Updated 12th December 2025
When it comes to a simple dish that brings out the best extra virgin olive oil flavours and takes centre stage in your Mediterranean Cooking, look no further than Hummus.
Hummus has earned its place at the centre of every mezze spread, lunchtime fridge raid, and midnight snack moment. But if hummus is the hero, extra-virgin olive oil is the cape. Make sure you choose the finest quality olive oil you can find and get mixing!
What is Hummus?
Hummus is a delicious spread or dip made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and spices. It’s commonly eaten in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. You can find store-bought versions at the grocery store, but it is easy (and better) to make your own.
Hummus Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes the texture of the hummus luxurious. Then add a little drizzle to the top of the swirly hummus when served.
Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are the base for hummus. Here’s the method for cooking dried chickpeas.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Here’s the tahini recipe with a video showing how to make it. It lasts up to a month in your refrigerator.
Fresh lemon juice is important for excellent hummus.
Fresh garlic adds a little spice and zest.
Ground cumin and salt help to make it taste amazing and the ground cumin adds a little more spice and richness.
In addition you can add more flavour and ingredients using roasted red peppers olives, pine nuts, and extra spices.
Key Steps To Maximise The Olive Oil Benefits In Your Hummus:
1. In the Blend: Building Body and Flavour
In classic hummus, extra-virgin olive oil is more than a fat source—it’s a flavour note. A good, peppery EVOO:
- softens the chickpeas into a creamy emulsion
- adds fruitiness and floral depth
- binds lemon, garlic, and tahini into harmony
Think of it as the dip’s backbone: subtle but essential. Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil ticks all of these boxes. Take advantage of our current offers here.
2. As the Finishing Drizzle: The Signature Shine
That final swirl of olive oil does more than look pretty. It:
- adds richness to each bite
- intensifies aroma
- creates that signature “hummus pool” ready for scooping
Use your best olive oil here—the good stuff really shows.
Easy Moroccan Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 rounds of pitta bread
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
- A pinch salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or more
- 200g/7oz canned chickpeas
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Reserve a few whole chickpeas for serving.
- Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy purée.
- Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out into a dinner plate, and make smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas.
- Sprinkle with paprika and serve with pita bread, warmed in a moderate oven for three minutes, and cut into quarters.
Hummus, Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Health Benefits
As recently reported in The Sentinel, there are several key health benefits to hummus (especially when made with a quality extra virgin olive oil). These are:
1/ A Healthy Digestive Tract
Thanks to a high fiber content, hummus is a great choice for helping to keep your digestive tract regular. It is an effective and delicious way to increase your intake of fiber – which has the added benefit of helping to prevent heart disease.
2/ Improved Bone, Muscle, Skin and Blood Health
Hummus is also loaded with healthy protein – which is an essential component in helping to maintain the health of your bones, muscle, skin and blood. This can be an especially useful protein source for vegetarians.
3/ It Can Help Reduce Your Cholesterol
The key ingredient of hummus is chickpeas (or garbanzo beans as they are also known). In general, beans are full of nutrients that can help lower your cholesterol. And – to ensure your hummus is not too high in sodium – it’s best to make your own rather than opting for some grocery store brands.
4/ It Can Help Prevent Cancer
Beans are also known for their cancer preventing properties due to the presence of three wonderful compounds: saponins, protease inhibitors and phytic acid. All three compounds have been shown to guard cells against the kind of damage that can cause cancer.
5/ It Can Help You Lose Weight
Hummus is traditionally made with sesame seed butter (called tahini) which contains a high concentration of monounsaturated fats whose health benefits include the ability to help promote weight loss. Monosaturated fat is a popular substitute for trans fats which are linked to weight gain.
6/ It Can Improve Bone Strength
These wonderful chickpeas and tahini are also a great source of calcium which is very well known for contributing to good bone health. And, finally, both ingredients are packed with iron which can help alleviate anaemia – caused by an iron deficiency. So, with all these marvellous health benefits, who is tempted to use their latest bottle of Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil to rustle up some fabulous Moroccan Hummus? Here is an easy recipe to show you how.
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