We Tried 18 Hummus Brands—Here Is the One Our Editors Would Buy

The next time you’re craving a healthy snack, look no further than hummus. The creamy chickpea dip is packed with fiber and protein, making it a satisfying choice when you need something to tide you over between meals (a registered dietitian also named it the best snack for weight loss). 

While you could make hummus from scratch—you could use our 4.6-star Classic Hummus recipe, for instance—store-bought hummus is a timesaving, convenient option. However, not all hummus is created equal, so we decided to put brands to the test to help you find the tastiest one.

For the test, we solely focused on products that fell into the “classic” or “original” category. Our initial list was 44 brands long, but then we took a look at the nutrition information to narrow the field. Each product had to be widely available and needed to meet the following nutrition parameters: 100 calories or less and 140 milligrams sodium or less per serving to align with EatingWell’s nutritional guidelines for a healthy dip.

With those parameters in place, we got to taste-testing 18 tubs of hummus. We tasted each hummus as is, without any dippers, to get the best sense of its flavor. Keep reading to find out why Esti’s Original Recipe Hummus was the top pick of both our food editors and registered dietitians. Plus, learn about another pick that we felt belonged in a category of its own.

The #1 Hummus to Buy

Esti’s Original Recipe Hummus is the best store-brand hummus to buy, according to our testers. The hummus looked like what we felt like good hummus should look like—a creamy shade of tan rather than the unnatural-looking variations of yellow that some other brands had. 

The original hummus was super smooth without any bits or chunks (some others were oddly chunky), resulting in a creamy, almost whipped-like texture. The consistency was a plus according to our testers, especially as other hummus brands were deemed too thick, too chalky or both. Its creamy texture also resulted in a smooth mouthfeel.

Related: I Swear By These 4 Chef Secrets to Make the Best Ultra-Creamy Hummus

From a taste perspective, the chickpea and tahini flavors really shined. While those are two of the main ingredients in hummus, our testers discovered that those flavors are not always guaranteed. Other products had a variety of unappetizing flavors, garnering descriptions from our testers that included plasticky, bitter and sour—and one hummus even had two of our tasters questioning why it tasted like pickles. Luckily, none of those adjectives can be used to describe Esti’s original hummus. Instead, our food editors and registered dietitians loved the hummus’s flavor. One tester said, “I like how it has a unique, slightly smoky flavor. It makes it feel more special than typical store-bought hummus.” The smokiness blended well with the nutty tahini flavor, resulting in a deliciously savory hummus that had our testers going back for more.

Not only is the hummus packed with flavor, but you’ll also get a little protein. Here’s the nutrition breakdown for one 2-tablespoon serving:

• Calories: 90
• Total fat: 8 grams
• Saturated fat: 1 g
• Sodium: 110 mg
• Total carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Total sugars: < 1 g (0 g added sugars)
• Protein: 2 g

Related: Is Hummus a Healthy Food?

So the next time you’re wanting a healthy snack, try Esti’s Original Recipe Hummus. Whether you pair it with pita bread, veggies, crackers or pretzels, hummus is a great snack to keep on hand.

Honorable Mention

Hope Original Recipe Hummus also stood out in our taste test—so why didn’t it take the No. 1 spot? While Hope classifies the product as original, our testers felt the flavor profile was better suited to a spicy category, so it was tough to compare it to the classic and original hummus. Featuring cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper, the hummus indeed had an enticing spiciness to it, resulting in a lingering heat in the back of the throat. Texture-wise the hummus was definitely on the chunkier side, but our testers didn’t mind. If you’re looking for a bolder-flavored hummus than original, Hope’s hummus is an excellent store-bought choice.

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