A basic recipe for hummus is commonly made with chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
It’s an easy and healthy bean dip to make at home, but subtle changes to the preparation can alter the flavor and consistency of the dip dramatically.
Even a single additional ingredient, like the sun-dried tomatoes in this fun version, can introduce a completely new taste experience!
With their sweet and tangy flavor, this particularly special ingredient creates are the perfect match with the more neutral garbanzo beans, and they bring a dash of vibrant color as well.
I prefer the jarred variety packed in oil for this recipe, because they have a soft yet meaty texture to them.
You can also use your own homemade sun-dried tomatoes made in the food dehydrator. Just reconstitute in hot water for about 30 minutes and pat dry before adding to the recipe.
Bonus points if you use produce grown in your own garden! If you’ve got the gardening bug your green thumb is itching, check out these tomato growing tips from our sister site, Gardener’s Path.
You can use dried beans or the canned variety to make this dip, depending on your preference and on how much time and effort you want to dedicate to prep.
If you’re using dehydrated beans, carefully follow the cooking instructions provided on the package for best results. And review our tips for cooking beans to reduce gas!
Process them when they are still warm from cooking – this is a key secret to making your hummus very smooth and creamy! Some cooks even like to add some baking soda to the cooking water, to hasten this process.
You will need to plan ahead by soaking dehydrated garbanzos at least 24 hours in advance, or use your pressure cooker to soften them more quickly.
You could even remove the thin skins from every single chickpea by hand to make the smoothest puree possible. It will do the trick, but this is a particularly tedious process that will take a significant amount of time.
But if all of this seems too overwhelming, and you’re looking for a time-saving process, go for canned garbanzos instead – that’s what I use all the time when I need to quickly make all my favorite hummus recipes, with no further cooking required!
Just don’t forget to save that water, especially from canned beans that are packed without any added sodium! It’s a wonderful vegan egg replacement known as aquafaba that can be used to make meringues, homemade mayonnaise, and more.
This recipe is a favorite of mine that I like to make regularly, and it’s delicious at any time of year with homemade crackers, pita bread, or assorted crudite.
Whiz up a batch soon!
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Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings (about 2 tablespoons) 1x
Description
Sun-dried tomatoes add tangy, sweet flavor to our hummus with garlic and tahini, the perfect protein-packed dip for snacking.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 15-ounce can chickpeas)
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 large clove raw or roasted garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1–3 tablespoons cold water, as needed
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1 tablespoon water in the food processor. Puree until thoroughly combined, 1-2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process another 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Gradually add additional water as necessary, until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve with additional olive oil drizzled on top.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Hummus
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Dip
Keywords: hummus, sun-dried tomato, garbanzo, chickpea
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prep and Measure
Set out your food processor and a spatula. Fit the processor with the regular S-blade insert.
If you haven’t already, cook your chickpeas if you decided to use dehydrated beans. You can also feel free to use canned garbanzos if you want to save on prep time!
Drain the chickpeas in a colander with a bowl placed beneath it, reserving the liquid for a later use. Give them a rinse if you are using canned salted beans.
Measure out the olive oil, tahini, red pepper flakes, salt, and cold water.
Make sure you have extra salt on hand for any final seasoning, as well as extra olive oil for a final drizzle before serving.
Finely mince the clove of garlic, using a chef’s knife and a sturdy cutting board. You can also use a garlic press to prep the raw garlic if you prefer.
The garlic can be raw, or you can also roast it for a sweeter, mellower flavor.
Drain and chop the tomatoes on the same cutting board.
Squeeze the lemon juice and discard any seeds.
Step 2 – Add Ingredients to the Food Processor
Place the chickpeas, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1 tablespoon water in the food processor. The remaining water will be used later to adjust the consistency.
Don’t own a food processor? A high-speed blender can also be used to make a nice smooth puree, though the food processor is an essential kitchen gadget that we think every home cook should have!
Step 3 – Puree and Serve
Puree on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides to incorporate any ingredients that did not puree fully.
Continue to puree at high speed until smooth, adding water gradually as needed until your desired consistency is reached. This will take another 1 to 2 minutes.
If you like a thicker spread, use less water, or no additional water. For thinner hummus, use more water.
Now you are ready to serve the hummus, with an extra drizzle of olive oil on top!
