
- While the food processor is running, open the feeder tube on the lid of the food processor, and drizzle in the olive oil.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, processing again to combine.
Serving Suggestions
Hummus is delicious served as a dip for vegetables, pita bread, and pita chips. However, think outside the box when it comes to serving hummus.
- Slather a tortilla or pita bread with hummus and top with Mediterranean Chickpea salad for a tasty lunch.
- Top homemade pizza dough with hummus, olives, spinach, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, etc, and feta for a delicious spin on homemade pizza.
- Use hummus in place of Homemade Tzatziki Sauce for a dairy-free alternative topping on Chicken Gyros.
- Add roasted red beets to make a vibrant Roasted Beet Hummus.
When you are craving hummus, prepare this Instant Pot Hummus for a delicious, affordable snack that rivals restaurant versions! It is sure to satisfy!
Instant Pot Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry chickpeas
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup reserved cooking liquid
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin optional
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Tahini see note
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place rinsed and sorted chickpeas into the inner pot, along with 6 cups of water. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and turn the vent knob to "sealing." Set to cook on high pressure for 40 minutes by hitting manual/pressure cook and adjust cook time using the +/- buttons.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release naturally. Then open up the Instant Pot, strain the cooked chickpeas over a large bowl to reserve the cooking liquid, and then transfer the chickpeas into the food processor that has been fitted with an s-blade.
- Add in ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid, salt, cumin, paprika, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the chickpeas are creamy and smooth, adding up to an additional ¼ cup of cooking liquid if needed.
- While the food processor is running, open up the opening on the lid of the food processor, drizzle in the olive oil, and blend until creamy.
- Taste and adjust seasonings and add in more cooking liquid if needed.
- Serve as desired.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 but has been updated in 2020 to include new tips and videos.
Jennifer
Really loved this recipe! Makes about $20 of hummus for less than $2. Very easy too!!
Only thing I changed was used more of the reserved liquid, upped the salt, added garlic powder and cumin. Was just a bit on the bland side without the extra spices.
Cayenne pepper added a kick to my portion (hubby doesn’t like spicy!). Printing another of your recipes as a keeper!! Thanks. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Jennifer. This is a huge money saver for us as well. Thanks for your ideas for additions as well.😊
Julie Witko
Instead of tahini, I use peanut butter. Cheaper and I always have some on hand. No one knows the difference.
Kristen Chidsey
That's a great tip Julie! Thank you!
Rachel
Did you make this in a 6 qt. Instant Pot? Do you think any changes would need to be made to make it in a 3 qt?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rachel! I did make this hummus in the 6 quart. I would cut the recipe in half for your 3 quart (you don't have to fill it more than 2/3rds of the way full), Cook time and instructions will remain the same.
Robert Bumke
How can I use the reserved cooking juice!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Robert. You want to use some of that reserved liquid to help blend up your hummus to be nice and smooth. Any excess, I would personally discard.
Jeanne
How can I use tahini in the hummus recipe?
Kristen Chidsey
Absolutely. Just omit the sunflower seeds from this recipe and add in 1/4 cup tahini while processing the cooked chickpeas in the food processor.
lillie dudley
I was looking at the nutrition information, it seems high calories, what is considered a serving
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lillie! This is about 1/4 cup serving. So if you only use 2 tablespoons, it will be about half the calories.
Lynn
You said a serving is 1/4 cup and the recipe says it makes 16 servings. So after processing we get 4 cups of hummus? thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Yes--that is approximately the amount you will make. Enjoy!
Shiho
I have just bought an instapot from USA and was looking for recipes to use it. Thank you for the recipe. I will make the hummus this weekend 😀
Kristen Chidsey
WAHOO!!!!! Shiho, you are going to LOVE your Instant Pot and can't wait to hear how much you enjoy this hummus. Happy pressure cooking 🙂
Jessica
I love my Instant Pot and I love hummus. How had I never thought to combine the two? This is genius!
Kristen Chidsey
You will never want to make hummus another way Jessica--it is BEYOND easy and taste is superior to anything store bought.
Shannon
If you only have canned chickpeas, would you do anything differently? Also, could somehow adapt this to roasted red pepper humus?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Shannon, so if you have canned chickpeas, you don't need to cook in your instant pot. Just drain 2 cans chickpeas, add 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 large roasted red pepper (for that flavor), 1/4 teaspoon, salt, lemon juice and olive oil and process as recipe states. If you aren't cooking, you can either add in 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter, or omit altogether.
If you want SUPER smooth hummus, you could cook drained chickpeas with 2 cups water, garlic clove, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds on high in Instant Pot for ONLY 10 minutes. Follow recipe as stated from there.
Enjoy!
chrstncmk
This sounds delicious. Not being an expert at cooking, I have a question about using the cooking liquid. I've always read that you should always soak and rinse legumes because of the lectins. Is this not necessary with chick peas? Thanks! Your recipes are great.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for the compliment 🙂 As far as chickpea cooking liquid--it is commonly used and referred to as "aquafaba". It is used for egg free baking. If you are following a strict lectin-free diet, then I would soak then chickpeas overnight, drain and discard that liquid and the proceed with the recipe. Hope that helps.
chrstncmk
Thanks you. No I'm not Lectin free. I didn't even know about them until recently. Anyway this helps. Can't wait to try it. Love the name...aquafaba. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! If you aren't lectin free, you have nothing to worry about. Lectins are talked a lot about for people following blood type diets.