You’d think that life on a tropical island in the Caribbean would always be one amazing beach day after another. But, believe it or not, in the midst of daily challenges it’s sometimes possible to forget about the beauty that surrounds you. This is mostly true for my husband Dwight, who works at a resort on the island. He works long hours throughout the week and by the time he has a day off, all he wants to do is just relax at home.
A couple of weeks ago, we were stunned to realize that we had not been to the beach in almost 2 months. It was particularly alarming for me, as not taking advantage of this beauty means that we are taking it for granted which, in my book, is unacceptable.

If you think about it, when you live on a small island like Virgin Gorda, you do not have access to movie theaters, cafes, galleries, and parks that most cities offer as entertainment to their residents. All you have are the beaches and the ocean.

It must have felt alarming to Dwight as well, because he was the one who came up with the idea of making it a weekly ritual to go to the beach. He also suggested that we make every effort to make it memorable and special.
I could not agree more.
For a foodie like me, “making something special” means there is good food on the table. Good food like homemade dips, sandwiches, freshly cut fruit, and cold beer or wine…
Seriously, who would say no to that?!
When it comes to fruit on the beach, my favorite is watermelon. Thick, sweet, juicy slices are perfect for enjoying after a long swim without the worry of staining your clothes.
In terms of appetizers, my number one go-to dish is hummus. When it comes to beach/picnic food in our household, it is a staple.
Although I occasionally enjoy hummus with roasted red peppers, basil, and edamame, more often than not, I prefer the classic, creamy Mediterranean hummus. In addition to making it for our beach picnic dates, I usually make some on Sundays and use it as a dip or spread for sandwiches throughout the week.

If I am making it as a dip to serve at a party, to enhance its visual appeal, I sprinkle it with some chopped parsley, black olives, toasted pine nuts, and plenty of black pepper. I find that these Mediterranean additions compliment the character of the classic hummus and give it an additional depth of flavor with every bite.
The best part of this recipe is that you can make it in less than 10 minutes. Though you can definitely cook your own chickpeas, I find it easier to just use canned ones, mainly because it does not require any advance planning.
The process of making the creamiest hummus is very easy. First, you start by mashing your chickpeas in a food processor. Second, you add garlic, spices, and lemon juice to it. Last, but not least, you slowly add the tahini and olive oil mixture through the tube while the food processor is running.
It is that easy.

It amazes me when people spend money on supermarket hummus when it is so simple (and much healthier and cheaper) to make it at home. If you are a fan of hummus with ingredients like roasted peppers, roasted garlic, basil pesto, etc. you can use this recipe as a base and add your preferred enhancements before you add the tahini mixture.
Other Dips You Might Also Like
- Roasted Capsium Dip
- Muhammara Dip
- Roasted Carrot Hummus
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Bread Dipping Oil
- Need more inspiration? Check out all our Appetizer recipes
Homemade Mediterranean Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 small cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1- tablespoon pine nuts toasted
- 2 tablespoon black olive pitted
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and water.
- In a seperate bowl (or a measuring cup), whisk together the tahini paste and olive oil until thoroughly incorporated.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of chickpeas as a garnish.
- Place the rest of the chickpeas in a food processor and process them for 15 seconds. Add lemon juice/water mixture, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Process until mixed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, 50-60 seconds.
- While the food processor is running, slowly (in a steady stream) pour the tahini paste and olive oil mixture from the tube, and process until smooth and creamy, 30-40 seconds.
- Transfer the hummus on a plate and sprinkle it with chopped parsley, pine nuts, olives, and reserved chickpeas.
- Serve it with pita chips or toasted bread.
Blue
Aysegul, I was looking for a hummus that tasted like the one they put on my salad at a Lebanese restaurant. It was tangy, creamy, more intense than usual, and delicious. Although I ran out of tahini, only using 3/4 cup… yours is the first hummus recipe I’ve tried where it was literally PERFECT, taste wise.
I was a bit heavy handed on the measurements because I’m used to having to add more flavor to almost every other recipe. I can actually follow yours *exactly* next time. This was SO good, thank you.
I’d like to get it looser, very creamy, since I’m using it as a topping. (I didn’t even need dressing when they put hummus on my salad, surprisingly.) I think another 1/3 cup of liquid might make your recipe match that looser consistency I want, so I can blend it in a blender. What ingredients would you recommend adjusting, so the flavor stays the same?
Again, thanks. Totally delicious.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Blue,
So happy to hear that you liked this recipe. I make this hummus all the time and it never fails.
To be quite honest, it is hard to not to change the flavor if you add in more ingredients to make it looser. However, I will recommend a few methods below to see if we can achieve what you are looking for. Be sure to taste as you adjust it to your liking before you add more of it. I won’t be able to give you exact measurements as I do not know how loose do you want it to be.
Hopefully, one of these methods would work:
Option 1: Add in a little bit more of the olive oil-lemon-water combo. I would start with 3-4 tablespoon and go from there.
Option 2: Just add in more water-lemon juice. This will definitely change the taste, but you can adjust it by adding whatever flavor is missing once it reaches to your desired consistency.
My biggest suggestion is for you to taste as you go.
I hope this helps. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.
Best,
Aysegul
Blue
Thanks a lot for responding. I can’t believe this is already on its last serving, having made it 5 days ago, and there’s just the two of us here. lol. I’ll just try Option 1. Will try your roasted carrot one next, I think! <3
Aysegul Sanford
Ha ha.. I believe it. It is such a delicious spread!
Oh I hope you like that roasted carrot hummus too. Don’t skip the walnuts and feta on top 🙂 Those two take that otherwise simple hummus to the next level.
Thanks Blue!
Brent
Hi Ice,
We are in Virgin Gorda and I am wondering where you bought the tahini when you were living here? I bought the chick peas at Rosies yesterday and completelty forgot about the tahini. Went to Little Dix for brunch this morning and thought about you and Dwight, hope you are both doing well..
Cheers,
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Brent..
Thank you for your kind words. We are both doing well.
You can find tahini in Supa Value in Spanish Town.
Best,
Ice
Amie
My daughter forgot to tell me she wanted hummus this week from the grocery store. I knew I had everything to make it (well, except fresh parsley) so I googled specifically for Mediterranean hummus and your recipe came up. Thanks for the directions of mixing the tahini and Olive oil and pouring them in slowly. I never thought to do that, but it’s almost emulsifying like when you make homemade mayonnaise. I can’t eat legumes so I couldn’t try this, but she said it was awesome. Wish I could show you the picture.
Loretta
I love when hummus has all kinds of “extras” sprinkled on top! When my hubby and I lived in FL, we lived a little ways away from the beach, so when we went, it was usually a day-long trip and taking good food along was a necessity! What a fantastic looking picnic 🙂
Monica
So glad about your weekly beach outing. And look at the great background for your photos! When we made your hummus recipe recently I did use chickpeas I cooked myself. That made it taste even more special. Thanks for sharing!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Monica,
I should try cooking my own chickpeas. I am just lazy. I am sure it would taste good.
I am working on a black bean burger recipe and cooking my own black beans. I wish it did not take this long…
Thank you my friend!
Ice
Crystal
Yes!! I’ve been waiting for this delicious recipe!!
Aysegul Sanford
Good. I hope you’ll get a chance to make your own very soon. Let me know how it turns out.
Cheers my friend!
Dalya
Absolutely amazing!! Love it!!