Homemade Hummus

A few weeks ago I made some homemade hummus.  I had made it once before, but a really long time ago.  That time I had used dried chickpeas, but I hadn't cooked them enough.  Needless to say, it did not have the right texture!

This time, I "cheated" and used canned chickpeas.  That made it incredibly simple to make.  I used a recipe from my Joy of Cooking vegetarian cookbook, but I'm sure you could find a million online.  I simply filled my small food processor with the chickpeas, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and tahini sauce and pulsed. 

 I ended up having to add a number of tablespoonfuls of water to get it smooth enough. 

The taste was good, and hummus is such an easy and healthy snack.  I would like to experiment with different flavorings in the future.  I also thought my recipe might have been a little strong on the tahini.  Reducing it would reduce the cost of the hummus as well.  Here is my estimate cost breakdown (using Harris Teeter's online store prices):

2 cans chickpeas - $2.00
3 T. tahini - $1.00
garlic, lemon juice, salt - $.50
Total cost: $3.50 for about 2 cups ($1.75/cup)

Store-bought hummus:  $2.69 for 7 oz. ($3.07/cup)

The cost difference would be even better for the homemade version if you did cook your own chickpeas.  Just make sure you get them nice and soft!

Check out more Frugal Friday ideas here.