Hummus with garlic is a staple at our house. It’s our go-to dip for a big bag of pita chips. So you can imagine my delight when I recently discovered how easy it is to make hummus from dried garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) using the Instant Pot. No soaking required, and it only takes about an hour, from start to finish. It tastes so much fresher than store-bought!
To use your Instant Pot to make hummus, all you need to do is throw some garbanzo beans into the Instant Pot with some water, and cook under high pressure for about 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes and then release the remaining pressure.
Then toss your beans and a few other ingredients into a food processor and give them a quick whirl until it’s a smooth consistency. And that’s it!
Why make dry beans in the Instant Pot?
If you make dry beans the old-school way on the stovetop, it takes HOURS. You typically need to soak them overnight, and then spend forever watching the pot as they cook. But with the Instant Pot, you just throw them in, set the cooking time, and be done with it. So slick. And if you soak your beans in advance, the cooking time is even shorter.
So, thank you, Instant Pot, for letting me save time while making homemade hummus and still avoid the major sodium bomb that so often comes with canned beans.
While we’re on the subject of making your own hummus…
Here are some things to know about tahini
One of the key ingredients in hummus is tahini. Tahini is one of those ingredients I wasn’t really aware of until a few years ago. (I’m from Minnesota, people. Tater tot hot dish was a childhood staple where I grew up, but tahini was certainly not.)
But now that I’m hip to this delicious Mediterranean condiment, I totally get the appeal. It’s got kind of an oily peanut-butter-like consistency, but it’s made with ground sesame seeds. It’s commonly found in hummus and baba ganoush. I’m also kind of addicted to the amazing lemon tahini dressing from this cauliflower salad recipe.
So, yeah. you should definitely try tahini if you’ve not had it before. It comes in a jar and I usually find it in the global foods section of my grocery store.
How to store tahini
Tahini can be a little expensive, and most of the time you won’t go through a whole jar in one recipe. So you’ll definitely want to save what you don’t use for future use. After it’s been opened, you should keep it in the refrigerator. It’ll last there for up to a year.
The oil in a jar of tahini tends to separate and it eventually sits on top. So don’t be freaked out by that. Just give it a good stir to mix it all together before using it, and you’ll be good to go.
Can I make hummus without tahini? Are there any good tahini substitutes?
I’ve not tried it personally, but I’ve read that peanut butter can be a good substitute for tahini when making hummus. Or you can make your own tahini, if that floats your boat.
Ok, so now you’re an expert hummus-maker. Go forth and enjoy!
This garlicky hummus is made in the Instant Pot with dry beans in about an hour. No soaking required!
- 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, dried
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cups tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cups lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
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Rinse the garbanzo beans. Add the beans and 6 cups of water to the Instant Pot and cook under high pressure for 40 minutes. When the cooking cycle has completed, allow pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure by switching the value to the "release steam" position.
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Drain the cooked beans in a colander over a large bowl and reserve the cooking water from the beans.
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Add the beans, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic to a food processor. Add one cup of the reserved cooking water from the beans and blend until smooth. If your hummus is too thick, you can add additional cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time until it's the consistency you'd like.
This looks great!