Homemade fermented hummus is a healthy, delicious, and probiotic snack. It is ideal for lunch, picnics, potlucks, and parties.
However, the main reason to make hummus is that it is ridiculously cheap and easy. All it takes is a decent food processor and about 10 minutes.
Dried or Canned Chickpeas?
Using canned chickpeas in this recipe is perfectly fine, especially if you are short on time. However, if you’ve got time and can plan ahead, then I recommend using dried chickpeas.
Dried chickpeas are better than canned because:
- Cooking chickpeas according to the recipe below will result in very soft chickpeas that are perfect for hummus. They are smooth, creamy and easy to grind up in a blender.
- Canned beans may have preservatives or extra salt, which will make them less suitable for fermentation
- Dried chickpeas are much more affordable than canned chickpeas.
- Buy them in bulk for a waste free option! (We buy chickpeas in large quantities).
Cultures for Fermenting
It’s not necessary to ferment this healthy hummus. However, it’s really easy, probiotic, and the culture acts as a preservative!
Here are a few simple options for cultures:
- Miso is my favorite way to culture hummus. It adds a depth of flavor that works well with garlic and tahini. However, store-bought, shelf-stable miso has been pasteurized and won’t be able to culture your hummus, so make your own miso or buy it from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
- Apple cider vinegar is a close runner-up to miso. It adds a tanginess that is perfect for a sandwich spread. To make sure the ACV has live culture, use a brand that is labeled raw, unpasteurized, or with mother.
- Dairy cultures, like milk kefir, cultured buttermilk, or cultured whey also work. However, they may take a few days to really start culturing. If leaving the hummus to ferment for more than 12 hours, I recommend using a fermentation-specific container, like a fido jar.
- Vegetable brine or a vegetable starter don’t really change the flavor. They are the best option for plain hummus.
- Probiotic beverages like kombucha will give the hummus a bit of sparkliness. However, the carbonation should calm down after a few days in the fridge.
Adding Flavor to Hummus
The best part about homemade hummus is that you get to choose your own flavors and toppings.
Simple fermented hummus is rich and flavorful all on its own, and the flavor will vary depending on what is used for the fermentation. Even so, it’s always fun to add a bit more pizzazz.
Added flavors
Flavor (and color) hummus by adding in a 1/4 cup of one of the following:
- Roasted red peppers
- Pesto
- Wilted spinach
- Cooked sweet potato or pumpkin
- Roasted beets
Added Toppings
Traditionally hummus is flavored with added toppings. To add toppings, first place hummus in the final serving dish, then add 2-4 Tbsp of a topping in the center of the hummus and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Here are some delicious topping options:
- Mixed olives, finely chopped
- Roasted pine nuts
- Za’atar spice mix
- Fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil or sumac
- Roasted garlic, finely diced
- Caramelized onions
- Lemon and tahini sauce
- Chili oil
Healthy Hummus
This healthy hummus is a delicious probiotic snack. Adding a lactic culture or miso acts as a natural preservative and really adds a flavor dimension to this easy dip. See the section above for 8 different toppings and 5 different flavor options.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Lebanese
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas (or 2 -14 oz cans)
- 1 tsp baking soda (for dried chickpeas)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup light tahini
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 2 Tbsp fermentation culture (see section above for options)
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil
Instructions
Cooking the Chickpeas
- Soak the dried chickpeas in 3 cups of water for 8 to 12 hours.
- Drain the chickpeas and place them in a saucepan. Cover them with water and add 1 tsp of baking soda.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are cooked. They should be soft but not mushy. The exact cooking time will depend on the freshness of the chickpeas.
Making Hummus
- Drain the chickpeas and place them in a food processor with the garlic. Alternatively, place them in a large bowl and use a stick blender to puree. Pulse a few times, then add the tahini and lemon juice.
- Blend until smooth, adding water as needed.
- When blended and smooth, allow the hummus to cool to room temperature, then stir in the salt. Taste, and adjust the salt as required.
Fermenting
- To ferment the hummus, stir in the culture, then move it into a glass container for fermenting. (I recommend choosing a container that can also be used for serving and storage). Cover the hummus with a tea towel and leave it to ferment at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
- After fermenting, top the hummus with the olive oil and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Enjoy the hummus within 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- There are a thousand recipes for hummus, and all of them are equally fermentable. The only trick is to make the hummus from scratch as store-bought hummus may contain preservatives. If you already have a favorite recipe, feel free to skip right to the fermentation.
- I recommend making a double or triple batch of hummus and freezing it in small, serving-sized containers. It’s a quick and delicious replacement for store-bought hummus.