You could also garnish with additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes before serving, or assorted minced fresh herbs or edible flowers, depending on what is in season.
The Oil Is Liquid Gold!
Whenever I go to restaurants and order hummus, it’s always served with a lovely drizzle of olive oil and a seasoning of freshly ground salt and pepper.
It’s a gorgeous and simple presentation idea that is perfect for parties.
While you can easily use more olive oil, I suggest serving this with a drizzle of the oil that comes in the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. It gives the hummus a little extra boost of savory flavor.
While 100% perfect served as a dip, you can also place a hearty dollop atop a bowl of your favorite whole grains and leafy greens to make an unforgettable salad.
We’re also excited by the idea of using this as the spread on a hummus, avocado, and sun-dried tomato sandwich. Double the tomato fun!
What is your favorite ingredient to add for flavor in a basic hummus recipe? How will you serve this version? Tell us what you think in the comments below! And don’t forget to rate this recipe while you’re at it.
Sun-dried tomatoes provide hearty texture and a beautiful balance of sweetness, tanginess, and acidity. You can find them in many more of our savory homemade recipes, like these:
- Pesto Chicken Pasta with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta
- Flavor-Packed Mediterranean Steaks with Spinach, Feta, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on August 26, 2014 with additional writing by Allison Sidhu and Sarah Hagstrom. Last updated on July 9, 2023.
About Nikki Cervone
Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
I love hummus and hadn’t thought about using garlic powder. It would make it less coarse and also less pungent. I may try it with some caramelized onions for an extra kick. Good tip to try out!
I just this week found a new and stable supplier of tahini paste in my new town. I am so happy. I was using peanut butter as an alternative out of desperation and it works, but it’s not ideal. I can’t wait to try this new hummus recipe. I’ve never tried one with sun-dried tomatoes and it sounds just perfect.
I do cheat and use canned chickpeas. Ever since I found a video from America’s Test Kitchen on how to quickly remove the skins from canned beans, the texture is just as good as hummus from dried.
Thanks so much for a hummus recipe! Hummus is yummus! Haha
What a lovely recipe! I love hummus and I love garlic, so this is a very nice combination in my opinion.
I find myself drifting farther and farther away from carbohydrates of any kind these days. Not as a health matter, but my taste buds and/or palate just doesn’t want them. I feel like I’d choke trying to get anything “bready” down. I like the looks of this but how do you think that might fare on zucchini sliced length wise and baked?
I have eaten a lot of hummus with zucchini, but usually fresh zucchini sliced in rounds. I think the baked zucchini might be a bit soft. I also love hummus on cucumber rounds. I am trying to avoid carbohydrates as well, so if you try the baked zucchini let me know how it goes!
I enjoy eating hummus and I use it as a replacement for meat. For a long time, I had knew hummus main ingredient were chickpeas.
Hi, Torreyy, you can also indulge in this delicious hummus recipe with veggie chips.
I love hummus, but I’m not a huge fan of making it with sun dried tomatoes. My favorites are roasted red pepper or pine nuts. I haven’t used dried chickpeas before, just the canned ones that have been drained and rinsed. I think a hummus like this, even with the sun dried tomatoes, would taste great on slices of fresh cucumber.
I am a big fan of hummus too. I usually have it as a starter when I eat out as it makes a great started to graze on with dips.
It is easy and quick to make and provides a great starter at home too, interesting ingredients, I think the lemon and garlic will go together really well.
Never tried hummus before, i always say the more positive votes, then the more positive that element must be, so without further ado am noting down this recipe, implement then will give feedback later. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this simple hummus recipe. I need more practice when making this creamy dip as I find it a healthy snack and a delicious one to spread on sandwiches. Thanks for the article that I maybe able to produce a fantastic one, and enhance the flavor by adding sun-dried tomatoes!
I can never get enough of garlic, and I love hummus. And funny thing – I’m not big on tomatoes unless they’re sun-dried, then I’ll eat them up! This sounds like a great mixture of all of them, and I’m excited to try it out!
I’m not big on tomatoes most of the time either. Though I really do like sun-dried ones. I’m a big fan of hummus and I think that this will work out really good together. I’m excited to try this. Hummus works well for a lot of stuff.
I’ve added garlic powder to hummus before and found it gave just the right depth of flavor – not too overpowering. This recipe looks really cost-efficient and it’s certainly much cheaper to whip up your own hummus than buy it from the store.
