The best hummus is lusciously creamy, yet somehow light and fluffy. It’s beautifully smooth and swirled, and begging to be scooped up onto a wedge of pita bread. It’s nutty and tangy, thanks to the tahini, with notes of bright, fresh lemon and mellow garlic.

I encountered the most delicious hummus at Aladdin Cafe, a local Mediterranean restaurant. That hummus met all of the above characteristics, and I was hoping the owner might enlighten me with his techniques. When I asked, though, he replied, “It’s a secret,” with a sly smile and walked away.

I went home determined to learn how to make magnificently creamy hummus. First, I took the fancy flavorings out of my other hummus recipes to make plain hummus. It was dense, a little gritty, and harshly garlicky. I was so disappointed.

Next, I went to Google and opened up a million tabs to learn everything about hummus. You know me. Ten hummus attempts later, I’m ready to share all of my hummus tips and tricks with you. Get ready to make the best hummus of your life!

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A few weeks ago, I tasted some intriguing hummus at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants. Hummus always has some sesame flavor thanks to the tahini component (tahini is ground sesame paste, like peanut butter made with sesame seeds).

This hummus, however, had a more pronounced sesame flavor. I loved it. A few bites in, I realized their trick—they drizzled toasted sesame oil on top. Clever, right? I generally associate tahini with Mediterranean cuisine and toasted sesame oil with Southeast Asian cuisine, but they’re both made from sesame seeds. They go great together.

I looked across the table and declared, “I’m going to make hummus with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds and share it on the blog soon.” Boom! Here we are. I brought this hummus over to my friend’s housewarming party last night and it was a hit.

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Minneapolis is one delicious city. I haven’t unpacked my bags yet, but I have a list of recipe ideas from the past week and can’t wait to recreate them. Let’s procrastinate on unpacking and catching up on emails for a bit longer and talk about a much more pressing matter—edamame hummus. Have you tried it yet?

I got a taste of edamame hummus at a nearby sushi restaurant recently, then I discovered a tubbed version at Trader Joe’s, and then I had to make some myself. It’s rich, lemony, and high in protein (so is the traditional chickpea kind). It’s green, too, thanks to the edamame, which are green soybeans. I buy frozen, shelled edamame and defrost them in a pot of boiling water.

The word “hummus” is derived from the Arabic word for chickpeas, so this chickpea-free hummus is quite untraditional. To balance edamame’s very green flavor and fibrous texture, I had to use a little more tahini, lemon juice and water than my go-to herbed hummus recipe.

Combined with crisp veggies or whole-grain crackers, edamame hummus is a delicious, healthy snack or appetizer.  If you need a break from standard hummus (horrors!), please give this one a shot! I’ll be sharing a fun appetizer concept featuring this hummus in a couple of days.

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What’s a girl to do when she’s working on freelance projects all weekend and has a big bowl of green hummus in the refrigerator? Hummus sandwiches, that’s what! I’m not big on sandwiches in general. It just seems like most vegetarian sandwiches are more bread than anything else. This healthy, hearty, fresh hummus sandwich gets one enthusiastic stamp of approval from your resident sandwich skeptic, though.

We start with some lightly toasted, sturdy whole grain bread. Spread both sides generously with herby green goddess hummus, which is flavored with the same herbs as green goddess dressing (or, use your favorite store-bought hummus). Top with crisp cucumber, some fresh green lettuce and tangy pickles. Place the second piece of bread on top. Lunch is served.

I couldn’t resist complicating the pickles part of the equation. (I’m particular about my pickles like I’m particular about my sandwiches, which is to say that I’m pretty particular in general.) Most pickles are far too salty. I think they’re trying to make up for all the flavor lost while those pickles sit on the shelf, waiting for us to take their said pickled selves home, only to be forgotten in the shadowy nether regions of the refrigerator.

This sad pickle conundrum is easily solved with homemade quick pickles. Man, they’re good! You can quickly pickle all kinds of vegetables. Think radishes, cabbage, fennel, shallots, beets, onions and carrots. The thinner you slice the vegetables, the quicker they soak up the brine.

These onion and carrot quick pickles are ready in under thirty minutes. They go great on sandwiches, tacos, salads, toasts—basically on anything that could benefit from a salty, crispy, vinegary punch.

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Here she is. The most green and fresh homemade hummus I’ve ever met. My standard for great hummus has risen over the years and reached a new height in Israel last fall, naturally. This one is a winner.

I borrowed the fresh herbs from classic green goddess dressing, and whipped them into the hummus for a spectacularly green and flavorful hummus.

I definitely questioned my green goddess concept while I was tossing expensive packets of fresh tarragon and chives into my cart at the grocery store, but this hummus proved its worth. That said, feel free to hold off on this hummus until your herb garden is in full swing, or change up the herbs to cut costs.

I love this hummus so much that it was one of the few blog recipes that made it into my cookbook!

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Meet one of my favorite snacks, sweet potato hummus! It’s brilliant orange and bursting with flavor, both savory and sweet. I’ve been eating it with everything: pita wedges, bite-sized vegetables, toasted bagels and even quesadillas.

This creamy hummus is a fun everyday snack, and it’s special enough to serve as a holiday appetizer. It’s conveniently vegan and gluten-free (pending your accompaniments), so it’s an excellent app for everyone to enjoy.

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