Basic Hummus Recipe (GERD Friendly)

Make homemade hummus in minutes with GERD friendly, low acid ingredients! This plain hummus recipe is excellent as is, but it is also perfect for customizing with a variety of mix ins.

Ingredient Notes

• Cooked chickpeas - you can cook dried chickpeas in a pressure cooker, or purchase canned garbanzo beans. These legumes are full of fiber and plant based protein, plus they are GERD friendly!
• Tahini - this paste made from ground sesame seeds features an earthy and nutty taste. Look for one that only contains sesame seeds, not added oil or salt.
• Cooking liquid - when making your own garbanzo beans make sure to reserve some of the water you cooked with. It contains starches and proteins that can be used in this case to help thin out the hummus without sacrificing flavor. This liquid is referred to as aquafaba, and can also be used as an egg substitute in vegan cooking.
  • The liquid in canned chickpeas will work as well.
  • If you do not want to use either option feel free to substitute with water.
• Capers - an excellent lower sodium salt substitute! Capers add the flavor of salt without quite as much sodium. You may also skip them and stick with salt if you prefer.
• Sumac - this spice features a wonderful citrusy taste that stands in for lemon juice beautifully without all the acid. It has been gaining popularity so you should be able to find it at your local grocery store. If not, try an international store or worst case find dried sumac on Amazon.
• Sesame oil - while too much oil isn't recommended on the GERD diet, a small amount usually is OK. By using sesame oil instead of plain olive oil, we add more flavor.
  • Usually a higher oil to aquafaba ratio is used, but to make this recipe lower fat I have essentially swapped the ratio.
  • Make this hummus oil free by leaving it out.

Please note - everyone's body is different and will have different reactions to certain foods. The ingredients above are generally not considered triggers for acid reflux, especially in my personal experience.

How to Make Homemade Hummus

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high powered blender and cover.
2. Start blending on low to medium speed to begin to chop and mix.
   • You may need to use a tamper tool to help things along.
3. Increase the speed to high.
   • If the hummus is too thick the blade will spin without mixing the hummus. If this happens, start adding more cooking liquid (or water) 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached. (Keep using the tamper tool.)
   • Note - if you are using freshly cooked warm chickpeas, they will blend easier without as much liquid. However, as the hummus chills in the fridge it will thicken up. So if you go this route make it slightly thinner than usual unless you're eating it right away.
4. Once it's moving smoothly, keep blending on high for at least 1 minute. This will create a much more smooth texture than stopping once it's combined.

More Hummus Flavors

The beauty of this plain hummus recipe is that the flavor is very neutral. It provides a great GERD friendly base to experiment with more flavors. Try mixing in any of the following to add variety to your life! Just note, you made need to add more liquid if these mix ins make the consistency too thick.

• Fresh herbs - basil, dill, oregano, thyme, parsley, or cilantro. Try one on it's own, or use a combination of a few.
• Roasted beet - beets are considered GERD friendly and create a beautiful pink color. Roasting the beet first will not only make it soft and easy to blend in, but the flavor improves so much!
• Roasted red pepper - on it's own or pair with basil, oregano, and thyme.
• Seasoning blends - a tablespoon or two of your favorite spice mix creates flavors that will pair with any cuisine. Try shawarma seasoning, Italian seasoning, or taco seasoning.

If you are in the maintenance stage of GERD or luckily do not suffer at all, try any of these non-GERD friendly hummus additions:

• Garlic - raw garlic cloves add a strong bite, whereas roasted garlic will be richer and sweeter.
• Caramelized onion - imagine french onion dip dressed up as hummus - perfection!
• Spicy peppers - choose jalapeños, chipotle peppers, serranos, or habaneros.
• Lemon - add in both lemon juice and some lemon zest for maximum lemon taste.

Ways to Use Hummus

• As a dip with veggies like carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, snap peas, radishes, etc. Or crackers, simply choose whole grain or gluten free to keep your snack GERD friendly.
• Top scrambled eggs in the morning for a protein packed breakfast.
• Use instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich.
• Add a dollop to GERD friendly Mediterranean Bowls.
• Make it thinner and use as a pizza sauce.