14 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Hummus

Store-bought hummus can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Okay, that's kinda an exaggeration, but hear us out. It's hard to deny the convenience of store-bought hummus: Tubs of it are everywhere, they're usually pretty inexpensive, and they can offer you a quick snack that takes little more than opening a lid. Where store-bought hummus can really screw things up, though, is in reducing the concept of hummus as a whole to a vague-tasting, pale, limp dip. There are some good store-bought hummus brands out there, but the worst ones make a mockery of the chickpea-based dip in the first place, and make you forget what it should actually taste like or how it should be served, or have no punch whatsoever.

That's something we've decided to put a stop to. The truth is that you don't need to put up with bad store-bought hummus — you just need to upgrade it. There are loads of ways to add additional flavor to store-bought hummus that can either bring out its inherent taste or add new notes into the fray. Creating additional texture dynamics in store-bought hummus can also make it a lot more exciting, and figuring out how to serve your hummus can make this purchased ingredient look like it was homemade. Don't put up with that dip as it is; let's make it the best it can be.

The problem with store-bought hummus is that it just doesn't taste the same as the homemade version. When it's freshly made, hummus is vibrant, nutty, rich, and savory; when it's store-bought, its flavor profile can rely too heavily on its acidic notes. A lot of the time, this slightly vinegary quality overtakes the taste of tahini in the dip, which is what gives hummus so much of its complexity, as well as its smooth texture.

Luckily, with one extra step, you can make your store-bought hummus just like homemade. All you have to do is stir a tablespoon of tahini into a tub of store-bought hummus, infusing it with its deeply nutty flavor and creamy consistency. You don't need to cook it, or add anything further to it: The tahini will improve things instantly.

Importantly, though, you can overdo it with tahini, and inadvertently give your hummus a bitter edge. As such, it's best to start with a smaller amount and work your way up; don't be tempted to pour a full jar into your hummus. You should also ensure that you're stirring your tahini thoroughly before you add it to the dip, as it can often separate in the jar it comes in.

One of the main drawbacks when it comes to store-bought hummus is its predictability. While homemade hummus tends to have a bit more of a dynamic texture, store-bought hummus can often be unrelentingly smooth, which can make the dip pretty boring after a few bites. By introducing some textural contrast into the mix, though, you can give store-bought hummus so much more dynamism, and make every bite slightly different from the last.

There are lots of ways you can do this, but one of our favorites is by giving your hummus a crispy topping, which then gradually gets jumbled up with the dip as you work your way through it. If you want to keep things in the family, try topping your hummus with some air fryer crispy chickpeas, which can add a bit of crunch and some additional nuttiness to the dip. You also get the benefit of any flavors added to the chickpeas while you cook them: Try coating them in spices before air frying them to give them some added piquancy. Crushed potato chips, crispy fried onions, and crumbled graham crackers can also give your hummus a boost of texture.

Store-bought hummus doesn't tend to be very sweet; more often than not, it's savory and sharp, and lacking in any sweetness whatsoever. However, a touch of sweetness can help to intensify the dip's impact and balance out its umami and nutty notes, and so it's always worth thinking about whether you can add any into the mix. Crucially, though, you'll want to avoid using add-ins like sugar or honey, as they can be way too forceful, and rely on natural sources instead that don't interfere with the hummus' primary flavors.

The good news is that there are plenty of ingredients that can create a natural sweetness and contribute to additional flavor dynamics. One way to sweeten store-bought hummus easily is by stirring in sweet potato purée, which provides the dip with a slightly earthy undertone and a gentle, almost malty sugariness. It'll also make your hummus look so much more vibrant, thanks to its bright orange hue. To make things even easier, transform your hummus with canned pumpkin purée, which will provide many of the same flavor notes but will help you avoid having to cook and blend anything. You can also add sweetness through toppings like pomegranate seeds, which give your store-bought hummus a slightly sharp sweetness and a touch of crunch.

Everything gets better when chopped herbs are scattered on it, and store-bought hummus is no exception. A handful of your favorite herbs is the perfect way to give hummus a burst of freshness that it can sometimes lack when it's pre-made, with the herbal notes filling in the vegetal flavors of the dip and helping to combat any overt acidity. Although parsley and coriander are most people's go-to herbs for this, thanks to their flavors working well with the other ingredients in hummus, you can also mix things up. Try sprinkling on some chopped oregano for a burst of citrusy freshness, or some basil for a fruity edge. Chopped dill can give hummus a slightly licorice-like note, while chives can give the dip an oniony twist.

