Black Bean Hummus
One can of black beans, whipped with tahini, garlic, lemon, cumin and olive oil, then loosened with ice water while the motor runs. Three full minutes in the food processor is what makes it silky rather than gritty.
Ingredients
For the Hummus
- 15 ounces canned black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed until the water runs clear
- 2 tablespoons tahini stirred smooth from the bottom of the jar
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or lime, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons ice water added with the motor running
To Finish
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro optional
Equipment
- Food Processor
Instructions
Whip the Tahini
- First, drain and rinse the black beans in a sieve until the water running off them is completely clear rather than grey. The starchy canning liquid tastes tinny.
- Next, process the tahini, lemon juice and garlic together for 30 seconds, until pale and creamy, then scrape the bowl down. Whipping the tahini with acid first is what lets it disperse properly.
Blend and Loosen
- Then add the beans, cumin, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt, and process for 2 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
- After that, pour the ice water in through the feed tube with the motor running and keep going for another minute, until the color lightens visibly and the mixture ripples rather than sitting in a stiff block.
Season and Serve
- Finally, taste and adjust. Expect to want more salt and more lemon than you think, and remember it will taste flatter warm from the machine than it will at room temperature.
- Spread it in a shallow bowl, push the back of a spoon through it in a spiral to make a trough, then pour the last tablespoon of oil into the trough and dust with smoked paprika and cilantro.
Notes
Texture: give the machine a full 3 minutes with two scrapes. Stopping at 40 seconds is the usual reason a batch comes out grainy.
Ice water: add it through the feed tube with the motor running. Cold water helps the emulsion hold, warm water makes it slack.
Without tahini: use 3 tablespoons olive oil in total plus 1 tablespoon of natural peanut or almond butter. Yogurt or a quarter of an avocado also work.
Make-ahead: better after a few hours, and good for 2 days before the raw garlic starts to dominate.
Storage: 5 days refrigerated under a film of oil with the surface covered, or 3 months frozen with headspace in the tub. It firms up in the cold, so stir a spoonful of water through before serving.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 3tablespoons | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 4g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1.1mg