How to Make Homemade Tahini Sauce
This creamy, light and delicious homemade tahini sauce make a perfect accompaniment to any meal. This middle eastern Tahina sauce is heart healthy and works a treat served with meat dishes, as an ingredient in dishes like Hummus and Babaganoush or drizzled over your favorite falafel or shawarma. Try it as a salad dressing or drizzle over a bowl of steamed vegetables.
Homemade Tahini Sauce aka Middle Eastern Tahina | Tahina Recipe| Homemade tahina in 5 mins
What is Tahini?
Well, if you have eaten Middle Eastern food at any time, whether it’s Lebanese, Armenian, Arabic, Egyptian or even Israeli you must have seen this bowl of creamy sauce either as an appetizer or over a salad. Definitely served alongside meat dishes like Kebabs and shawarma or the popular Falafel.
This tahini sauce is made from a thick paste made of sesame seeds! The sesame seeds are soaked in water overnight, then crushed so the bran and kernel are separated. The paste made from the kernels sold in supermarkets for us to use.
You get two types of tahini paste. A light colored paste which is made from only the kernels but you can also find a more cream pale tahini paste which has the kernel and bran both made to a smooth paste. I usually use the second because it’s got the kernels too. It’s just like choosing processed white flour or whole wheat flour. The thick tahini paste makes a great base for many different uses such as this tahini sauce.
The best part about tahini sauce? It’s healthy for your heart! It has healthy fats and amino acids and is a great source of essential vitamins and minerals. Also, it regulates blood pressure and cholesterol, even improves skin health. These are just a few of the ones that fascinate me. But if you do a search on the benefits of Tahini.. there is so much more.
Do you need a food processor? NO!!
The tahini paste is really smooth and blends well with just a spoon. Unless you want to mince two garlic cloves in the food processor you don’t need a food processor. Personally, with such a small quantity, the two garlic cloves get lost in the big bowl of a food processor so it minces it but not to a paste. I don’t like little pieces of garlic in my Tahini sauce. So I never use a food processor.
Storage & a Little Tip
Tahini sauce has a long shelf life. I can stay in the fridge for a month but ours never last more than a day or two. My husband is middle eastern so he can eat Tahini with pita bread for dinner with a side salad. Yup!
A little tip – store the tahini is a mason jar because it does become thicker over time. Instead of going thru the process of mixing it again. Just add a few tablespoons of water to the mason jar and give it a good shake. Voila!! It’s back to consistency. Can you tell that I’ve had one too many tahini sauce jars over the years? Well, we do love a good tahini sauce over not just our middle eastern dishes but I love creamy salad dressing so tahini sauce works a treat.
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Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Garlic – You want to mince the garlic to a smooth paste so it disappears into the sauce. This is easily done by adding the salt to the garlic when chopping it. Press the garlic and salt with the flat of your knife to make a paste.
- Lemon juice – While I say 3 tbsp – it certainly is to taste. So before you store it in a mason jar? Taste your seasoning first. When I make my salad dressing I often use Apple Cider Vinegar instead of lemon juice. It does have a much stronger flavor but… its’ good for my diet.
- Cold water – Many people say to use warm water but once a chef told me if you use cold fridge water – it gives you a brighter color. Never questioned it; have been doing that for many years now. Room temperature works just fine.
You see that little bowl in front of my mason jar? That’s the Tahini paste. It comes in this pale or a lighter color. It’s thick and oily. You will find a lot of it gets stuck at the bottom of the jar. That’s normal and can still be used. Just scoop it up with a metal spoon.
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Recipe – Homemade Tahini Sauce aka Middle Eastern Tahina (Save/Pin)
Tools
Ingredients
- Tahini paste – 250 ml (1 cup)
- Cold water – 180 to 250 ml
- Garlic – 1 tbsp minced (2 large cloves)
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Pepper – 1/4 tsp
- Lemon juice – 4 tbsp
Method
- In a bowl add the tahini paste, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Add 3/4 cup water and stir to a smooth paste.
- Adjust seasoning – adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste.
- Check consistency – adding more water if necessary.
- Pour into a bowl or mason jar.
- To serve as a sauce – drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Depending on what you need to use this tahini for
- To serve it as a sauce – you do not need more than water.
- For a salad dressing, you may need a few more tablespoons of water so you can pour it over.
- If you plan to serve it over meat – I highly recommend not to make it too watery.
Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
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What can you use Tahini Sauce with?
Well? the possibilities are endless!!
- Try it just on its own as a dip! I serve a bowl of veggie stick for my kids’ pajama party and guess what its’ a treat! My kids love to dip their carrot and cucumber sticks in tahini sauce.