Don't forget, too, that this improvement isn't just on a flavor level. It'll also make your store-bought hummus look restaurant-level, with the additional burst of color creating a feast for the eyes. If you only have dried herbs to hand, you can sprinkle these onto your hummus too: Just bear in mind that their flavor will be slightly different, and not quite as immediately fresh.

Lemon juice and olive oil are two key ingredients in hummus, but in the store-bought kind they can often be pretty low in the mix, or else lacking in full-bodied flavor. Cheaper store-bought hummus brands may skimp on the quality of these additions, leaving the dip tasting flat and lacking any aroma whatsoever. Luckily, adding a little extra of each at home can bring a store-bought hummus to life, as well as balance out any overly savory or salty notes in the brand you've bought.

When adding lemon juice and olive oil to store-bought hummus, make sure you're using the best quality ingredients you can afford. Opt for fresh lemons and a fruity, nutty extra virgin olive oil with a rich scent. If you want to amp up the citrus notes in your hummus, you can also zest a little of your lemon into the mix. Just bear in mind, though, that adding too much zest can throw off the balance of your hummus and make it taste a little too zingy, which may not be entirely what you want from it.

It's easy to serve store-bought hummus straight from the tub it comes in, and if you're just dipping some carrot sticks into it as a mid-afternoon snack, it can feel a little pointless to empty it out. If you're serving your store-bought hummus to guests, though, considering its presentation can make a huge difference. Adding a swirl to your hummus can both make it look so much more appealing and create rivets for any toppings you add to sit in, giving the dip a more luscious, fancy appearance.

We'd recommend opting for a wide, shallow bowl for your hummus, which gives it maximum surface area while also containing it. Empty the hummus out into the bowl, and then use a spoon to create a deep swirl on its surface. You can then dust it with any herbs and spices you like, or scatter on some pine nuts or slivered almonds. Finish things off with a drizzle of olive oil, and then stud some pita chips around the hummus (or just serve them on a different plate). We promise you that everyone will think you made it from scratch.

One of the problems with store-bought hummus is that it can sometimes lack any real depth of flavor, with limited umami notes and no real zing. To create both of these tastes easily, use sun-dried vegetables. Sun-dried tomatoes and peppers packed in oil can give your hummus a real intensity in seconds, with both veggies imbuing the dip with savory, sweet, and somewhat smoky notes. They also add a pop of color to store-bought hummus which can lift it up from its slightly insipid pale tones.

How you add your sun-dried veggies is really up to you. To keep things easy, simply roughly chop them and scatter them over your hummus. If you want them to be more well-incorporated, mince them up and mix them through the dip. You don't have to limit yourself to just one type of vegetable, either: For extra layers of flavor, use a combination of tomatoes and peppers, or mix in some fire-roasted artichokes or zucchini. The beauty of hummus is that it can act as a base for loads of different flavors, so don't be shy.

Garlic is commonplace in store-bought hummus, but it can also have an underpowered flavor. A lot of hummus manufacturers hold back on the garlic when creating their dips, likely due to the fact that it can quickly overpower everything and make hummus way too pungent. While we understand this cautiousness, we're here to recommend going full steam ahead with your garlic and adding extra to your store-bought product. However, for a fuller flavor and extra sweetness, we'd recommend going for the roasted kind, instead of the raw version.

While you can add raw garlic to your store-bought hummus, you may well find that it makes it a little too acrid and sharp. Roasted garlic, on the other hand, has a mellow, savory, slightly sugary taste, with the burn of the garlic reduced and its flavor filled out. It also has a delightfully squishy texture which can augment store-bought hummus without altering its consistency too much.

Remember, too, that you don't have to heat up your whole oven to roast your garlic. Your slow cooker is the secret to speedy roasted garlic that doesn't char too quickly, thereby retaining its sweet, mature flavor.

Many store-bought hummus brands really come alive with the addition of spices. However, while you can easily sprinkle on some paprika or cumin, we like to go a little bigger than that. Instead, garnish your hummus with some dukkah or za'atar. The difference between dukkah and za'atar is in their composition, with dukkah frequently containing ground nuts and coriander seed and za'atar being made of herbs, sumac, and sometimes some dried vegetables like tomato or onion. Both seasoning blends, however, contain sesame seeds, and this cornerstone is what allows them to work with hummus so well while simultaneously offering a burst of extra flavor.

