An easy homemade tahini sauce recipe. Simply mix everything in a bowl, then serve, or refrigerate and use later. Wonderful with fresh-cut vegetables!
Tahini sauce is a delicious Middle Eastern sauce, made from tahini paste, garlic, and lemon juice.
As a kid in Israel, I loved sopping it up with fresh pita bread. Alas, I can no longer safely eat pita bread (or any bread for that matter except for keto bread). But the warm, flavorful memories remain.
The ingredients used to make this recipe
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this very flavorful sauce (exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below):
- Tahini: This is often sold as “sesame seed paste” or “sesame butter.” The only ingredient should be sesame seeds.
- Minced garlic: Mince it by yourself or use the stuff that comes in a jar.
- Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you might want to reduce the amount you use.
- Olive oil: Extra-virgin has the best flavor.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best.
- Water.
- Chopped parsley: This is optional, but it does add a nice flavor.
How to make tahini sauce
This is a truly easy recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. But basically, you mix the ingredients in a bowl, by hand, then refrigerate.
You can make the sauce as thin or as thick as you like, depending on how much water you add. These are the basic steps:
- Start by placing all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Use a hand whisk to mix them all together until very smooth.
- Mix in the parsley.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to use it?
Traditionally, in the Middle East, it’s served as a flavorful topping for meat, falafel, or cooked vegetables.
I often serve it as a topping for beef kabobs or lamb burgers. And I also like to serve it with raw, freshly cut vegetables or with these almond flour crackers.
If you add some extra water, you can turn this sauce into a tasty and healthy salad dressing. It’s much better than any commercial salad dressing and – in my opinion – better than a simple vinaigrette.
Tahini sauce nutrition – is it healthy?
I believe it is. Made of ground sesame seeds, tahini (sesame butter) is mostly good, healthy fat, with a small amount of carbs and protein.
The remaining ingredients in this recipe – olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley – are all very healthy. For the detailed nutrition info, please scroll down to the recipe card.
How long can you keep leftovers?
You can keep them in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 5 days. Sometimes I keep them for a full week and they’re fine!
Do make sure to stir the sauce again before serving. And if it has thickened while being refrigerated, simply add a bit of water.
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Tahini Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the tahini, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and water in a medium bowl. Whisk with a hand whisk until smooth.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix in the parsley.
- 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, a tablepsoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Tahini sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
