Can you freeze Hummus? This is the question that many people often ask. The answer is yes. If you are a Hummus fan and love to eat Hummus, there is good news for you. Yes. You can freeze Hummus and store it in your house.
In this article, we are going to discuss the perfect ways of freezing the Hummus. Please read this article till the end to know how you can freeze Hummus for a long time.
What is Hummus?
Hummus is a paste or dip made of pureed chickpeas mashed with sesame oil, Lemon juice, garlic, and tahini and used as a sandwich spread. Hummus is both healthy and tasty.
It is a Middle Eastern food item and it is normally eaten with pita bread. It is now industrially produced in the West and often served as a snack with crackers. Hummus has a unique flavor of taste and goes with varieties of food items.
If you love to eat Hummus and you have leftover Hummus in your house. You may wonder and ask can Hummus be frozen? Yes. I have already told you that you can freeze Hummus and use it later.
Now, you may ask how to defrost Hummus? It is quite easy to freeze Hummus and store it for more than a week. What you have to do is just follow a few tricks while freezing Hummus. It will surely give you a better experience.
How to Freeze Hummus for a Long Time?
If you don’t want to waste the leftover Hummus and throw it into the dustbin then you may follow the simple procedures mentioned below and store it in your refrigerator.
Step 1: Pick a proper container
Before starting freezing your leftover Hummus, I suggest you pick a proper container that is suitable for the freeze and it will not crack or break in the excessive cold in the freeze. I guess you don’t want to split or waste your favorite Hummus by accident.
There are many containers that can’t bear the coldness of the freeze. So, you have to choose and pick an airtight and proper container to store Hummus in your fridge. It should have the capacity to endure the cold temperature of the fridge and not allow any air to reach inside the container.
Step 2: Put the hummus into the container:
This step is very important because you have to put the Hummus in the jar very carefully. Otherwise, it will be wasted. You don’t have to fill the whole container, rather only fill three-quarters of the pot. You have to keep empty space at the top of the container so that the Hummus can be expanded easily.
Step 3: Add olive oil:
Once you have done with the Hummus transferred into the jar, you should pour some olive oil over the Hummus and it will help to keep the Hummus fresh. Otherwise, your stored Hummus may become dry and brittle in the freezer. In this case, olive oil will help it to retain the original texture and taste.
Step 4: Keep the container in the freezer:
After finishing the previous processes, you have to keep the container in the freeze. Please make sure your freeze is working properly and the container is fully closed. Because if air goes in, it will destroy the Hummus.
You have to place the container at the back of the freeze first and then after some time, you can move it to create space in the refrigerator if you need it. This way, you can freeze Hummus for quite a few months.
But remember, once you have taken it out, you should finish it within one week or else, it will go bad and you can’t eat them later.
How to Defrost Hummus:
As I previously mentioned, along with the idea of freezing Humus, people also ask how to defrost Hummus? Is it difficult to defrost Hummus? Absolutely not. You can freeze Hummus and defrost it quite easily later.
Step 1: Remove the Hummus from the freezer and place it directly in the fridge:
In order to eat candid Hummus, first, you will need to transfer it from the freezer to the fridge and leave it there overnight or at least, for a few hours. Taking it out of the refrigerator and directly placing it to room temperature can spoil its taste and texture.
Step 2: Stir the Hummus before serving:
Once it has been taken out, you will have to blend it again and mix it properly with a spoon. Sitting in the freezer, the liquid and semi-liquid ingredients may become separated and you should have to mix them all again to get the perfect taste of Hummus.
How to Tell if Hummus is Bad?
Now, the basic question is can you freeze Hummus? You may get the answer. The answer is yes, of course. And you can easily defrost the Hummus as well.
But if you don’t follow the instructions properly, your Hummus may be spoiled. Now, how do you know if the Hummus is going bad? Please check the following ways.
The primary way to check for spoiled hummus is to give it a snuffle. If it smells bad, don’t bother tasting it. It has the most chances to be wasted.
Hummus normally doesn’t have a strong scent but if you get smells from your frozen Hummus then don’t eat them. They are no longer safe to digest.