Although it may be tempting to use both za'atar and dukkah at the same time on your hummus, we'd caution against it. Both spice blends are pretty punchy and contain a host of different ingredients, and if you're not careful you'll end up making your hummus way too complicated. So, pick one or the other, and add them sparingly to your hummus as a topping. Both blends pair well with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, which can also help smooth out their sharper flavors.

We've all been in the unfortunate position of dealing with a store-bought hummus that has the texture of slightly wet, clumpy sand. While some store-bought hummus brands can be delightfully creamy and rich, others have a grittiness to them that seriously takes away from the experience. A lot of the time, this simply comes down to the chickpeas not being puréed sufficiently and a lack of creamy ingredients that can help to smooth things out.

Thankfully, you likely have the stuff you need to make your hummus way creamier in your fridge already. A spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream can turn a store-bought hummus into a dip that's way more luxurious, while not altering its taste too much. Both ingredients will give your hummus a touch of sourness and a smooth, dairy undertone, but the central flavor notes will remain largely the same, albeit a little less intense. If you find that your hummus loses a little too much flavor upon adding in your ingredients, you can always season it with some extra salt, lemon juice, and olive oil to pick things back up.

When store-bought hummus is too savory, it can just be way too boring. Sure, you get that hit of umami in every bite, but where's the contrast? Where's the punch, people? Well, that punch can come in the form of a heat source. There are loads of ways to add a touch of fire to store-bought hummus that can give it way more roundness and just a bit more of a kick, without turning it into a dip that'll be uncomfortable to eat.

If you want heat and texture simultaneously, consider choosing from the wide and varied world of chili crisps. These crunchy condiments will give your hummus multi-layered heat and way more bite, with the chili oil also providing smoothness and a slightly more luscious note. For something a little more acidic, opt for your favorite hot sauce, which can also season your store-bought hummus while bringing the fire. If you're simply looking for heat without any additional extras, go for a sprinkle of chili powder or cayenne pepper, or mix in some sliced red chillies. The world's your oyster; just don't go overboard.

You know what goes well with sesame? More sesame. If you don't believe us, try throwing some toasted sesame seeds onto your store-bought hummus and seeing how good it gets. Hummus has a strong sesame note in every bite thanks to the substantial amount of tahini that goes into the mix, but this can sometimes be tempered by the other ingredients, taking out that vigorous nuttiness. Toasted sesame seeds can bring that flavor back to the fore, and add some delightful crunch in the process. Plus, they make your store-bought hummus look so much better.

You might be tempted to buy ready-toasted sesame seeds, but we'd always advise that you toast them at home. Toasting your own sesame seeds is super easy and requires little more than the seeds and a hot pan. Additionally, when you toast them at home you get the fullest flavor possible, with the freshness and vibrancy of the toasted taste really standing out. Pre-toasted sesame seeds, on the other hand, can lose their flavor over time and taste pretty dull if you don't use them immediately.

Although plenty of store-bought hummus products are delicious on their own, some of them really do benefit from collaborating with other dips. That's why, if you're looking for an easy way to upgrade your store-bought hummus, you should throw something else into the mix entirely. Pesto, harissa, tzatziki, and other dips can be combined with hummus to make a hybrid food that gives you the best of both worlds. A pesto hummus can sing with herbal freshness while still having plenty of umami, nutty notes; harissa hummus can be smoky-sweet and spicy; and tzatziki hummus can be smooth and cooling.

If you're taking this approach with your hummus, though, make sure that whatever you're mixing it with is good quality. It'll only ever be as good as the ingredients that you're adding to it, so opt for a good store-bought pesto or a quality harissa. We'd advise against trying to mix more than two dips together, too, as you'll end up with a muddy, weird final flavor.

If you find that your store-bought hummus doesn't have enough acidity, it can be tempting to reach for lemon juice or vinegar to fix things. However, while these options can work, they can also provide way too much astringency without any balance. If you're not careful, your hummus will end up tasting sharp and too acidic, and any umami it once had is pushed to the side.

The solution is to gain acidity from another source — one that will also provide additional flavor notes and further texture. Using capers, pickles, or olives can be a solid move here. All of these ingredients can provide a briny intensity to your hummus while also imbuing it with a savoriness and a salty pop. Plus, they amp up the earthy notes in the dip, which can sometimes be lacking in the store-bought version (especially if the chickpeas have been over-processed). Just keep in mind that some store-bought hummus brands can be plenty salty already, and so you'll want to be a little sparing about how much of these additions you throw in.