Best Tahini Sauce
Learn how to make ultra creamy tahini sauce! The best tahini sauce is ultra creamy, deliciously tangy and irresistible. This recipe is easy to make, too. You'll just need a whisk!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
I see you looking skeptical over there. Can tahini sauce really be “the best”? Isn’t it all the same? Au contraire, my friend! This tahini sauce is the best I have ever encountered.
This tahini sauce is rich, creamy, perfectly smooth, nutty and tangy. Its subtle garlic flavor enhances the toasted sesame flavor, rather than overwhelms or detracts.
This tahini sauce adds irresistible creaminess and tang to anything it touches, whether that be fresh or roasted vegetables, salad, falafel or pita bread.
When I set out to make tahini sauce, I read everything I could about the subject, like I do. Chef Michael Solomonov gave me some clues, via Serious Eats. (I don’t know the guy, but his techniques also guided my hummus recipe, which has been a smashing success.)
Are you ready to over-analyze tahini sauce with me? Hope so.
How to Make the Best Tahini Sauce
First, marinate the garlic in lemon juice for 10 minutes. The acidity of the lemon juice prevents the garlic from becoming too harsh (here’s why). This way, your lemon juice is infused with delicious, mellow garlic flavor.
Strain the garlic out of the lemon juice. I know, this sounds like extra work, but it’s worth it (I tried both strained and non-strained versions). This step ensures perfectly smooth tahini sauce and prevents the garlic flavor from stealing the show after all.
Time saver: If you’re in a hurry, skip the garlic altogether and whisk in the lemon juice during the following step.
Whisk in tahini, salt and cumin. You can’t make tahini sauce without tahini, and the salt and cumin enhance the other flavors.
Whisk in ice water until the mixture is gloriously smooth and creamy. When you add the tahini to the bowl, it will seize up. It loosens with the addition of sufficient amounts of ice water. It’s a really cool transformation, just wait!
Adjust to taste, if necessary. Add more water for a thinner consistency, more salt for more overall flavor, and/or more lemon juice for more tang. Your tahini sauce is good to go!
Watch How to Make Tahini Sauce
Uses for Tahini Sauce
Generally speaking, tahini sauce complements other Middle Eastern recipe components and flavors. Use it as a dip or a sauce. It’s also lovely with vegetables and other fresh, herbed flavors. Tahini sauce goes well with the following:
- Falafel
- Fresh vegetables
- Roasted vegetables
- Flat bread or toasted pita wedges
- Whole grains, such as farro
- Used as salad dressing (thinned with water as necessary)
- Served as an appetizer with hummus and/or baba ganoush
The Best Tahini for Tahini Sauce
The best tahini comes from Ethiopia. Solomonov recommends Soom Foods, which I bought on Amazon (affiliate link). It’s delicious and I can see why it’s his favorite.
My other go-to? Trader Joe’s organic tahini, which is made from Ethiopian sesame seeds like Soom’s. Whole Foods 365 used to be my go-to, but I encountered a few bad jars that tasted so bad, I’m afraid to try again.
Variations on Tahini Sauce
If you want to change up your traditional tahini sauce, just add herbs! You can whisk in chopped fresh, leafy herbs, such as fresh parsley, cilantro, dill, or basil. If you would like more of a uniformly green sauce, just blend the herbs with the tahini sauce in a food processor or blender. See recipe note for more details.
Please let me know how your tahini sauce turns out in the comments! I bet you come up with some more delicious variations and I’m looking forward to hearing about them.
Best Tahini Sauce
Learn how to make ultra creamy tahini sauce! The best tahini sauce is ultra creamy, deliciously tangy and irresistible. This recipe is easy to make, too. You’ll just need a whisk! Recipe yields 1 to 1 ¼ cup; double if desired.
Ingredients
- 4 medium-to-large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pinch of ground cumin
- 6 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the garlic and lemon juice. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, to give the garlic time to infuse the lemon juice with flavor.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another medium bowl. Press the garlic solids with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the garlic.
