{"id":632609,"date":"2026-10-16T17:20:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/632609\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T17:20:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:20:34","slug":"the-plain-hummus-of-new-zealand-supermarkets-ranked-from-worst-to-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/632609\/","title":{"rendered":"The plain hummus of New Zealand supermarkets, ranked from worst to best"},"content":{"rendered":"

We tried six standard tubs from the local chiller aisle.<\/p>\n

The dizzying number of hummus varieties at New Zealand supermarkets \u2013 34!!! \u2013 is enough to make you choke on some dukkah sprinkles. They\u2019re all made by six brands: Lisa\u2019s, Greater Hummus, Obela, Woolworths, Pams and Turkish Kitchen (variety dwindled further after Just Hummus was discontinued by Heinz Wattie<\/a>). For the sake of brevity and not forcing Spinoff staffers to eat three dozen flavours in one afternoon, this ranking is limited to \u201coriginal\u201d varieties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hummus is officially a supermarket staple, monitored by the Statistics New Zealand\u2019s Consumers Price Index since 2008<\/a>. Woolworths estimates its supermarkets started stocking hummus 30 years ago and specialty stores have sold it since the 1980s. The country\u2019s palates diversified and hummus benefited.<\/p>\n

The dish is a fixture of Middle Eastern cuisines. What we call hummus\/hommus\/houmus is more accurately called hummus bi tahini, Arabic for chickpeas with tahini \u2013 they\u2019re the critical ingredients, alongside lemon, garlic, olive oil and salt.<\/p>\n

In Lebanon, hummus isn\u2019t just a dip, but a dish in its own right, explains Samir Allen, owner of Auckland restaurant Gemmayze Street. His award-winning hummus<\/a> is thick, velvety smooth and takes three days to make. Hummus eaters outside the Arab world often have the wrong textural expectations, says Allen. \u201cHummus isn\u2019t supposed to be chunky or runny. Traditionally, it should be really smooth and creamy.\u201d <\/p>\n

Flavour is just as important, with a good balance between the nuttiness of the tahini and the acidity of the lemon. \u201cNeither should overpower the other.\u201d Allen says most of what\u2019s sold at supermarkets is \u201cvastly different\u201d from traditional Lebanese hummus. \u201cA lot of the hummus that Kiwis are familiar with doesn\u2019t have enough tahini or lemon and is far too chunky to be considered authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no definition of hummus in the Australasian Food Standards Code<\/a>. The supermarket varieties in our trial all contain chickpeas (some more than others), oil, tahini, lemon (though one brand omits this), garlic and salt. It sounds simple, but products vary widely, as we discovered.<\/p>\n

We assembled 12 Spinoff staffers for our ranking, who tried six hummus varieties on pita (to assess form and stickability) and spoons in a blind test, rating each out of 10, then averaged out to reach the final scores.<\/p>\n

6) Lisa\u2019s Original Hummus With Lemon & Garlic<\/p>\n

$4.49 for 200g from Woolworths ($2.25 per 100g)<\/p>\n

5.5\/10<\/p>\n

It\u2019s New Zealand for hummus, or so the ads said. Lisa\u2019s Hummus hit shelves in the 1990s amid a burgeoning health food movement and founder Lisa Er (whose husband <\/a>came from T\u00fcrkiye) was clearly onto something. Her company, Lisa\u2019s Middle Eastern Foods, was making $6m<\/a> a year when it sold to Sanitarium in 2002. Two decades on, how does it hold up?<\/p>\n

Although many of our Spinoffers buy Lisa\u2019s, it performed poorly. \u201cSolid but unremarkable,\u201d said Henry, who noted some textural shortcomings. \u201cGritty, verging on watery.\u201d I found it lumpy in a way that felt unfinished, like the blitzing was only half completed.<\/p>\n

Other testers were merely whelmed. \u201cKind of nothing sauce,\u201d judged Sophie Albornett, who found it fairly inoffensive and \u201cfine\u201d. Perhaps it just needs more of \u201csomething?\u201d wondered Chris Schulz. \u201cAnything?\u201d There was a shred of redemption delivered by Hayden Donnell, who commended this hummus for its heavy garlic quotient. \u201cVery tasty and moreish up front.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lisa'sIt’s synonymous with hummus, but is it any good?5) Greater! Hummus Roasted Garlic<\/p>\n

$6.99 for 500g from Pak\u2019nSave ($1.40 per 100g)<\/p>\n

5.8\/10<\/p>\n

Greater! Hummus is also produced by Sanitarium<\/a>, which is a (tax-exempt<\/a>, Seventh Day Adventist-owned<\/a>) registered charity. It would be charitable to call this a \u201cgood, solid, reliable, 9-5 hummus\u201d, as Joel MacManus did. Although this contained the fewest kilojoules per 100g compared to others in our lineup, it did have the most carbs \u2013 over double Turkish Kitchen and Obela. Not privy to that detail, Sophie was nonetheless confused. \u201cI feel personally at odds with it in a way I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although described by our testers as \u201cwatery\u201d and \u201cugly\u201d with an \u201codd\u201d consistency, Ben Fagan was more kind, calling Greater! \u201cfriendly and relaxed\u201d. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith went a step further, complimenting the \u201cgreat gloop\u201d with a \u201cwow factor\u201d. It is well seasoned, with a \u201cnice topline\u201d of garlic and lemon, as Henry Oliver observed. But how much is too much? Gemma Spring wouldn\u2019t recommend this \u201cgarlic bomb\u201d for a date-night snack.<\/p>\n

