About this recipe

Creamy, homemade hummus portioned into individual snack containers with fresh veggies and pita for dipping — the ultimate meal-prep appetizer. Made from scratch with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic, this hummus is silky-smooth and far better than anything from a store shelf. Prep a big batch on Sunday and you'll have grab-and-go snacks ready all week long.

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the drained chickpeas in a small saucepan with the baking soda and cover with water. Bring to a simmer ^[over medium heat] and cook for 5 minutes — this softens the skins and makes the hummus extra creamy. Drain well and let cool slightly.

2. 2

   Add the tahini and lemon juice to a food processor and process for about 1 minute until the mixture looks pale and creamy. Add the garlic, fine sea salt, and cumin and process for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides as needed.

3. 3

   Add the warm chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1–2 minutes. With the machine running, drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the hummus is very smooth and creamy — it should be light and fluffy, not stiff. Add the olive oil and process for another 30 seconds. Taste and adjust fine sea salt or lemon juice as needed.

4. 4

   Peel and cut the carrots into sticks, slice the persian cucumbers into spears, and cut the red bell pepper into strips. Cut the pita bread rounds into wedges. Keep each type of veggie separate for easy packing.

5. 5

   Divide the hummus evenly among 6 small airtight container (about ¼ cup per pack). Drizzle each portion with a little olive oil and dust with smoked paprika or ground sumac if desired. Portion the carrot sticks, persian cucumber spears, red bell pepper strips, and pita bread wedges into separate compartments or alongside each hummus container. Seal and refrigerate for up to 5 days.