A few weeks ago, I tasted some intriguing hummus at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Eden Alley. Hummus always has some sesame flavor thanks to the tahini component (tahini is ground sesame paste, like peanut butter made with sesame seeds).
This hummus, however, had a more pronounced sesame flavor. I loved it. A few bites in, I realized their trick—they drizzled toasted sesame oil on top. Clever, right? I generally associate tahini with Mediterranean cuisine and toasted sesame oil with Southeast Asian cuisine, but they’re both made from sesame seeds. They go great together.
I looked across the table and declared, “I’m going to make hummus with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds and share it on the blog soon.” Boom! Here we are. You’ll start out by making ultra creamy hummus from scratch, with a little toasted sesame oil blended throughout. Freshly toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil take it to the next level.
Toasted sesame oil is very strongly flavored, so be sure to follow my suggested measurements rather than pouring straight from the bottle. You could cheat and drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds over store-bought hummus (no judgment here).
I brought this hummus over to my friend’s housewarming party last night and it was a hit. As always, please let me know how you like it!
Toasted Sesame Hummus
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 1 ¾ cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Food processor
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This creamy hummus recipe includes toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds for incredible sesame flavor! It’s easy to make and so delicious. Recipe yields about 1 ¾ cup hummus.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided, more to taste
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water, as needed
- 1 teaspoon raw sesame seeds (I used a mix of white and black)
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
- Suggested accompaniments: Toasted pita bread, carrot or bell pepper or celery sticks, crackers, etc.
Instructions
- In a food processor or high-powered blender (i.e., Vitamix or Blendtec), combine the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and ½ teaspoon of the sesame oil. Process for about 1 ½ minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides and bottom as necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process until the hummus is thick and smooth, 1 to 2 more minutes.
- While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 to 4 tablespoons of water, until it reaches your desired consistency and level of creaminess. Taste and season with additional salt (I added ¼ teaspoon) and toasted sesame oil, if you want more pronounced sesame flavor (about ½ teaspoon). Set aside.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, shimmying the skillet frequently, until they’re starting to turn golden, about 2 to 4 minutes. Pour them into a bowl to prevent them from burning.
- Scrape the hummus into a small serving bowl. Lightly drizzle 1 teaspoon sesame oil over the top. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt (if using). Serve with accompaniments of your choice. Leftover hummus keeps well, chilled, for 4 to 5 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my green goddess hummus recipe, available online and in my cookbook.
Change it up: If you omit the sesame oil and sesame seeds, you’ll have an ultra-creamy basic hummus recipe.
If you love this recipe: Check out these hummus recipes!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Gaby Dalkin
The sesame oil on top sounds like a game changer!!
Kate
You’ve gotta try it! :)
Danica
Oooh, that looks good! On the docket for next week.
I just made 2 c + k recipes today…always so delicious.
Kate
Thank you, Danica! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Janette Clowes
Kate, is sesame oil different from toasted sesame oil? I’m in the middle of making this and I’m a bit confused. :-)
Kate
Does your sesame oil smell nutty? If so, it’s toasted, and that’s the kind to use. If it’s neutral in flavor, it won’t do much for the hummus.
Maria
What a brilliant and delicious sounding trick! I love the combination of ingredients from all different cuisines. I never would have thought to add toasted sesame oil, but now I can’t stop thinking about it! YUM!
Kate
Thanks, Maria! I think you’ll get hooked on the toasted sesame oil/tahini combo if you give it a try, I know I did!
FoodPlottoPlate
Looks so yummy. Can’t wait to try it!
Kate
Thank you!
Janette Clowes
OMG! I love this recipe. If you enjoy the taste (& smell) of sesame oil as much as I do, you’ll go ape over this. I now prefer this recipe to the traditional one I make – It’s on another level. Thanks Kate – you’ve outdone yourself with this one.
Kate
Thank you, Jannette! I appreciate the compliment.
Q
I had the same realization about the tahini and toasted sesame oil connection. Your recipe came up right away and I’m glad it did! This was absolutely delicious and so easy. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I am happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the review.
Jason
Love me some hummus! This looks delicious.
Natalie
Literally best texture of hummus ever! Before trying this I would just blitz all ingredients in my processor in one go and the result would still be pretty good. But blending tahini with lemon juice, oil and spices before adding your chickpeas in is such a game changer! It turns out so smooth and silky… I like to add a little cumin though – too addicted to it, I guess :)
★★★★★
Kate
Nice a little spice! Thanks, Natalie for the review.
Ali
Just curious……why don’t you boil the canned chickpeas for 20 minutes or so in this recipe like you do for your other delicious hummus recipe?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Ali, good question. I figured out the boiling technique after I came up with this recipe. :) You can definitely do that if you’d like extra smooth hummus. I’m generally ok with skipping that step for flavored hummus like this, but it makes a world of difference for plain hummus.
Cora
This is crazy good. And I am a hummus afficionado. Thank you so much for the inventive recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome, Cora!
Liesl
Oh my! This is so good! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Yum.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear you think so, Liesl!
CLARE PRICHARD
Dear Kate
Please could you give an accurate measure for the hummus, preferably in mls or mg. ( medical reasons)
Many thanks
cvp
Kate
Sorry, I work in U.S. cups & ounces. You can convert to your preferred measurement, if you like. I have heard myrecipes has a good chart.
Andrea
Why is the amount of tahini (1/4 cup) per can of chickpeas less than the amount used in your “Best Hummus Recipe”? Also, the technique is different. Missing the overcooked chickpeas and baking soda part. Is this an older recipe? I couldn’t find the date it was published.
★★
Kate
Hi Andrea, yes this is a slightly different recipe. I created this one before figuring out my best hummus recipe.
Bola
I’ve had many, many professionally made hummuses (is that a word?) over the years. I can’t believe I made the best one Ive ever tasted with my own hands! (Thanks to your recipe.)
★★★★★
Arwen Carlin
Wow! This hummus is almost as good as my mom’s hummus! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Marci
I think this is my favorite of your hummus recipes! Just adding the 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil makes an amazing difference in the taste. Staying home and missing my favorite Dizengoff Hummus. (Michael Solomonov’s hummus store in Philly) but yours really does the trick. I bought 5 pounds of dried chickpeas last week and a bag of lemons in preparation for being at home. Glad I did. I just used up the last 1/4 cup of tahini I had, but was able to order more Soom brand on Amazon. Thankful for your recipes Kate to help us through this surreal time. Be well Kate and family. #stayhome.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for commenting, Marci! I appreciate your review. Yes, stay home and stay safe :)
Abby
Absolutely amazing! Initially my hummus was a little thin, but I added a half teaspoon chia seeds and let it sit over night which resulted in a wonderfully creamy texture. I also used TJ’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning instead of sesame seeds- yum!! I will definitely be making this again soon!
★★★★★
kristen marie danzig
I made this recipe just the way it reads and it turned out perfect. I did opt for the additional sesame seed at the end. yum. Made veggie hummus sandwiches and consistency perfect. I agree with Natalie, blending tahini, lemon juice, garlic, etc ahead of time- big diff! Thank you!
★★★★★