Soda Water Is The Extra Ingredient You Need For Perfect Whipped Hummus

Hummus is one of those dishes that can be modified and customized endlessly. Whether you're skipping out on certain ingredients, adding different garnishes, or switching out the chickpeas for another protein entirely, there's definitely a lot of artistic license to be taken when crafting different versions of this dip. It's not even that surprising to come across unexpected ingredients such as baking soda in some recipes. Another addition that can improve any hummus recipe is soda water.

You might wonder what a nearly-flavorless ingredient typically used in cocktails and sodas could possibly do for a chickpea-based dip. After all, a punchy garnish or seasoning seems a lot more effective for boosting your hummus. It may not be strongly-flavored, but soda water shouldn't be underestimated. Rather than imparting a vibrant flavor, seltzer mostly improves the texture of humus, adding an extra level of creaminess. The chickpeas in hummus already need to be blended with water or another liquid, and replacing some or all of it with seltzer makes it super easy to incorporate into your recipe.

While there will be a noticeable effect when you add soda water to your homemade hummus recipe, don't expect the hummus to bubble up a whole bunch. The effect will be much more subdued than that. The carbonation in the seltzer will add a slightly airy texture to the hummus, especially when you blitz the entire thing in a blender or food processor. This is what will give it a silkier, creamier, whipped consistency that will blow you away.

The taste of the hummus will also have some light, fizzy notes to it that make it more refreshing and interesting to eat. This special quality won't last long, however. The carbon dioxide in the dip will dissipate over time, the same way that it does when you open a can of soda. While this doesn't mean that you can't refrigerate leftover hummus for later, it will be at its lightest and creamiest right after you mix in the soda water. In other words, serve the dip right after blending and enjoy as much of it as you can. Leftovers will be tasty, but won't have the same effervescent, super-creamy quality.

There aren't any special techniques for adding soda water to hummus — just toss it into the food processor or blender along with the rest of your ingredients. It is a good idea to use soda water straight off of a soda siphon, if you have one. Otherwise, you'll want to open a brand new bottle of seltzer or club soda for your hummus, since any already-opened bottles will have diminished amounts of carbon dioxide. You might end up with lackluster hummus that doesn't have the proper "whipped" effect.

It won't take much soda water to create creamy and slightly fizzy hummus. Around 5 tablespoons per batch should do, give or take a tablespoon, depending on how big your batch is and how strong you want the seltzer effect to be. As a final note, if you're not a fan of tahini, soda water can be your best friend, since it adds silkiness without the need for the sesame paste. Your hummus will still come out plenty creamy, so you can replace the tahini with no adverse effects on your dip.