- Add the tahini, salt and cumin to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
- Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. (It may seize up, don’t worry.) After about 6 tablespoons, you will have a perfectly creamy and smooth, light-colored tahini sauce.
- If desired, thin with additional water for a more drizzly sauce. Adjust if necessary—if you’d like more tang, add more lemon, or for more overall flavor, add another pinch of salt. Your tahini sauce is ready to serve!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Michael Solomonov’s cookbook, Zahav, via Epicurious.
Shortcut option: Simply skip the garlic altogether and stir the lemon juice in with the other ingredients in step 3. You’ll end up with a great, basic, tangy tahini sauce this way.
Storage suggestions: This tahini sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week. The tahini may thicken with time; whisk in additional cold water as necessary to thin. Solomonov suggests that the tahini sauce can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Herbed tahini sauce: Whisk ¼ cup (or more, to taste) chopped fresh, leafy herbs into the tahini sauce. Great options include fresh parsley, basil, dill and/or cilantro. If you would like a well-blended green sauce, simply blend the tahini sauce and herbs together in a food processor or blender.
Food processor option: (This makes more sense if you’re doubling the recipe and/or making the blended herbed sauce option.) You can actually toss unpeeled garlic cloves into the food processor, blitz until finely chopped, add the lemon juice, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then strain the garlic out of the mixture in a strainer as described, and return the garlicky lemon juice to the food processor. Add the tahini, herbs (if using), salt and cumin and blend until creamy. Thin with cold water, added 2 tablespoons at a time, until you have a perfectly smooth sauce.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I haven’t made your recipe yet, but wanted to add that making your own tahini paste from scratch would enhance this even more. It’s simple.
Toast the white sesame seeds (at least one cup) in a cast iron pan. Put seeds into blender or processor and add oil, either olive or sesame oil (or both)and blend. I often don’t measure the oil and just add it slowly until it’s the proper consistency. Very pure and simple.
Thank you, Mary for sharing.
Thank you Mary, I was thinking the exact same thing and wondering whether it could easily be made in the processor or blender, I will give this a try as I’d like to make Kate’s tahini sauce above :)
If you are unable to get good Mideastern tahini paste, making you own is the back up solution. I don’t add any oil, Some blenders are capable of producing very fine tahini paste, expect to spend 20-40 minutes effective blending time. With cool down time, as not to burn off the blender, at least 3 times longer. Home made tahini sauce does not match the quality of good Mideastern tahini, depending on the quality of the sesame seeds in your area. Cast iron pan is not necessary, any old pan will do, you do not want to toast the seeds, just heat them up, maybe 5 minutes, in order to activate the flavor. The sesame seeds will break down and release oil if you are patient, and when you are about to give up and you are convinced it’s not going to happen, just continue, and suddenly like magic you have perfect consistency tahini paste. I used Mary Nell’s method 25 years ago, I didn’t have the patience back then, and did not understand the process. We live and learn, who would have thought adding more oil to your homemade mayonnaise, would make it thicker and thicker and thicker. Churning your own butter in a blender, same thing, when you think nothing is going to happen, all of a sudden, it separates, and you have a butter ball and lovely butter milk, if you used soured cream. Fresh cream works well, but you don’t get the buttermilk. These techniques are tested, and work even with a 10$ stick blender, it takes time, let the blender cool down every 5-10 minutes, it should never feel hot.
Oh my stars! I had no idea how much I love tahini sauce until I made this recipe! I pretty much followed your recipe…except… lol First of all, I definitely marinated the garlic in the lemon juice. Secondly, I made sure I really mixed up my tahini before measuring it out. After whisking it all into a nice creamy consistency, as you promised, I thought it needed a little more oomph for my taste. I ended up throwing it all in in my blender and then adding ALL of the garlic I drained out and more lemon juice. I also added some fresh parsley and cayenne pepper to kick it up a notch. This was freaking fantastic! Thank you!
