The Pantry Staple That Will Elevate Your Next Batch Of Hummus

Whether you enjoy hummus as a spread, a dip, or a mayo alternative in tuna salad, if you're a fan of the stuff, you've probably attempted to make it at home. While there are plenty of amazing tips for leveling up your basic hummus recipe — like adding garlic and jalapeños to hummus — getting the texture right can be challenging. While homemade hummus can be delicious, it often lacks the smoothness of what you get at your favorite restaurant. However, according to a video on TikTok, you can remedy this issue with a common pantry item: baking soda.

When cooking chickpeas, adding a small amount of baking soda to the water makes it more alkaline. This helps break down the skin's pectin and softens the texture of the chickpeas. The softened chickpea skins create a smoother texture when blending hummus in a blender or food processor. Celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi favors this technique for creating incredibly smooth hummus without peeling each chickpea.

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 is debatable, but in both cases adding baking soda works the same way: as a softening agent. Most of us probably already have baking soda in our pantries, making this hack ingenious.

Baking soda isn't the only way to create smoother, creamier hummus. This can also be accomplished by removing the skins from the chickpeas. The easiest way to do this is by cooking your chickpeas in water until they are soft enough to be mashed in between your fingers, and most of the skins have floated to the top of the pan. Instead of straining, pour the water out slowly, dumping the skins but keeping the whole chickpeas in the pan. Pureeing the chickpeas while still warm and soft also helps ensure a smooth texture.

For fluffier hummus, consider using aquafaba — the starchy liquid in the can of chickpeas or the cooking water — instead of regular water in the recipe. Alternatively, you can experiment with both. When blended with the other hummus ingredients, the starchiness of the aquafaba creates a rich, creamy texture.

Lastly, take a cue from the TikTok video and add ice water and ice cubes to your blender or food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients. The ice water will lighten the color of the tahini, while the ice cubes will add air pockets to the hummus, creating a whipped texture.