The Absolute Best Store-Bought Hummus Has Top-Tier Taste And Texture

Imagine, if you please, the platonic ideal of hummus. Here at Tasting Table, our perfect hummus is thick and creamy without being overly dense. It's spreadable and savory, arriving flavorful yet mild on the palate. Happily, Tribe brand captures this ideal profile in a tub foodies can find at the grocery store without making a special trip to their go-to Middle Eastern restaurant. In our ranking of 13 popular store-bought hummus brands, Tribe swept the competition. 

Tribe is a field pioneer, toting brand commitment to "real food made with the highest quality ingredients," as the official company website notes. "[W]hen Tribe Hummus was founded in 1993," continues the company, "a lot of people didn't know what hummus was." Tribe's plain, classic chickpea hummus showcases the power of simple ingredients prepared traditionally. In total, the ingredients lineup includes cooked chickpeas, water, ground sesame tahini, canola oil, sea salt, dried roasted garlic, citric acid, and "spice." While it's unclear what that "spice" includes, exactly, the flavor is knockout. Plus, this simple creamy hummus comes sans-artificial preservatives, artificial coloring, or other hard-to-pronounce additives, with a naturally low fat content and no added sugar.

For a classic hummus taste that's anything but boring, unmasked by any extra flavoring agents or toppings, Tribe delivers better than any competitor hummus foodies will find on supermarket shelves. A Reddit thread discussing the best store-bought hummus brands agrees, writing "My favorite store bought is Tribe everything hummus" and "I always went for Tribe over Sabra."

Tribe's unique balance of bright acid, nutty tahini, and umami garlic makes it an ideal dip for pairing with cheerful, fresh veggies like sliced bell peppers, baby carrots, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. It also wouldn't be overly salty to spread across seedy sesame crackers, or used as the moisture component in a sandwich or wrap. As we mentioned in our review, Tribe's flagship product is "as enticing as it was smooth and creamy. The citrus and salt are subtle yet present and work with the chickpeas and tahini rather than overpowering them. Tribe hummus not only had the best taste, but the best texture by far."

It's worth noting that Tribe's mild, classic hummus might leave something to be desired for fans of bolder flavored hummuses. But, the brand centers around quality ingredients and luscious texture (praise which couldn't be said of many of the offerings in our ranking), and also happens to make four other hummus flavors: roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, everything bagel, and Mediterranean. If we were going to dock points anywhere, it would be for availability. At the time of publication, Tribe brand hummus is not currently listed on Walmart, Target, or Whole Foods' websites. But, if you can find it at your local grocery retailer, a tub of Tribe is a score, indeed. Whatever you do, be sure to skip Ithaca Classic Hummus, which ranked last in our roundup.