This white bean hummus is a take on a classic hummus recipe, with the little spin of making it out of white beans, instead of chickpeas. White beans are much softer and infinitely easier to cook than chickpeas. It's a much faster and easier to make.
In a pinch, you can even cook the beans without soaking. They'll take longer to cook, but infinitely less time that it takes to soak them! Either way, white bean hummus is far easier to throw together last minute than classic hummus. Especially if you don't like the tedious nature of cooking and removing all of the skins from chickpeas! Which is honestly the worst part of making hummus. I do not like peeling all of those pesky little skins off of every chickpea!
Or if you have merely run out of chickpeas! Like I have today. I've been running out for a while. But I'm used to being able to buy them in bulk in Oregon and have yet to find a good bulk supplier in Wisconsin. Although I do have white beans on hand! And am intent on prevailing. Plus I am also quite fond of white bean hummus. They have a little less intense of a flavor than classic hummus and are usually more palatable, for even the pickiest of eater!
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Variations of White Bean Hummus
Hummus is one of my staple dips. It goes well with pita, chips, sandwiches, falafel, as a bean alternative on nachos, and as a sour cream alternative on burritos. I've even been known to dip French fries in hummus! That might not be the most traditional thing ever, but hey, the sky is the limit! As long as it's delicious, nothing is out of bounds. For variations on classic hummus, check out my other recipes.
White bean hummus is one of my go-to staple dips. It's quicker and easier to make than classic hummus and absolutely delicious to boot! I soaked mine over night, but you can skip that step and simmer the beans a little bit longer. It's less important with softer beans than with pinto or black beans. Which really makes white bean hummus far easier to make than either garbanzo bean hummus or really most bean recipes from scratch.
I also use Roasted Garlic to make hummus quite a bit. This is entirely optional, though. You can easily cut the amount of garlic in half! If you do want to roast garlic, you'll need at least a head of garlic, olive oil, and a garlic roaster or aluminum foil.
Soak Beans Overnight
Soak white beans in cold water for at least 12 hours.Soaking the beans is less important with white beans than chickpeas because they take so much less time to cook. But I always soak my beans!Also, make sure not to use canned beans!! The texture won't turn out the same and, since hummus is defined in large part by its texture, no matter how closely you get the flavor to match, the graininess of canned beans.
Cook Beans
Drain the beans. Add to a large pot and cover with a couple inches of water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender. You may need to adjust the temperature to keep them from boiling as they cook down.They should still keep their shape and not turn to mush. But theoretically putting a fork in them would split them in half.
Drain the beans immediately after cooking.
Make Hummus
Add beans, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, olive oil, cumin, and salt to a high powered blender or food processor. Blend until mixture forms a smooth paste and you can no longer see pieces of beans.
Add 1/2 c. crushed ice and blend for 2-4 more minutes. This is entirely optional, but the rapid cooling helps with the texture.If you don't have crushed ice, you can also add ice water or olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. The exact consistency differs slightly depending on how much the chickpeas have absorbed water during the simmering process. Even if you cook them perfectly, the age of the chickpeas can still be a variable. If they're too thick, just add a little bit more liquid!
Once a smooth, consistent texture has been achieved, remove and chill before serving. I usually chill for about an hour. This is optional as well, but warm beans aren't exactly what we tend to think of when we look to hummus!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For more information on hummus, I have an article on The Fundamentals of Making Hummus. This includes the chickpea versus garbanzo bean debate, canned versus dried chickpeas, and types of food processors and puréeing that work best (and least best).
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