December 21, 2020

Garlic Hummus with Smoked Paprika

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This recipe for Garlic Hummus with Smoked Paprika is one of the easiest hummus recipes I’ve made. And it’s so delicious. I could eat it every day, or almost every day. My daughters love it as well.

(Post modified on 9/7/23.)

I had never tried hummus until just a few years ago when our daughters (The Vogts Sisters) were given some in a green room. That’s techy-talk for musicians, which is simply a lounge area for musicians or bands to hang out before and after a performance.

Anyway, there was a table full of snack foods at one of their concerts, one of which was a container of hummus to eat with pita crackers. It was delicious. From that moment on, I was sold on it. And of course, I had to come up with a homemade recipe for it.

This simple recipe has a few special ingredients, the main ones being garbanzo beans, tahini, and smoked paprika. I finally broke down and ordered some tahini on Amazon, and I’m so glad I did. It really makes a difference in hummus recipes. And technically, for those purists out there, hummus must contain tahini in it to even be called that… (ahem).

Hummus makes a great dip to serve on an appetizer plate or table. It goes well with crackers, pita chips, breadsticks, and fresh vegetables. Once you make this recipe, I believe you’ll return to it over and over again!

More Appetizer Dips to Enjoy

Ingredients for Garlic Hummus with Smoked Paprika

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

garbanzo beans (drained with juices reserved)
tahini
garlic
lemon juice
extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
kosher salt
ground cumin
smoked paprika
sesame seeds
more extra-virgin olive oil for topping before serving

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Gather your equipment and ingredients and have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

Drain the garbanzo beans (reserve at least half of the liquid to use in the recipe as desired.)

Peel and slice garlic. Squeeze the juice of one lemon.

Depending on how strong the fresh garlic is, I may opt to use canned minced garlic instead. Feel free to use bottled lemon juice, if desired, as well.

Make the Hummus

Place drained garbanzo beans, tahini, sliced garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, ground cumin, and half of the reserved juice from the garbanzo beans in a blender or food processor. (Can I just say how much I love my KitchenAid K400 Blender!)

Pulse on medium speed until the mixture is crushed and blended together.

Depending on how thick or thin you like your spread, you may opt to add more reserved bean juice at this time. Continue to blend until the hummus is nice and smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, scoop hummus into a pretty serving dish. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

Then sprinkle with smoked paprika and sesame seeds.

I must say that the smoked paprika gives this recipe a lovely smoky scent and taste that I think you will love. We really do. If you don’t have smoked paprika, feel free to use regular paprika.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. You may store the dip for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Serve as an appetizer or snack with pita bread and/or crackers. This dip also goes really well with a cheese or charcuterie board for a holiday gathering.

See more Appetizers Here. Browse Snack Ideas Here.