This 10-minute tahini sauce is flavorful and easy to make. Simply mix a few ingredients in a bowl and serve!
You can make this tasty dip ahead of time, refrigerate it, and use it later. It's perfect with fresh-cut vegetables or as a topping to meat and chicken.
Growing up in Jerusalem, my favorite Middle Eastern dip was tahini, a thick and flavorful dip made with ground sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
It's very easy to make at home, and it keeps for several days in the fridge. I make a weekly batch, and we use it throughout the week.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview:
- Tahini: Sometimes sold as "sesame butter" or "sesame paste." The only ingredient should be ground sesame seeds. This is a brand I often use. I also like the Whole Foods store brand. It contains salt, so when I use it, I add just ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of ½ teaspoon. If in doubt, start with less salt. You can taste the sauce when it's ready and decide if you want to add more salt.
- Minced garlic: For the best flavor, mince it yourself instead of using garlic from a jar.
- Kosher salt: If using fine salt, reduce the amount you use by half.
- Olive oil: Extra-virgin has the best flavor; I highly recommend using it in this recipe.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best.
- Water: To thin out the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Chopped parsley: This is optional, but it adds a nice flavor in addition to color.
Variations
The recipe, as written here, is a classic one. An interesting variation is adding different spices to the basic sauce.
Additions that I tried and liked include a pinch of smoked paprika, ground cumin, or oregano. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper if you'd like the sauce to be spicy.
Instructions
It's incredibly easy to make this sauce from scratch! You simply mix the ingredients in a bowl by hand, then refrigerate. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here's an overview of the steps:
Place the tahini, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and water in a medium bowl. Whisk with a hand whisk until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
It should be smooth and creamy - this is the consistency you're after:
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir the sauce again before serving, and add more water if needed. It's perfect with fresh-cut veggies!
Expert Tip
Depending on how much water you add, you can make this sauce as thin or thick as you like.
A thick sauce is perfect as a dip for vegetables or crackers. A thin sauce can serve as a salad dressing, or you can drizzle it on top of meats or roasted vegetables.
Recipe FAQs
Both are Middle Eastern spreads used to flavor meats, bread, and vegetables. Both are often served at the beginning of a meal as part of a meze platter - a collection of small plates containing various spreads, sauces, and salads.
The main difference is the main ingredient - chickpeas in hummus and sesame seeds in tahini.
No. Both sauces are used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking but are made of entirely different ingredients. Tzatziki's main ingredients are yogurt and cucumbers; tahini's main ingredient is ground sesame seeds.
It tastes nutty and pleasantly salty, with a bit of tang from the lemon juice and a hint of sharpness from the garlic. Its mouthfeel is lovely - it's very creamy, as you would expect from any nut butter.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally, tahini sauce is served as a topping for meat, falafel, or cooked vegetables.
I often serve it as a topping for beef kabobs, chicken kabobs, or lamb burgers. It's excellent with fresh-cut vegetables or almond flour crackers.
I like to drizzle it on top of grilled eggplant or roasted zucchini. It's perfect on top of hard-boiled eggs!
If you add extra water, you can turn it into a salad dressing. It's lovely drizzled on top of steak salad or Israeli salad.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
Stir the sauce again before serving it; if it has thickened too much while refrigerated, stir in a bit of water.
I don't recommend freezing this sauce.
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Recipe Card
Tahini Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini - (sesame butter)
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - extra-virgin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 6 tablespoons water - more if needed
- 2 tablespoons parsley - finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the tahini, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and water in a medium bowl. Whisk with a hand whisk until smooth.
- If the sauce is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. It should be smooth and creamy. If using, mix in the parsley with a rubber spatula.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir again before serving, and add more water if the sauce has thickened in the fridge. Add a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Video
Notes
- Traditionally, tahini sauce is served as a topping for meat, falafel, or cooked vegetables. It's also delicious with crackers, on top of hard-boiled eggs, or as a salad dressing. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like, depending on how much water you add. A thick sauce is perfect as a dip for vegetables or crackers. A thin one can serve as a salad dressing.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week. Stir the sauce again before serving; if it has thickened too much, stir in a bit of water. I don't recommend freezing this sauce.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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