The Dip I Never Liked (Until I Made It Myself)
There was a time when hummus wasn’t even on my radar. I wasn’t a fan—not really. It was the kind of thing that felt… beige. Blended chickpeas? Meh. But life has a way of throwing you into new flavours, new people, and new versions of yourself.
Years ago, I had a work colleague who was really into eating clean—hummus, whole foods, fermented this and that. Around the same time, I was elbow-deep in my food blogging era, making everything from scratch: kimchi, lime pickles, lemon preserves, sauerkrauts, basically, if it could be fermented or jarred, I was on it.
Then came hummus.
It was an ex who loved the stuff; store-bought, every week, like clockwork. Still didn’t tempt me. But fast-forward a few years, different kitchen, different story. One random evening, after scrolling Instagram and feeling a bit smug about the healthy streak I’d been on that week, I stumbled across a post that made hummus look…well, good. Really good. And suddenly? Dinner was sorted.
The Night I Went Hummus Mad
Let me tell you, I went hummus mad. We’re talking full-on kitchen chaos: tins of chickpeas, every garnish I could think of, and Tasty’s “Hummus Four Ways” video playing on loop.
But I kept it simple in the end, with two delicious, fuss-free variations that I still dream about.
Ingredients I Used:
For the base:
- 2 tins of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2–3 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A generous glug of olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Splash of cold water (if needed for blending)
Toppings I loved:
- Batch 1: Cherry tomatoes + fresh parsley
- Batch 2: Artichoke hearts (chopped) + fresh parsley
To serve:
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Cucumber slices
- Anything with a good crunch!
How I Made It:
- Blend the base: In a blender or food processor, blitz your chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt until smooth. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time if it needs loosening up.
- Divide and conquer: Split your hummus into two bowls.
- To top it off, in one bowl, scatter cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley. In the other, spoon over chopped artichoke hearts and another hit of parsley. or do you boo.
- Serve with crunchy veggies and maybe a glass of something cold. You’ve earned it.
Final Thoughts
I still wouldn’t call myself a lifelong hummus lover… but when I make it like this? Yeah. I get it now. It’s creamy, herby, and textured in just the right way. And with a bowl of crunchy veg on the side, it turns into more than a snack—it becomes a moment. A little act of care. A dip worth dipping into.
Hummus lovers, do you go out of your way to make this at home, or are you a happy store buyer?
Let me know 🙂
Xoxo
CC
Carnal Culinary 