Easy Hummus without Lemon & Garlic

This Easy Hummus without Lemon and Garlic is made with basic pantry ingredients. Just a can of chickpeas, tahini, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. No need to buy hummus at the supermarket ever again.

Don’t have a food processor? No problem. I actually make this hummus using a simple hand blender for easier washing up. You can watch how I do this in the recipe video below.

Healthy hummus recipe

I eat this hummus weekly with a range of foods. It’s great served with this Easy Gluten Free Flatbread. You can also enjoy it as a condiment with meats like chicken or steak. Or dollop it over roasted vegetables, salads and buddha bowls.

If you’re making a sandwich or a wrap, you can use the hummus as a healthy spread instead of butter. I also like to eat it with raw carrots or spread over rice cakes as a healthy snack. It really is super versatile.

What can replace lemon in hummus?

Apple cider vinegar is the secret ingredient that replaces lemon and garlic in this hummus recipe. I love hummus made with fresh lemon juice and minced garlic. However, I don’t always have lemons at home and sometimes I can’t be bothered peeling and mincing cloves of garlic.

Apple cider vinegar adds sharpness and cuts through the creaminess of the chickpeas and tahini beautifully. I use raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar for added health benefits. Raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar retains the ‘mother’, which is the cloudy formation that you see floating in the vinegar. Although it looks a bit scary, it’s made up of enzymes and beneficial bacteria.

What can replace fresh garlic in hummus?

If you don’t have fresh garlic at home, you can use garlic infused olive oil as a substitute when making hummus. Garlic infused oils can be quite strong, so I usually just swap out 1 teaspoon or 5 grams of regular olive oil for garlic oil in this hummus recipe, then taste and add more if needed.

You can also make hummus without any garlic flavor at all. As long as you season your hummus well with salt and pepper, it shouldn’t taste bland. Plus, adding an acidic flavor like the apple cider vinegar in this recipe livens up the hummus so you don’t miss the garlic.

Is hummus low fat?

This hummus recipe is lower in fat than traditional hummus. I love authentic hummus made with plenty of tahini and extra virgin olive oil. But for something slightly lighter for everyday eating, this is my go-to recipe.

A lot of low fat hummus recipes use no fat yogurt in place of tahini and olive oil. However, for this recipe, I wanted to keep a more traditional hummus flavor. I still add good quality extra virgin olive oil and tahini, but I use slightly less than other recipes. Then I add splashes of water as I’m blending the hummus to thin it out to a creamy consistency.

Ingredients for hummus without lemon and garlic

• Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas for convenience. I have found that some brands of chickpeas blend a bit drier than others. However, you can easily adjust how much water you add during the blending process to get your preferred consistency.
• Tahini: To add creaminess and a traditional hummus flavor. I prefer to use hulled tahini, as un-hulled tahini is more bitter.
• Apple cider vinegar: To replace the need for lemon and garlic. As I mentioned above, I like to use raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar for added health benefits.
• Extra virgin olive oil: For extra richness and flavor. Since we don’t use a lot of olive oil, I recommend using the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find.
• Salt and black pepper: To season the hummus. You could leave out the pepper if you prefer, but definitely don’t skip the salt otherwise the hummus will taste bland.
• Water: Added to the hummus during blending to thin it out to your desired consistency.

How many calories are in this hummus?

Each quarter cup serve of this hummus contains 129 calories with 4 grams of protein and 6.5 grams of fiber. The ingredients also provide a range of benefits. Tahini and extra virgin olive oil contain good fats. Unfiltered apple cider vinegar used instead of lemon in this recipe provides beneficial bacteria. Plus, chickpeas are a source of plant-based protein and fiber. As such, this hummus can be a great addition to a healthy diet.

More easy sauce and condiment recipes

• Creamy Vegan Tahini Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Vegan Burger Sauce
• Parsley Pine Nut Pesto

Check out the Sauce Recipes page for more ideas.

Easy Hummus without Lemon and Garlic Recipe

Notes

1. Apple cider vinegar – I like the hummus sharp with lots of vinegar, so I use 8 tsp / 40 ml / 40 g vinegar. You can start with half this amount, taste the hummus, then add more to suit your taste.
2. Food scale – The fastest way to make this hummus is to measure out each ingredient in grams straight into your blender cup or processor bowl using a digital food scale. They are inexpensive and make cooking so much easier.
3. Storage – Store the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep this way for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving size: 1/4 cup
• Energy: 129 Calories / 541 Kilojoules
• Total Fat: 8.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 9.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g
• Sugars: 0.5 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Sodium: 182 mg
• Potassium: 350 mg