Grocery Store Hummus Brands, Ranked

When that fickle mistress known as midday hunger strikes, we at Tasting Table believe your crackers and baby carrots deserve only the best dipping experience. And so, we scoured our local grocery stores for every hummus brand we could find, seeking out the ideal mix of creamy texture, balanced acidity and nutty flavor.

While we expected classic grabs like Sabra or Tribe to automatically rise to the top, a deeper dive into the hummus market revealed a number of newcomers boasting a velvety texture or a pleasant tang. In order to keep the judging fair in our highly scientific process, we stuck with each brand's original or classic flavor. (Although, to be honest, we'd take roasted red pepper over plain any day.)

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Using a combination of pita chips and celery sticks as vessels, we dove into each lush package, ranking each according to texture and flavor. Although personal preferences soon became clear, rest assured that all the bowls of chickpea and tahini goodness were equally devoured in the end.

Pleasantly smooth and full of nutty tahini flavor, most taste-testers agreed that this brand was what hummus was meant to be. Traditional and balanced, the ingredients work together to create a craveworthy dip we couldn't get enough of.

This uber-popular brand certainly stood up to the blind taste test, although many could not identify it as classic Sabra. With a touch of sesame and a punch of acid, this old favorite dominates grocery stores across America for a reason.

Described as "safe" by some editors, this brand is very smooth with a subtle, inoffensive taste. Although a solid option for all your dipping needs, it's admittedly a bit harder to find and a tad more expensive than its counterparts.

For such a popular grocery store choice, testers came away slightly disappointed by Tribe's offering, describing it as overly garlicky and sour. Still, some stood by the familiar company due to its markedly creamy texture. More so than some of the other brands, the limiting flavor parameters of the taste test may have done Tribe a disservice. With versions like fiery sriracha, ranch and everything seasoning, the original flavor is far from the best bang for your buck here.

This brand stood out for its distinct lack of tahini flavor. Lacking in buttery richness, it instead features a strong lemony acidity and chunkier, looser mouthfeel. Although some taste-testers liked it as a "chickpea spread," all agreed that it couldn't exactly be classified as hummus.

A few of the choice words our editors had for this option included "Is there cheese in this?" and "There's a lot going on here." This was by far the most unique sample we tried, distinguished by its thin texture and spicy flavor. While some testers liked its unexpected bite, the strange consistency didn't make for a pleasant dipping experience. Go with this one if you're looking for something different than your standard hummus.