Elevate Store-Bought Hummus With One Ingredient

If you want to whip up a quick and delicious appetizer before your friends ring the doorbell, there's a no-fail crowd-pleaser that works every time: hummus! But if making homemade hummus isn't an option, it's more than acceptable to use a store-bought variety. To upgrade it, all you need is one simple ingredient: a tablespoon of tahini. The ground sesame seed paste adds buttery, nutty, and toasty flavors to any store-bought hummus and enhances its already creamy texture. Once you stir in the tahini, that hummus is pretty much ready to serve, but you can also dress it up some more with a couple of quick, finishing touches.

Fresh lemon juice and touch of salt help to balance the tahini — my personal favorite is pink Himalayan salt, which provides great depth and savory notes. However, there is no reason to stop there. Hummus is extremely versatile, and it plays well with all sorts of seasonings, spices, fresh herbs, cheeses, smoky tomato jams, or just about anything else you have on hand. You can spoon crumbled feta cheese over the top, or sprinkle on some chopped fresh parsley or chives. For a classic finish, extra virgin olive oil is worth the splurge to drizzle over the hummus for extra color and delicate flavor. Serve your elevated appetizer with rustic bread, pita chips, or a colorful plate of crudités.

Hailing from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, tahini is a staple condiment made from ground sesame seeds. Sometimes, the seeds are plain, and in other cases, a recipe calls for toasting them. Typically tan in color and thick in texture, plain tahini boasts creamy, earthy, and nutty tones, and it accentuates existing flavors in homemade sauces, dressings, and dips. However, there are plenty of substitutes you can use to mimic tahini if it's not readily available to you.

When thoroughly mixed in, sesame oil is a great alternative to tahini because it offers similar toasty flavors. For creaminess, a tablespoon of either cashew butter or sunflower seed butter also work here, as both products bring a luscious texture and nutty flavors. Another option to add creaminess to hummus is Greek yogurt. However, since yogurt has a slightly sour taste, stir it in along with a bit of sesame oil or nut butter to balance its natural tanginess. Don't be afraid to embellish your store-bought hummus with whatever you have at home!