The picture looks yummy. I’ve never tried adding garlic powder to my hummus. Maybe this is what I’ve been missing in my recipe. It never really comes out as good as the ones I buy in the store. I feel like it’s been missing a certain taste. I’ll try this. Thanks!
Jen,
Yes, try it with garlic. I’m sure you’ll find that it’s much better. Garlic makes everything better (I probably spent too much time in Korea where garlic is almost everything).
This is a wonderful take on hummus. I am in Israel and have had many delicious types of hummus. Your explanation on how the type of garlic added, effects the flavor, is very helpful. I just know the roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes are going to leave a signature on this hummus. They are beloved ingredients here. The manner you present it is a great idea to use for parties, on a tray, looking so appetizing. Fabulous!
Did not find much hummus that I liked — sometimes, I just cannot abide the strong bean flavor, no matter the added ingredients! But considering how healthy a dip it is, I really, really want to like it!
After soaking the chickpeas, is there a moment where we need to get them rid of their “skins”? I know when I prepare lima beans, after a twenty hour soak we have to press them out of their soft shell (and the same way, lentils sort of shed their skins when cooked).
Anyway. I love garlic, especially roasted, and I love sun dried tomato. So I guess this would be a good fit for me to finally learn to love hummus.
I have been lured to every article here with the promise of sun dried tomatoes. Just the image of a sun dried tomato makes me want to love whatever is being made. What??? You added cheese??? It’s over.
What a coincidence, I just ate hummus and pita bread as an appetizer with an Iranian friend of mine in a ‘Persian’ restaurant the other day. Hummus is very tasty. Your recipe kind of gives me an idea to try it on other types of bread.
I really like the flavor profiles in this hummus recipe. I have been meaning to try and make my own hummus and I think this is the best recipe I have seen so far. Tahini is never available in my local stores so I will have to purchase some online. I really like the addition of roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Those are two of my most favorite things together. Yum.
I love hummus so much, and this recipe looks very good. I’ve never made my own, but I think I’d like to try using this recipe. I never realized that using dried chickpeas made that much of a difference, so I’ll definitely be taking that in to account. Sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic will add amazing flavor. I can’t wait to try it!
Yum, I’ve never actually roasted garlic, so I’m glad you gave that recipe, as well. I like the idea of a sweeter dip, so I’ll try it that way. I’ve been wanting to make tahini paste, so this gives me an excuse. This dip sounds delicious, and I’ll be using it on pita chips.
Hummus has become one of my staples since going vegan, as it’s versatile, low-carb, and spreadable. This is a simple enough dish to bring to get-togethers with a good selection of bread, pita chips, and veggies. I have neve tried making it with garlic powder- I’m curious to see the difference in texture.
This sounds very good and it would be a great appetizer to take to a friend’s house for dinner. It sounds like it is very healthy also. I love that it is gluten free also and could be put on gluten free crackers!
I’ve always used raw garlic because I prefer a stronger flavor. It didn’t occur to me to add sun-dried tomatoes though, I usually just use olive oil with a sprinkle of pepper and herbs. I think that the tomatoes could complement very nicely with the garlic. Another possibility could be using olives instead of tomatoes.
Another great hummus variation! Thanks! I love roasted garlic and this will add a great flavor to the hummus, using sun dried tomatoes and the oil is a clever idea. I always use dried chickpeas that I cook myself, never the canned ones. I have a feeling hummus will be on the menu this weekend 🙂
Having recently been struggling with the constantly raising prices of healthier foods, this article is a godsend! Mind you I might have to use the canned chickpeas, since those are cheaper in bulk than the alternative. This way I get to change things up and add other flavors. Thank you so much for this.
PS. Has anyone ever tried to add hummus on a pita bread then grill it like a pizza? it is delicious!
I’m going to try this one out. I’m always looking for new and interesting hummus recipes, and I love both garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. This sounds positively delicious!
Mmm, this sounds delicious. Of course, I like everything that goes into it, so that helps. I think I’m going to have to try it with the canned version first, since that’s all I have on hand and have already been to the store, but yeah, I bet freshly made is even better.
It looks pretty too with the garnish. This would make a nice alternative for party food instead of standard fare, but I’d also just have it as an anytime snack.