Tahini sauce is one of our go-to toppings for a variety of savory dishes. It’s made from tahini, a dense paste made from crushed sesame seeds. Tahini sauce is a mixture of tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and water. This traditional sauce is served in Israel and in Arab countries throughout the Middle East. The sauce is used as a condiment to accompany dishes like hummus, falafel, and babaganoush. It can also be served alongside a kosher meat meal as a dairy-free alternative to cream sauce.
Tahini Sauce Recipe & Video – How to make creamy, delicious tahini sauce with garlic and fresh lemon juice. Step-by-step video below!
Tahini paste can usually be found in the peanut butter aisle or the Middle Eastern section at the grocery store. Middle Eastern stores sell pre-mixed tahini sauce, but my husband swears by making it from scratch. The flavor of homemade is fresher, creamier, and more delicate. My husband walked me through the process, step by step, just like his mother used to make it when he was a child in Ramat Gan, Israel.
While I would love to give you the definitive tahini sauce recipe, making it properly is a bit of an art form. It’s best learned in the kitchen beside somebody who has been making it their whole life. I have included the basic process and ingredient measurements here, but bear in mind that each batch of tahini sauce is different. Ingredients must be added slowly, and the cook should keep a close eye on consistency and flavor throughout the process.
Once prepared, this recipe can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. This sauce is gluten free, vegan, healthy and tasty. Enjoy!
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Video by Entice Films
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini sesame seed paste - I prefer the paste made from light colored seeds
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water, or more for consistency
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced (optional)
NOTES
Instructions
- Grind tahini paste, lukewarm water, garlic, lemon juice and salt together in a food processor or blender until sauce is creamy and ivory-colored. A food processor is the easiest way to make this sauce; scrape the sides of the processor periodically during processing. If using a blender, you may need to use a long-handled spoon to break up the thick part of the sauce once every 30 seconds; this will keep it from clogging your blender blades. After a few minutes of blending, sauce will turn into a rich, smooth paste. If mixture is too thick, slowly add more water until it reaches the preferred consistency. You may need quite a bit of water depending on the thickness of your tahini paste.
- If using tahini to top hummus or a meat dish, keep it thick and creamy. As a condiment for pita or falafel, a more liquid sauce is usually preferred. Taste often during the blending process; add more lemon juice or salt, if desired.
Nutrition
Easy and delicious! Took me back to the tahini sauce we ate with falafel in Israel. Will definitely make again!
This is pretty much the Lebanese/Egyptian way. The influence is everywhere. 🥰🥰🥰
Delicious as a mayo replacement on roast beef or turkey sandwiches.
I add about a quarter teaspoon of ground cumin and it gives it a little something extra. Sometimes I also blend in a peeled tomato. I learnt these extras from a Yemenite friend.
Tori, I would eat this with a spoon! Okay, truth told, I already have! Tangy and smooth, nutty and garlicky. I’ve used it as a sauce, a spread and a dip for veggies. I will look no further for a good tahini sauce. I found it here! Thanks Tori!
Excellent!!
Tori,
Thanks for this recipe. I have been searching for the secret ingredient that makes the foodcourt Falafel Pitas so special. My search is over. This is the sauce! A must add for Falafel Pitas. Did it all from scratch and now eating it with a spoon.!!
An immersion blender works great!
It seems people don’t make their own tahini. That’s a pity as it’s very easy to make. However the one and only time i made tahini sauce i didn’t like it at all. That was a pity as it sounded great. I thought I’d found a really nice sauce. I’ll try it again in case it was me and something i did wrong..i hope it was.