It is not safe to keep Hummus for more than one week once you open the package. Because Hummus does not keep well for more than 6-8 days without freezing. It will surely go bad and lose its taste after that.
How Long Does Homemade Hummus Last?
You may know that Hummus are two types and you can make Hummus at home. Now, the question comes- how long does homemade Hummus last? The answer actually depends on storage conditions. If you want to maximize the shelf life of hummus, keep it in the freeze at all times.
How long does homemade Hummus last in the refrigerator? Homemade Hummus will normally do for 4 to 7 days if it is stored in the refrigerator with the proper container. You can also use heavy-duty freezer bags to freeze Hummus.
Whether Hummus goes bad you will find out through its smell. If Hummus smells weird or bad, throw it away.
How Long Does Hummus Last in the Refrigerator?
Generally, Hummus can be fine for four hours at room temperature. Once the package is opened and kept unrefrigerated, it is exposed to various virus and bacteria which are harmful to health. And it will not be eaten after keeping outside for too long. Though if you keep it in the refrigerator, you can eat it later. But the condition is that you have to freeze it properly.
If you are a Hummus lover, you may surely learn that homemade Hummus normally spoils faster than the outside store-bought package Hummus. Because it is processed and made at a qualified temperature. Also, those are made for sale. So, the organizers always keep the fact in mind that Hummus should not spoil fast. Homemade Hummus lasts generally for 3-4 days. On the contrary, the store bought Hummus lasts for 6-7 days.
You may also like: Can You Freeze Almond Milk?
You need to check the expiration date of the Hummus package before buying it from any store. Because no one wants to eat expired and worst food which is also harmful to health. Larger food brands use the High- pressure- Processing technique to keep the Hummus fresh at refrigerator temperature for about two months. The good thing is that they don’t use any preservatives.
How Long Hummus Becomes Good? Does Hummus Spoil?
As you can see, there are many factors that are responsible for Hummus being spoiled. It needs a cold temperature and an airtight container to keep it fresh. Most of the time, it is affected by different viruses and bacteria. It needs a proper temperature and pressure to keep it good for about two months. Otherwise, it will mostly last for one month only.
I suggest, as Hummus spoils faster, you have to keep and store it properly. So, please follow the guidance and don’t keep it outside of the fridge for a long time after opening the package. And if you are making Hummus at home, try to finish it within one or two days. Don’t store homemade Hummus for a long time. It will not be a wise idea. The best thing will be if you have a bad smell from the Hummus, please don’t eat them and throw them away into the trash.
Now, you may get the answer to the question, can you freeze Hummus. Now, before ending, I have just wanted to share some tips and tricks on how to freeze Hummus and keep it fresh for a long time.
Tips and Tricks
- One important tip of freezing Hummus is to freeze it in small quantities. But the container should be large in size and have a blank space on the top of the Hummus in the container.
- The container has to be adjustable to the cold temperature of the refrigerator. Because if it breaks or cracks, the Hummus will be spoiled as well.
- Don’t forget to add olive oil at the top before sealing the container. Don’t worry. It will not change the taste of Hummus, rather will keep it fresh and hold its texture as well.
You can use Hummus as a spread instead of a dip. What you have to do is just spread the Hummus over the bread and eat it as a healthy breakfast. You can use Hummus as a salad- dressing too.
You can use hummus as a dressing and it will add an extra flavor to your chicken-based dish too.
Final Words
Hummus is a healthy snack that you can buy at the store or make yourself at home. Now, you know the drill and tricks for Hummus storage and as long as you follow them, you can enjoy meals made with Hummus for months. Hummus is both tasty and healthy to eat.
Eva M. Smith is the owner of this website. She is a 4 year old mother of two kids and a professional chef. Eva loves to cook for her family, but being a working mom has a lot of challenges. From squeezing in time to do the groceries to make three meals for the day. Eva knows how challenging cooking can be without a kitchen game plan.
That’s why she perfected techniques of preserving staple ingredients and several foods so that you have something pre-cooked or pre-baked to use for an array of meals. And they do not come short in flavor! And she does not want to sacrifice flavor with convenience. That’s why she is the best person to ask.