- I use it as a salad dressing. If you love creamy dressings but can’t afford it? well, that’s me. I do love creamy salad dressing and this tahini sauce works a treat.
- Do you steam veggies and then add lots of melted cheese over it to get your kids to eat veggies? Well, I drizzle my good old tahini sauce.
- If you make my homemade Falafel (a popular recipe on this blog) recipe – I serve a side of tahini. Because tahini just makes falafel taste better.
- Have you tried my Shawarma Pita Pockets that get done in 15 minutes? (another popular recipe) always serve it with tahini – Tahini and meat – a perfect combination.
- Tahini sauce works best with any meat or fish dishes. If you love kababs? This is a must-have with kebabs. Have you tried my Moroccan Chicken skewers or Chicken Kebabs?
Homemade Tahini Sauce aka Middle Eastern Tahina
Ingredients
- 250 ml Tahini paste
- 180 ml Cold water
- 1 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 4 tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
- In a bowl add the tahini paste, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Add 3/4 cup water and stir to a smooth paste.
- Adjust seasoning - adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste.
- Check consistency - adding more water if necessary.
- Pour into a bowl or mason jar.
- To serve as a sauce - drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Depending on what you need to use this tahini for
- To serve it as a sauce - you do not need more than water.
- For a salad dressing, you may need a few more tablespoons of water so you can pour it over.
- If you plan to serve it over meat - I highly recommended not to make it too watery.
Do you like Middle Eastern Food? Israeli Food?
I have some amazing recipes like quick Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken and Shawarma Pita Pockets to Heart Healthy Classic Hummus and Tahini Sauce as well as indulgent falafel and Passover favorite Chocolate Pecan Cake to summer classics Kebabs and festive latkes. You can find them all here Middle Eastern Recipes. Alternatively, you can find a whole list all my recipes here on this Recipe Index
Middle Eastern Recipes or Israeli Recipe Collections
I am such a big fab of tahini, such a lovely flavour. This sauce sounds like a delicious addition to many dishes, particularly falafels, or chicken kebab.
I hear ya Helen. I love tahini too! Nothing beats a thick creamy sauce over salad and chicken recipes.
homemade tahini is the best! Good share!
Absolutely Savita!
I am SO addicted to this sauce. I just had some last week and thought to myself, WOW I can put this on everything! I am so happy to have found this, now I can make this anytime at home! 😀
I so agree with you. I love anything creamy so this is a real savior when I want a healthier alternative.
Having homemade sauces on hand in the refrigerator is a perfect way to brighten up boring weekday meals. Delicious!
Absolutely Sharon!! We love having this on hand all the time. Even simply tahini with Pita bread is an acceptable meal to my husband
This looks like a tasty sauce! I love that you added in a series of tips too. I would have never considered cold water vs warm, but if it gives it a brighter color that’s always helpful because we eat with our eyes first!
Thank you Jenni. I do believe it does. Thank you !
Nothing beats homemade sauce and this tahini sauce is perfect and looks so creamy! Saving it for later
Thank you Soniya. Yes homemade tahini sauce is absolutely the best to have on hand. Enjoy!
Ok, I am all over this! I cannot wait to make my own tahina at home and drizzle it on everything! Looks so simple!
Absolutely Megan. Tahini is definitely a perfect sauce to have on hand. You will love it on just about anything
I make a similar sauce, and you’re so right – it’s such a versatile sauce to keep on hand. Your tip about using cold water is interesting – I’ll try that next time.
Absolutely Renee.. Yes this sauce is so versatile.
I always (ALWAYS) learn something new about food or preparation when I visit your blog. Thank you for sharing this recipe, and great tip on storing it in a mason jar. 🙂
Aww thank you so much Teri. I am so happy to hear you say that. Thank you for the lovely comment
Love middle eastern food and tahini so this recipe sounds perfect to me! Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you Stephanie. We love middle eastern food too! I hope you try this.
I grew up on middle eastern food and I never knew you could make homemade tahini! This looks awesome and I can’t wait to make it!
Thank you Denise. I love tahini sauce very much and we have it at home all the time. You must try this you will love it.
I love tahini sauce and like you I too use it as my salad dressing. I made your falafel recently and made this sauce; was perfect! The falafel was to die or. And so true I did not need a food processor for this at all. It mixed up instantly. I love the taste of tahini sauce and this recipe definitely is just the right amount. Thank you so much for always sharing your recipes with such clarity.
Thank you so much Shalu. I’m happy to see that you are enjoying my recipes so much. Thank you for always giving me your valuable feedback and for coming back to leave these comments – Appreciate it very much.