For fans of homemade chickpea hummus, achieving that creaminess is often a key goal. Yet, getting the texture just right can be challenging, especially when using canned chickpeas. While canned chickpeas are convenient for quick recipes, they can result in hummus that is less smooth and silky, often ending up with a grainier texture.
However, there is a simple and quick trick that can transform your hummus: a brief boiling of the chickpeas with baking soda. The addition not only softens the chickpeas but also helps in releasing some of their skins, leading to a more homogeneous and silky texture.
The process is straightforward and adds only a few minutes to your preparation time. Start by draining and rinsing the canned chickpeas under cold water to remove any preservatives. Place the chickpeas in a small pot, cover them with fresh water, and add a pinch of baking soda—about half a teaspoon per can of chickpeas.
Adding baking soda to the water makes it more alkaline, triggering reactions that alter the structure of the chickpeas. Baking soda facilitates the decomposition of pectins in the cell walls. By breaking down pectins, the texture softens, and the skins weaken and detach more easily. This makes the chickpeas easier to blend and results in a more uniform and smoother hummus.
Bring the water to a boil and let the chickpeas cook for about seven minutes. During this time, the chickpeas visibly soften, becoming tender and swollen. The longer they are boiled with baking soda, the more they decompose, but for hummus, seven minutes is optimal to avoid excessive disintegration.
After boiling, remove the chickpeas from the heat and drain them, removing any excess skins. The chickpeas are now ready to be blended with the rest of the ingredients—garlic clove, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. Loosening the skins makes them easier to crush and ensures a more uniform result. The outcome is hummus that is much smoother and airier, perfect for spreading on naan bread or enjoying as a dip.
Many fans of hummus attempted to make it at home, and there are plenty of tips for enhancing a basic hummus recipe, such as adding garlic and jalapeños. However, the baking soda hack is useful because most people already have baking soda in their pantries.
Other recipes for making hummus from dried chickpeas mention adding baking soda to the water when soaking the legumes before cooking. Which technique is better—adding baking soda when cooking or when soaking—is debatable. In both cases, adding baking soda works the same way as a softening agent.
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