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.

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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.

Organic Sesame

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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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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

• Mixing Bow and
• wooden spoon
• Mason Jar

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.

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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

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.

5 from 19 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Adjust Servings Here: 2 Cups

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Veena Azmanov

Prep Time: 2 mins

Total Time: 2 mins

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

Metric - US customary

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.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 100grams | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.6g | Protein: 8.3g | Fat: 25.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 0.6g | Vitamin A: 0% | Vitamin C: 0% | Calcium: 0% | Iron: 0%

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Tried this recipe?Mention @veenaazmanov or tag #veenaazmanov!

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