Can you freeze hummus? Many people who make their own homemade hummus tend to prepare more hummus than they’d be able to consume within a week or so. Or they would like to make a huge batch of it instead of making a small one every week. Others who buy hummus sometimes notice a great deal on it, but often they don’t really know whether stocking up on hummus makes sense. If you’re one of those people, or for any reason you’d like to know whether you can freeze hummus, the answer is affirmative. Hummus can be frozen and I’ll describe here how to do it.
Freezing Hummus
There are few ways of freezing hummus, choose one that seems to be the best for you, depending on your needs. What’s common for all these methods is that hummus shouldn’t be frozen for more than a couple of months (half a year max) for quality reasons. Of course hummus won’t go bad in the freezer after this period of time, but its taste will deteriorate and you probably won’t be satisfied with it. Most people thaw hummus in the freezer. Put it there in the day before you want to use it and it’ll be thawed when you need it.
Freezing in the Original Container
This way, obviously, works only for store-bought hummus. You can simply take the original container while it’s still unopened and put it into the freezer and you’re done. As long as the container is unopened, it should be fine in the fridge because it’s sealed well. After you’ve opened it for the first time, it’s a good idea to wrap it with foil or put it into a freezer bag before putting into the freezer, especially if you’d like to store it there for an extended period of time.
Freezing in Small Portions
If you use only a small amount of hummus at a time, it’s better to freeze it in smaller portions. This way you’ll be able to thaw only as much of it as you need at a certain time. You can do that in at least two ways. First of them is by using a baking sheet – put a number of scoops of hummus on it, each one large enough for one serving, and put the baking sheet into the freezer to freeze the scoops. Once frozen, transfer them into an airtight container or a freezer bag, label it and put back into the freezer. The second way to do that is by freezing hummus in a series of small containers. Either way, you end up with small portions of hummus and you can easily thaw one, two, or all of them at a time.
Freezing in an Airtight Container
This one is quite easy. Transfer all your hummus into a lidded plastic container (make sure it’s an airtight one). Make sure you leave some headspace in the container because hummus expands a little when frozen. One more thing – many people suggest that adding a tablespoon of olive oil at the top of the dip will help with maintaining texture while freezing and thawing, so it’s worth doing as well. If you plan to freeze it for a very long time, it’s a good idea to put the container into a freezer bag to reduce freezer burn.
After Thawing the Hummus
Sometimes hummus separates, gets watery or loses its creamy texture after thawing, that’s perfectly normal. Just give it a good stir and it’ll (in most cases) be back to normal. If that doesn’t help, you can add a little olive oil and stir the dip once again. That should help.
The thing you need to know is that the consistency of the dip will probably be a little altered, even after stirring and adding some olive oil. That’s normal. These changes in consistency also vary depending on the manufacturer of it or proportions of ingredients used to make the hummus. So, if you’re not satisfied with the texture of hummus after thawing, consider trying another manufacturer or changing the recipe a little.
Once hummus is defrosted, you should consume it within 5 to 7 days. Make sure you won’t freeze the same hummus more than once. If you’ve found yourself with a too big portion thawed, consider freezing in small portions next time.
FAQs: Freezing Hummus
Can you freeze Sabra hummus?
Sabra is a New York-based is a food products company that specializes in hummus, bean dips, and guacamole. Sabra prides itself on its certified kosher and vegetarian products. If you love Sabra’s many hummus varieties and you’d like to stock up on your favorites, we’ve got some bad news. The company does not recommend freezing their hummus. Since Sabra’s hummus is made with all natural ingredients, the shelf life of this product is quite short. Hummus is quite temperature sensitive and freezing it will alter its consistency and flavor. That being said, several patrons have tried freezing Sabra hummus and got great results. If you must freeze the hummus, do so with reasonable expectations.
Can you freeze homemade hummus?
Yes, you can certainly freeze homemade hummus for future uses. You have to freeze the hummus as soon as possible because the fresher the hummus is, the better the results after thawing. We recommend using a freezer-safe container for the homemade hummus. Just spoon the homemade hummus into the container. Leave about an inch of space then cover the container with cling wrap before sealing with the airtight lid. Write the storage date then stick in the freezer.
If you want to divide a batch into serving portions, you can use a muffin tray. This method is perfect if you want to divide the hummus into equal portions. Just brush insides of the muffin molds with olive oil. Spoon the hummus into each section to fill it but do not overfill or you will make a mess.
Pop the muffin tray in the freezer then let sit until frozen solid for 4 hours or so. Prepare a large, freezer safe plastic bag before taking the muffin tray out of the freezer. Carefully lift each hummus portion then place them all in the freezer bag. Seal the bag, write the storage date then stick in the freezer.
Does hummus freeze well?
While hummus can be frozen, the consistency of the dip will be altered so the answer depends on several factors. If you are freezing homemade hummus, we’d say that the consistency will be altered after thawing so the dip doesn’t freeze better than commercially made hummus.
Store-bought hummus contains preservatives that may either slow down or completely suppress the breakdown of the ingredients so the hummus freezes better.
Generally, as long as you are okay with the consistency changes, you can freeze the hummus. The changes aren’t all that drastic and usually, the taste remains the same. Of course, we recommend consuming the frozen hummus as soon as possible for optimal flavor.
Can chickpea hummus be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze chickpea hummus regardless if it’s homemade or if it is store-bought. As long as the hummus has been packed well for freezing, freezing is a great way to preserve an otherwise delicate dip. Still, don’t expect the chickpea hummus to have the same consistency as before.
Once the hummus is thawed, there is a good chance that the dip will become watery or there will be the separation between the liquids and the solids. This is normal. Just give the chickpea hummus a good stir.
Chickpea hummus is quite prone to drying out and grittiness so you want to top the dip with olive oil. The oil works as a protective barrier that prevents moisture loss. But don’t use too much, just use enough to cover the top of the dip. Once you are ready to thaw, you can always lift the hardened olive oil off so the dip won’t be too oily.
Can you freeze store-bought hummus?
Yes, store-bought hummus will freeze well, if not better, than homemade hummus because some products are enriched with preservatives to extend their shelf life. If the hummus is packed in a tin can or a bottle container, you have to transfer the hummus in a freezer-safe container.
An airtight plastic container is a great choice for packing leftover hummus or store-bought hummus. We also recommend freezing the store-bought hummus in smaller batches, perhaps no more than 12 ounces per container. This way, you can thaw the hummus much more quickly.
Summary
As you can see, hummus can be frozen in a few different ways. Pick one depending on your needs and test it out. If you won’t be satisfied with the results, check again what you can do after thawing hummus to make it a little better.