\"ANot that great, actually.4) Obela Classic Hommus <\/p>\n

$5.39 for 220g from Woolworths ($2.45 per 100g)<\/p>\n

6.2\/10<\/p>\n

This one\u2019s pretty heavy on the tahini \u2013 \u201ctoo much\u201d, according to Sophie \u2013 which accounts for 13% of the hummus. It\u2019s notably smooth, something Hayden liked (he told us so, repeatedly) and found \u201ctexturally appealing\u201d. For others, it was perhaps too much, with Henry remarking on a \u201cslight gumminess\u201d. This hummus was thick to the point of gluggy, and it created a \u201cpaste-like film\u201d in Gemma\u2019s mouth. Chris hated the \u201chorrible\u201d aftertaste and gave Obela 3\/10. Joel, reminded of \u201cporridge that\u2019s been left out too long\u201d, awarded it a lowly 2.<\/p>\n

Disconcertingly for something that calls itself hummus, a critical ingredient appears to be missing: there\u2019s no lemon listed, only citric acid. It\u2019s also the only one of our hummuses not to be produced locally, being made in Australia.<\/p>\n

Obela is a global brand bought by PespiCo after which was subject to protest action<\/a> in 2024 as a primary target for the global BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) movement. In November 2024, Obela was bought out<\/a> by PepsiCo, and while activists declared the divestment a success, it still encourages<\/a> consumers to avoid the products.<\/p>\n

\"ObelaIt has its shortcomings.3) Pams Original Hummus <\/p>\n

$3.49 for 200g from New World ($1.75 per 100g)<\/p>\n

6.3\/10<\/p>\n

Ah Pams, so classic yet still with surprises up her sleeve. This lemon-forward hummus turned out to be the most tart of all. \u201cToo acidy for moi,\u201d judged Cal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other testers were more judgemental, criticising this for being \u201ccheap\u201d, \u201cinconsistent\u201d and overly watery. \u201cThe loose stool of the hummus world,\u201d ventured Hayden, frowning gloomily as he gave this a 4\/10. \u201cHate the look.\u201d So did Lyric, who likened it to \u201cbeer vomit\u201d. But as Oscar Wilde said \u2013 surely inspired by supermarket condiments \u2013 the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. This hummus is \u201cforgettable\u201d, ruled Joel, giving it a 3\/10. \u201cJog on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Screw the haters! As Pams\u2019 average score suggests, plenty of testers were pleased. \u201cI like this a lot,\u201d said Chris. \u201cIt\u2019s basic but moreish.\u201d Texture \u201cisn\u2019t a dealbreaker\u201d for Sophie, who was wowed by the \u201ckapow\u201d of the garlic.<\/p>\n

\"PamsSome people just love Pams.2) Woolworths Hummus Original Garlic And Lemon<\/p>\n

$3.49 for 200g from Woolworths ($1.75 per 100g)<\/p>\n

6.6\/10<\/p>\n

Woolworths own-brand hummus looks basic and is. Judging only on taste (very chickpea-y) and texture (rather watery), our team were disappointed by the consistency and \u201cboring\u201d flavour. \u201cIt\u2019s not knocking my socks off,\u201d remarked Alice Neville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris, however, still wearing his socks, was impressed and commended this hummus for its \u201ctouch of tang\u201d and \u201cgood texture\u201d. Sophie suggested it had a certain \u201cje ne sais quoi\u201d that others lacked. Alas it stirred no foreign tongue nor excitement for Hayden, who declared this hummus \u201cspiritually bereft\u201d. Bereft or not, this serviceable hummus managed to scrape into the top two due to its inoffensive qualities \u2013 suggesting centrism still has some life in it yet.<\/p>\n

\"WoolworthsIs the je ne sais quoi in the tub with us?1) Turkish Kitchen Traditional Hummus With Roasted Garlic<\/p>\n

$4.39 for 200g from New World ($2.20 per 100g)<\/p>\n

7.5\/10<\/p>\n

The top of the pack and rightly so! This is the most authentic-tasting hummus of the lot. It\u2019s the only one with olive oil as a listed ingredient \u2013 it also has the highest calories, nearly twice Lisa\u2019s, and fat content, but lowest percentage of chickpeas. Turkish Kitchen is produced by local company Brelita Foods, which has a factory in Auckland\u2019s Mount Roskill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their hummus was so popular with our testers that the bowl was scraped clean. They were impressed by the flavour and texture, which Hayden described as \u201cinteresting\u201d and \u201clovely\u201d. Lyric and I both gave this a 9\/10. Sophie was impressed too: \u201cwell balanced\u201d and \u201csmooth\u201d, she judged, guessing correctly that this was \u201cthe purple lid one\u201d. Tina Tiller was bowled over. \u201cYUMBOS!\u201d she wrote, next to a big 10\/10.<\/p>\n

\"TurkishThe cream of the crop.