The hummus is made daily using quality chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. This simple approach creates a smooth texture and rich flavour that supermarket versions rarely match.
The hummus in London
London is full of hummus. Supermarket shelves heave with tubs promising “extra creamy” this and “roasted red pepper” that. Corner shops stock chalky, citric acid-laden versions that taste more of the fridge than of chickpeas. The result is that many Londoners have never actually tasted real hummus the kind with character, warmth, and a whisper of garlic that lingers just long enough.
Good hummus shouldn’t be a bland, pasty afterthought. It should be the star of the table, something you tear fresh bread through with abandon, competing for the last swirl of olive oil. That’s the hummus we grew up with, and it’s the hummus we’re determined to share.
What hummus requires
Hummus asks for very little, but it asks for the best of those few things. There’s nowhere to hide; every ingredient speaks.
- Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight – never tinned, which leaves a metallic edge and a grainy texture.
- The finest tahini – pale, runny, and deeply nutty, not the bitter, separated paste found at the back of the cupboard.
- Fresh lemon juice – not bottled, never concentrated.
- Proper garlic, crushed to a paste with salt.
- Ice-cold water, trickled in at the end to whip the mixture into that cloud-like lightness.
When those five elements are treated with patience and respect, magic happens. It’s what we’d call an authentic hummus recipe, not because it’s written down, but because it’s been passed through generations of Lebanese cooks who knew that simplicity is the hardest thing to master.
The key ingredients explained
We could talk about chickpeas and tahini all day, so let’s linger on them for a moment, because they really matter.
Chickpeas
We use large, creamy chickpeas. We cook them until they’re so tender you could mash them with a whisper.
Tahini
If you’ve only ever stirred a stiff, dark layer back into a jar, you’ve missed the joy of truly great tahini. Proper hummus with tahini requires a light, ivory paste made from top-quality sesame seeds. It pours like honey and tastes like toasted nuts and earth.
The extra touches
A glug of golden olive oil pooled in the centre. A scattering of whole chickpeas. A dust of sumac or paprika, perhaps, for colour. These aren’t decoration; they’re an invitation.
Why freshness matters
Hummus has a secret: it doesn’t age gracefully. Within hours, even the most exquisite hummus from scratch starts to lose its spark. The lemon dulls, the garlic turns sharp, and that ethereal fluffiness collapses into something heavy.
That’s why we make ours fresh every single morning and often again in the afternoon. Walk into any Maroush kitchen, and you’ll see chickpeas bubbling away, the whirl of the food processor, a cook drizzling tahini by eye. By evening, that same hummus is being carried to tables on Edgware Road, still tasting of the moment it was made.
It’s the simplest thing, but it changes everything. When hummus is this fresh, you don’t just taste chickpeas; you taste the care, the warmth, the tradition.
How Maroush makes hummus
Since the day Marouf opened our first doors, the hummus recipe has been a daily ritual. The chickpeas are soaked overnight, boiled to silky tenderness, then blitzed while still warm with tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt.
The chefs know the recipe by heart, by feel, by the way the mixture hums against the blade. Whether you’re spooning it up at our flagship with live music floating through the dining room, or ordering Lebanese hummus London takeaway to your door, the standard never shifts.
Come and taste the difference
Words are lovely, but hummus is meant to be eaten. We’d love you to pull up a chair at one of our London restaurants, perhaps on the original Edgware Road, where the ovens bake flatbreads all night, and the aroma of grilled halloumi drifts onto the pavement.
Bring the family. Come with friends. Browse our menus to see all the dishes that have made Maroush the original taste of Beirut in London. Once you’ve tasted hummus made this way truly fresh, deeply authentic, and full of heart you’ll never look at a supermarket pot the same way again.