Today I was trying to reorganize and clean out the pantry when I decided to make some hummus since we had all the ingredients. As a person who has spent a lot of money on hummus, I understand the allure of store-bought hummus. Easy! Fast! Sometimes tasty! But, when I actually take the..umm.. 3 minutes to make my own, it is hard to remember why I would buy when it is so easy to make. Plus, after trying all those different types of hummus, I end up only really loving a fraction of the hummus that I buy.
I realized when I was uploading the pictures that I didn’t take any “before” pictures, but it isn’t technical or interesting really, so just imagine 2 cans of garbanzo beans, about 2 tbsp of tahini + garlic (I use a lot. I love garlicy hummus) + 1 tbsp lemon juice (you can use more or omit depending on your taste.)
Blend blend blend, and then thats it. So easy, and I always like how my homemade hummus turns out. No surprises. No bad, surprising flavors (Carlton said the last flavor we bought tasted like “arm pit.”). And minimal clean up.
Easy hummus! Not so pretty, but it tastes good. I promise.
And so much of it!
And after I finished that I found a jar of roasted, unsalted almonds we’ve had for a while. Neither of us really likes almonds, so how we end up with so many I’m not sure. Anyway, I naively thought back to all the natural nut butter ingredients lists I’d read.. Nuts, maybe oil, maybe salt. Ok, I have all those things.
But, alas, an ingredients list is not a recipe.
Almonds, pre-blending.
Almonds, looking so pretty and healthy and unassuming. But then…
almonds + oil + blender does not = almond butter
I added oil and blended until my blender started to smell like burnt plastic. And then I gave up. It doesn’t taste bad, it just doesn’t taste like almond butter.
My dad brought this to me from his cruise. It says "For those who know the difference," which is funny because I don't. But, I added this too. It didn't change the flavor of the almond paste very much, so I probably should have added more than 1 tsp.
Lumpy vanilla crunchy almond stuff
And the moral of this story is, sometimes you should read recipes. There is a really good how-to at Heather Eats Almond Butter and the end result looks buttery and delicious instead of lumpy and tolerable. Oh, and the other moral of the story is, a blender is NOT a food processor no matter how much I wish that it was.
VERDICT: Hummus from home is the best hummus & will not burn out my blender. Almond butter from home is doable, just not in my kitchen.
I think I would love both your hummus and lumpy vanilla crunchy almond stuff. I’m a crunchy texture lovin kind of gal, and they both look delicious if you ask me.
Thank you for the vote of confidence
Ww!! I had no idea it was that easy to make hummus..Im totally inspired!! I think im going to be making some tonite..lol I always buy it but Ive learned ot just stick with the basic garlic flavored one..lol Btw, I love to read your blog!
Thank you!! and Yes! Make hummus! It is so easy. (Seriously, if I can’t screw it up, then it has to be super easy.) The only pricey part is the tahini, but a jar lasts a long time.
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