Keywords: Greek, Mediterranean, cheap, frugal, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dip, spread, snack, probiotic, miso, lacto-fermented, picnic, potluck, lunch, snack
“miso … so make your own”
It’s never crossed my mind before. How?! 🙂
All in good time. I have a serious backlog of recipes to post. 😉
J’ai la méthode dans un livre pour le faire mais ca prend un an de fermentation.
I have also fermented hummus with whey – left over from cheesemaking. It worked awesomely! Though I found I had to leave it for quite a bit longer – on the order of 4 to 5 days.
Can I use kombucha as a culture? Whey from store bought yogurt will work?
Homemade kombucha will work, especially if it’s very sour. And whey from store bought yogurt will work too, though it might take a little longer (depending on the brand, some yogurts don’t have a ton of culture). Just ferment until you enjoy the flavour.
I have just served myself up a big dollop of humours and it tastes fizzy.. not off, just fermented. The humorous is made locally so I don’t know whether from dried or canned beans but I’d guess dried as it’s a lot cheaper to make it that way… my question is.. if I’m used to eating fermented sauerkraut would I be playing Russian roulette by eating this? Or would an off houmous have a more funky smell and this is just classic fermentation? Thoughts?
Wow… an unexpectedly fermented hummus… I’m not sure what to suggest. If you’re concerned, but want to eat the humous, then maybe heat it up high enough to kill any unwanted contamination. Usually, things that are rotten smell, look and taste bad. Fizzy suggests yeasts eating sugars, which shouldn’t happen spontaneously in hummus.
I have made hummus (regular way) and put it in a container with kimchi juice and app,e cider vinegar. (It’s been about 30 hours at room temp) (also not in a airtight container but it has a lid) I am a student at a college and I made this in my schools kicthen. Do you think it’s Safe to serve to my peers and teachers?
Taste it and smell it first. If it smells and tastes good, then it should be fine.
I haven’t made hummus from dried beans before, but tried it and it was awesome! So good. Didn’t ferment it thou. Not that devoted. Still a good recipe.
★★★★★
I admit that I don’t always add a probiotic culture. However, miso is really tasty so I recommend trying it at least once.
Could you just use chickpea tempeh (as you describe elsewhere on your site)? Would that be probiotic hummus?
Hum… I guess you could grind up chickpea tempeh and turn it into a hummus-like dip. However, I wouldn’t recommend using tempeh spores to culture already blended hummus, as I’m not certain how it would work out.
I always add raw apple cider vinegar to mine, MMmmmmmmm!
Newbie question but just wondering why you would do the recipe this way versus fermenting the beans first then mixing with other ingredients and blending?
You could preferment the chickpeas, however, unless you’re using tempeh mold, a probiotic culture won’t do much to whole chickpeas. With this recipe, I really wanted to add probiotics to the hummus as a whole. My favourite is miso… it’s just so umami!
I have been buying shop brought hummus and adding miso to it to ferment and then adding apple cider vinegar for a bit more bite. I have decided to go the whole hog and make it all from scratch so this recipe will come in very handy thank you!
The only thing is I wanted to sprout my chickpeas first which I believe means I would not need to cook them is that correct? So I would sprout the chickpeas and then follow your recipe from stage 4?
I usually sprout my beans as well! You can make hummus with sprouted chickpeas (other beans are poisonous and MUST be cooked). However, the hummus won’t be as creamy. I usually sprout, then cook my chickpeas for hummus. But it’s up to you! You can just start on step 4. Enjoy!
Oh, lovely thank you I will definitely give this a go!
I have cooked my chick peas or lentils in whey in the past and they take ages to cook and actually do not cook totally.
Reading about baking soda to cook them might solve the problem, as whey is acidic ( could explain the problem) Eventhough somebody said it had to do with the protein factor of the whey?) and making soda alkanility would restablish the PH. What do you think of all that?
Do you put the miso as a paste mixed with the chick peas?
Will the fermented hummus be spritzy?
Sprouted lentils are not poisonous either.
Thanks for your website I just discovered, sound fab! Will dig in more later. Corinne
Hi Corinne,
Hum, I’ve never cooked beans in whey nor soaked beans in whey prior to cooking. However, using baking soda is a great way to make them extra soft. I don’t recommend it with lentils since they already cook quickly. It might be due to the pH, I haven’t really looked into it. I just know it works!
If you use miso for fermenting it won’t be sparkling. However, using whey or a vegetable starter will result in sparkling hummus. However, it doesn’t stay sparkling for more than a few days after you’ve put it in the fridge.
Enjoy! Emillie
Hi! I love how informative and great your articles are. Thanks a lot!
★★★★★