I love reading your blog! This recipe is perfect timing for me. I’ve been doing the “sometimes vegan” thing and in search of the perfect tahini sauce for salads. THANK YOU! :-)
Thank you, and thank you! I appreciate the support. Let me know what you think, Yvette!
I loooooove over analyzing small things in recipes, so this is totally up my alley! I admittedly don’t love tahini sauce (I know!), but I think if I had the right one I could learn to love it!
Me too! Sometimes I love analyzing them too much… Thanks for the comment, Abby!
We call it just Tachina and always have some in the fridge. No recipe, whip it up by taste, and you are using way too much garlic. Let ot’s Natural taste come thru.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Dennie. I really like the garlic tastes with this one. But, I know it isn’t for everyone. :)
Garlic makes tahini.
Why comment negatively like that? And I’ve never tasted tahina sauce anywhere in the Middle East, that omitted garlic! Kate – your recipe is perfection – I make it at least twice a month. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try this recipe, good Tahini is so hard to find and I have never attempted to make it so I will let you know how I do .
Yes, please do!
Would you recommend resting the garlic lemon mix longer if you’re a big garlic fan or would it be too strong? (Judging by the fact that it’s only resting for ten minutes, I’m hesitant to let it go a very long time.)
You can rest longer if you like, but the flavors meld well together as indicated. Also, its a great flavor once everything is combined.
Hello! I just wanted to leave a comment saying how great your blog has been lately!!! Every recipe is perfection! I also love that you are making “normal” food. Not overly complicated. Thank you for the hard work you put in!!
Thank you for your comment! I’m really glad you are enjoying it, Lisa. It’s been enjoyable sharing with you!
Kate, I love tahini and this sauce looks fabulous, but the nutrition info referred to above is missing. My husband is prediabetic, so the carb count is really important.
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Sheri, the nutritional information should be there. Scroll below the notes of the recipe. You need to click to expand the information. If it doesn’t show, make sure your browser is set to enable cookies so the plug-in appears with the information. I hope this helps!
Thank you!
Great to see your enthusiasm for middle eastern foods. My late husband was Israeli and he introduced me to these wonderful dishes. I now live in Israel, (I’m an ex-Australian) and partake of these foods often. Can’t wait to try your hummus, baked felafel and tehina as they have that extra something you have added. You omitted one thing that goes amazingly with tahini sauce; baked fish. Just try spooning it over your fish – divine.
Best regards,
Leonie
I do really enjoy them. Let me know what you think, Leonie!
I made that hummus and it really was the BEST! Wow! Ive never made tahini before, but with the spices in it as described, would you use it in ANY recipe that calls for tahini?
I’m glad you liked the hummus! Yes, I would! It would be delicious.
I see this being a fast favorite!!! I’m seriously addicted to your sunshine salad dressing…so I’m always so excited when you post a new sauce/dressing recipe!!
I’m glad you get excited! I do as well to share it with you. Thanks, Brittany.
Great blog & recipe. Another variation is to use yogurt or butter milk instead of water.
Thank you!
Yum! I opt for the Trader Joe’s tahini sauce usually but homemade is so much better!
Kari
Homemade all day! But, TJs has great stuff for sure.
What a beautiful-looking sauce! The creaminess is just HEAVENLY. I bet it tastes amazing with roasted vegetables or in brownies! Love how simple it is too!
It’s delicious! Give it a try. :)
Is your tahini already roasted? Mine is not. How can I tweak this?
Most tahinis are made with roasted sesame seeds (mine was). I’m afraid there’s no way to create roasted tahini flavor once the tahini has already been made. However, if you enjoy your tahini’s flavor as is, you can definitely use it to make this hummus!
I’ve now made your hummus, falafel and this sauce. All three have been outstanding with my whole family really enjoying the food and that is quite an accomplishment. The flavors and textures have been spot-on in my opinion, thank you so much!
You’ve been busy! I love it. You’re welcome. Thanks for trying them!
I made the tahini sauce today and it was absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved it. We had it over a buckwheat and veggie salad and it fit perfectly. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Michaela!
