A crowd-pleasing hummus party platter for any season.
This post is sponsored by our friends at Wayfair, all thoughts & opinions are our own.
Let me start out by first saying that I love hummus.
More specifically, I love fluffy, creamy hummus that’s been made from scratch.
It may sound daunting, but it’s not. Honestly, it’s very therapeutic to make hummus. At least, for me. And I think part of it is because I do like to peel the skins off my chickpeas to make the hummus as creamy and smooth as humanly possible.
That piece, if you opt to do it, can take quite a bit of time. But, sometimes I love the mindless action of it. It feels very….relaxing. It’s a small repeated action for 10+ minutes (well, depending on how many cans of chickpeas you’re using!) and it almost feels like I fall into a meditative state while prepping them. Or, if you want a little distraction, throw on an episode of your favorite show!
The hummus is the pièce de résistance of the party platter, even if it’s not the shiniest, so to speak, part of the platter. But, it’s the bulk of it! So you want a delicious hummus to serve full of flavor. I love the garlic and lemon flavors in this particular recipe by Cookie + Kate, so I like to use her recipe in building my base.
Though, she does mention that there’s no need to peel the chickpeas, I prefer to. I’ve tried it both ways and it still prefer the creamier texture that comes from peeling them. But, it’s up to you – I think it’s all personal preference. The next element is the little tomato and dill salad on top. There’s something so uniquely delicious about fresh dill and I want to put it on everything. It adds a little something something and I’m very into it.
The tomato and dill “salad” of sorts adds some tang and veg to this platter, and it spruces it up a bit. Hummus, without any seasoning on top can look pretty…well….plain. So this is a fun way to serve your platter – it looks way more complicated than it is, which is always a fun way to surprise and delight any guests you’re entertaining.
Here’s how to bring it all together!
Hummus Party Platter
For the hummus
1 can of chickpeas, drained, washed, and peeled
½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)
¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste
1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
½ cup tahini
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the tomato mixture
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T fresh dill
2 T chopped red onion
1 T olive oil
1 T apple cider or sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely diced
For the crispy chickpeas
1 can of chickpeas, drained, washed, and peeled
1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 tsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 pieces of naan, cut into triangles
Sea salt + black pepper, to taste
1. Prepare your crispy chickpeas. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and toss your chickpeas in oil and all dry ingredients listed above. Then spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisped and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Make your hummus according to Cookie + Kate’s instructions. Place chickpeas in a saucepan and add baking soda. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling for about 20 minutes until chickpeas are bloated. Then, strain and run cold water over chickpeas.
3. In a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer. Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.
4. While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.) Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
5. Plate your hummus and center on a cheese or charcuterie board like this one I picked up from Wayfair. Top with your tomato mixture and crispy chickpeas. Arrange your naan around the hummus platter and enjoy!
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*This post was inspired by Minimalist Baker’s Chickpea Shawarma Recipe
and features Cookie + Kate’s Hummus Recipe
