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 and nutritious Middle Eastern sauce. It is made from sesame seed paste, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Sometimes chopped parsley is added too.
As a kid in Israel, I loved sopping it up with fresh pita bread. Alas, I can no longer 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. But regardless of the type you choose, this oil is a great choice.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best.
Water: To thin out the sauce to your desired consistency.
Chopped parsley: This is optional, but it does add a nice flavor in addition to color.
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:
Gather your ingredients. Start by placing all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Whisk until smooth. 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 salad dressing. It’s much better than any commercial salad dressing and – in my opinion – better than a simple vinaigrette.
What’s the difference between tahini sauce and hummus?
Both are middle eastern sauces or spreads used to flavor meats, breads, and vegetables. And 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. This also explains why hummus is high-carb (but also high in fiber) while tahini is low-carb.
How long can you keep leftovers?
You can keep tahini sauce leftovers 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 Diamond Crystal 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., 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, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.