How to Thicken Hummus (When It’s Too Runny)

Hummus is a unique dip that many people like including into their everyday meals. It’s significantly healthier than a lot of store-bought dips, and it’s a prominent ingredient in a number of vegan and vegetarian snacks. Its unique flavor will appeal to a wide range of individuals.

Having said that, not everyone is willing to settle for store-bought meals. Many retailers cut costs on their goods, leaving you with items that don’t taste right or have the texture you’re searching for.

Instead than spending time and money at the supermarket, many individuals prefer a bowl of homemade hummus.

The issue is that hummus can be a difficult meal to prepare since getting the texture just right might take a lot of time and effort. Some individuals can easily see the answer.

For example, if your hummus was too thick, adding water to it may help give it a smoother texture while retaining the distinct flavor.

However, if you find that the hummus you created was a little too thin, you may be unsure about what components to add or where to place the hummus to help it thicken up a little bit.

If you’re stuck trying to fix your watery hummus recipe, here are some suggestions to consider if you want a thick, delicious hummus dip.

Figuring Out What Went Wrong

The first step in resolving a problem with a culinary recipe is determining where the problem occurred.

Knowing what occurred to the recipe may frequently make finding a remedy much simpler since you know what the issue is. It is far more difficult to solve a mysterious issue than it is to simply add a component that you neglected.

You should always go back and read the reviews for the recipe you’re working on to see if anybody else had the same problem. If others are experiencing the same problem as you, there is a significant probability that answers may be found in the recipe’s comments.

This should be your first step in attempting to correct the problem with your hummus recipe.

From here, you should consider what ingredients you utilized, the quality of those items, and anything else you may have overlooked.

The quality of the tahini used in most hummus recipes, for example, has a significant influence on how the hummus turns out, and skimping on the tahini may easily result in sloppy hummus.

When creating your own hummus, you should always err on the conservative side of things. This implies that if hummus is virtually rock-solid, it is much simpler to add additional ingredients to thin it down.

You can’t truly remove liquid that you’ve already added without dramatically modifying the formula.

Knowing where you went wrong, or at least having a clear concept of what the issue is, can help you take a significant step in the right direction when it comes to thickening your hummus recipe to the desired thickness.

Fixing the Problem

Now that you know what to look for and, hopefully, have a good sense of what went wrong with the hummus, you can attempt to remedy it.

There are two techniques to properly thicken hummus. You may either add additional tahini or more chickpeas to this recipe.

Both techniques will need some guessing since it might be difficult to calculate how much of another ingredient you will need to thicken the hummus; nonetheless, they are both doable.

Even if you don’t have chickpeas, there are plenty of alternative options.

The key to resolving a runny hummus dip is to simply add extra solids to assist absorb the liquid. Typically, this will be chickpeas. If you truly want to boost the taste of the meal, you may experiment with other additions.

Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and just about any roasted nut, as well as chickpeas, may all contribute to the hummus’s thickness, resulting in not just the appropriate consistency but also a richer and creamier dip.

If you don’t have any toasted nuts or are unable to add nuts owing to dietary restrictions, you may substitute extra beans. If the hummus is already too fluid, many people may add black beans to give it more consistency and texture.

Just keep in mind that using black beans alone may affect the look, which you should be prepared for since you don’t want to modify the recipe too much.

While you’re at it, try adding white beans to the hummus to give it additional depth. However, for these, there will be a ratio of how many beans you can add to the hummus without dominating the flavor.

For every two cups of chickpeas soaked overnight, soak half a cup of white beans in a separate container. You should strive for a total ratio of 4:1.

Not only will this reduce the number of chickpeas required, but if you run out of chickpeas, white beans may provide the ideal answer to your runny hummus issue. They readily turn creamy, provide a similar taste profile to chickpeas, and may make your meal considerably thicker than it was before.

Finally, you may experiment with tahini. Tahini is a key ingredient in many hummus recipes, and it may be used in large quantities to thicken a watery hummus.

However, if you’re dealing with store-bought tahini, utilizing it as a thickening for your hummus might quickly become pricey.

Keep in mind that tahini is actually quite simple to make, which means that if you really want to keep things natural and homemade, and you have a lot of sesame seeds to go through, you can make your own tahini to thicken the hummus without wasting as much time and money going to the store as using store-bought tahini will.

And although the ultimate answer may be deemed unconventional by some, if you need to thicken your hummus, you can be certain that this will do the trick.

You should look for mashed potato flakes. If you’re concerned about the flakes interfering with the texture, stir them up until they resemble mashed potatoes again.

This will give some flavor to the meal as well as some thickness to the hummus, leaving you with the ideal dish of hummus for whichever occasion you need it for.