Is it Cheaper to make or buy Hummus?
Hummus is a middle eastern dip made with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and is traditionally served with pita bread. You can also use hummus as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise on sandwiches or just a snack with vegetables or crackers.
I am a huge fan of hummus and I recently started making my own version at home. So, this made me wonder if it is cheaper to make hummus or to just buy it already made. Let’s break down the costs on both versions to see which is the cheapest option!
How much does it cost to make hummus?
My favorite type of hummus is the roasted garlic version, but for this cost breakdown we are going to do a bare basic hummus. (You can add any seasonings you like!)
| Hummus Ingredients | Cost |
| 1 can chickpeas (about 15oz) | $0.78 |
| 1/4 cup Tahini | $1.49 |
| 2 tbsp olive oil | $0.16 |
| 2 tbsp water | $0.00 |
| Cost to Make Hummus: $2.43 (15 servings total) | Cost per serving: 16.2 cents |
For basic hummus, it costs about $2.43 to make it which comes out to about 16.2 cents per 1 oz serving.
If you wanted to lower this cost, you can skip the tahini and just add a little extra oil. I find that as long as I use plenty of seasonings, I don’t really miss the tahini paste taste at all.
By skipping the tahini paste, we lower our total cost to $0.91 which is about $0.06 per serving.
How much does store bought hummus cost?
Now let’s head to store and price out some different brands of hummus so we can figure out how much a serving of store-bought hummus costs.
| Hummus & Number of Servings | Cost & Store | Cost per Serving |
| Marketside Classic, 10 oz= 10 servings | Walmart, $2.67 | 26.7 cents |
| Kirkland Signature, 20 single size serving cups | Costco, $8.70 | 43.5 cents |
| Member’s Mark, 16 single size serving cups | Sam’s Club, $5.90 | 36.8 cents |
| Sabra Hummus, 10oz=10 servings | Target, $4.59 | 45.9 cents |
| Tribe, 10oz= 9 servings | Price Chopper, $4.99 | 55.4 cents |
| Simple Truth Original, 8oz =8 servings | Dillon’s, $3.99 | 49.8 cents |
| Sprouts Market Corner, 8oz = 8 servings | Sprouts, $4.49 | 56.1 cents |
| Hy-Vee Original, 10oz= 10 servings | Hy-Vee, $3.50 | 35 cents |
| Park Street Deli, 10oz= 10 servings | Aldi, $2.75 | 27.5 cents |
| Boar’s Head 10oz= 10 servings | Ingles, $4.99 | 49.9 cents |
| Average cost per Serving: | 42.6 cents |
We priced out 10 brands of hummus that were name brand and store brand. The average cost per serving of store-bought hummus was 42.6 cents per 1 oz serving.
Our homemade hummus was only 16.2 cents per serving, so making your own hummus was definitely the cheaper option!
Is making your own hummus worth it?
Hummus is so easy to make and really just requires a food processor to make it. No heating or oven needed to make this tastsy dish.
Making your own hummus is not only super cheap, but you can try a ton of different flavor combinations. It is also a clever way to use up leftovers in your fridge.
For instance, you can flavor your hummus with leftover salsa, minced garlic, pesto sauce, red bell pepper, or spinach artichoke.
You can also go wild and try new flavor versions like ranch, leftover taco meat, lemon pepper, chili pepper, pickled jalapenos, or bacon cheddar.
There is even dessert hummus that come in Cinnamon or Dark Chocolate! The possibilities are truly endless and if you make it yourself it is so cheap to try them all.
For more price break downs for making your own snacks, check out “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Trail Mix?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Cookies?“
