I’ve Been Making This 4-Ingredient Ina Garten Recipe for 15 Years

Key Takeaways

• Ina Garten's Hummus is easy and delicious. You only need four pantry ingredients to make it, and it's ready in 15 minutes.

• Her recipe calls for two cups of canned chickpeas, but I use one whole can instead and scale down the garlic.

• The hummus is highly adaptable—add Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, or even roasted butternut squash.

I've been making Ina Garten's recipes for about 15 years. I learned how to cook by watching countless hours of "Barefoot Contessa," I have all her cookbooks, and I even saw her speak once in Minneapolis.

My favorite thing about Ina is her confidence in the kitchen. Watching her taught me to be a confident chef. I learned to trust my instincts by tasting the food I’m cooking as I go. I trust what my tongue tells my brain, and—like Ina—I keep recipes simple and allow the ingredients to stand out.

One of my most beloved Ina recipes is her hummus. There's nothing extraordinary about it, which is exactly why I love it. Its simplicity lets the ingredients sing. It calls for four straightforward ingredients: chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Those ingredients seasoned liberally with kosher salt and pepper make deliciously crave-worthy hummus.

How I Make Ina Garten’s Hummus

That said, I have made a few adjustments to Ina's measurements and process over the years. The recipe calls for two cups of canned chickpeas, which I find annoying, frankly. One can of chickpeas contains about one and a half cups. I refuse to open a second can of chickpeas and not use them all, so I just use one can!

I also reduced the garlic from four cloves to two. For me, four cloves of raw garlic are a lot for one can of chickpeas. I still use the suggested one-third cup of tahini and six tablespoons of lemon juice because I'm a sucker for anything citrus flavored.

Finally, I allow the minced garlic to soak in freshly squeezed lemon juice, which reduces its sharpness. It only takes 10 minutes, about the time it takes to pull out my food processor, stir my tahini, and drain and rinse my chickpeas.

The rest of the process is straightforward: purée everything in the food processor until it’s as smooth as you like. Ina recommends leaving the hummus with a bit of texture. However, I like my hummus silky, so I purée it until it’s as smooth as possible.

My Easy Upgrades for Ina Garten's Hummus

This recipe is a great base and can be customized in endless ways. It’s perfect as-is, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds, or topped with roasted, salted chickpeas and served with pita chips or veggies.

I also love it topped with Kalamata olives—sometimes, I even pulse them into the hummus at the end. You can add jarred roasted red peppers and Calabrian chile flakes. In the fall, it’s delicious with roasted butternut squash and a healthy drizzle of maple syrup. Or roast a head of garlic and squeeze the cloves into the hummus. A few generous spoonfuls of fresh or jarred pesto would be another delicious addition.

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