Why I Think You Should Make Your Own Hummus

I love making hummus in my Thermomix – once you’ve invested in a jar of tahini (or you can make it yourself), a few cans of chickpeas and a few other bits and bobs that you probably already have banging around in your pantry it’s ready to go whenever you want to make it. But there are more benefits than just being convenient - saving you from lots of little numbers and saving you money are things I like about it too!

Ingredients required to make hummus in the Thermomix (prices from Woolworths at the regular price):

1 garlic glove                      $0.15 ($1.50 per bulb)

400g canned chickpeas        $0.81 ($0.20 per 100g)

30-50g lemon juice              $0.78 (each)

1 Tbsp Tahini                      $0.20 (1.32 per 100g)

20g olive oil                        $0.11 ($0.72 per 100ml)

1 tsp cumin oil                    $0.39 ($0.77 per 10g)

2 pinches salt                      $0.03 ($0.15 per 10g)

1 pinch pepper                    $0.03 ($0.32 per 10g)

2 pinches paprika                $0.04 ($0.20 per 10g)

Total Cost                           $2.54 (450g)

The cost of branded Hummus 375g $5.04 ($1.34 per 100g)

Making your own hummus in your Thermomix cost $0.56 per 100g compared to store bought which is $1.34 making it 58% cheaper than store bought. That’s a big savings!

So what’s in store bought hummus? I compared a brand that is readily available in all the big supermarkets in the larger size of 375g so that it was more comparable with what we are making in the Thermomix. I feel disappointed that there are five “numbers” in hummus and although all of them have no known adverse effects I still don't feel comfortable eating them with names I can't even pronounce. I found this great explanation "a food additive is any substance that is not normally consumed as a food in itself and is not normally an ingredient, but which is allowed to be there if it fulfills a technological function in the final food". For the full article click here.

Cooked Chickpeas, Vegetable Oil (Canola), Sesame Seed Paste, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Herbs and Spices,

296 Food Acids

330 citric acid

415 Xanthan gum

466 Sodium carboxymethylcellulose

1412 Distarch phosphate

It turns out that both homemade and store bought hummus are great on the sodium and sugar front.

So what do you think? Perhaps homemade hummus is worth a try? We love it in our house and when I get a bit more organised I plan to try and roast vegetables to add to it, making it even more healthy.