Lol, I like that you’re ready to stand by your bold assertion of “the best”! And thanks for your great round up of ways to use the sauce. Very helpful!
Yes, I am! :) I hope you agree. I’m glad you found it helpful.
I think one of the keys to getting a good tahini is to make sure it is made with toasted sesame seeds – tahini from raw sesame seeds is awful! The kind I have used for 50 years (or thereabouts) is Joyva, in the orange and white can. It was recommended to me by a Lebanese boyfriend that long ago, and it has never failed me. I have to try the marinating garlic in lemon juice – it will make tolerating raw garlic possible.
Thank you, for sharing Susan!
Sweet Heavens ! This so “made for everything” ! Pinning, sharing, telling, making ….. Thank you so much !
Yes, please share! I appreciate the review.
I haven’t made this yet, but I do want to say that I have now made the Greek nachos from your book a couple of times and I absolutely crave them.
I love tahini every time I’m served it, but I have never really ventured off on my own to try to make a salad or anything with it. Thank you for making your recipes so simple and delicious!
You’re so welcome. Those nachos are amazing! I think I might need some soon. Let me know what you think when you make the tahini sauce.
Yet again, you nailed it, Kate. I was mourning the discontinuation of TJ tahini sauce and didn’t really know what to do with the organic TJ tahini I purchased in its place. This is perfect! Thank you. I made it exactly as directed and perfection!
Well, thank you Terri!
This is amazing. Great texture and flavor! I added a bit of cayenne, some fresh basil and mint, and will now eat it on literally everything. Thanks for these beautiful recipes!
Thank you! I love your variation add-ins, Allyson. I appreciate your review.
Can you put up a version of the Tahini sauce recipe in metric measurements Grams/Milliliters /litres/ kilos etc.
it’s a pain trying to convert cups and sites on line give very different amounts I’ve just seen one site give 1/2 cup=170g and another say 1/2 cup = 100g !
I’m sorry you are finding that frustrating! Unfortunately, I’m not the metric expert here. Make sure you are looking at liquid cup vs dry cup. Hope this helps some!
The metric system isn’t rocket science. It’s based on 10. Most good chefs use it including professional chefs in the USA. Do you know The USA is one of only 3 countries not to use it. The system of cups is both confusing and inaccurate.
Hi Phil, I live outside the US and was used to using grams, kilo etc. Then I bought a set of measurement cups and spoons and I now find this so much easier than using my scale. You can buy these sets in houseware stores everywhere.
You will never go back to metric once you get used to them ;)
I’m afraid i can’t agree.
i will never use cups. It’s an awkward unnecessary way to measure and it’s very inaccurate. As i said above Most good chefs use the metric system including professional chefs in the USA. Do you know The USA is one of only 3 countries not to use it? It seems to me when humans can measure stuff to be a short of perversion to refuse to do so.
I threw it all in my mini food processor and blended till smooth. It was perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Liz! I appreciate the review.
This was so delicious I just wanted to dip everything in it. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome, Joan! If you would like to leave a review I would appreciate it, since you like it so much.
It’s really great when you make your own tahini paste. Take about a cup of white sesame seeds and put them in a warm cast iron pan. Let them brown. Take off heat and let them cool. Put in blender and slowly add olive oil until it is the consistency you want.
Much nicer than store bought that’s been sitting on a store shelf for who knows how long. Lasts about a week in fridge.
Thank you, Mary for sharing!
I just made this and served it with roasted zucchini, eggplant and red pepper. It’s easy and so yummy! Garlic flavor was just right. I used Soom tahini as well. Next I’m curious to try the plain tahini in cookies or cakes. Thank you Kate!
That does sound delicious! Thank you, Ardys.
This really is the best tahini sauce! So delicious and easy to make by hand. Mine used to come out grainy and flavorless, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I think the ice water and using the garlic for flavor but removing it are key. Many thanks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to review, Jmas!
I used your recipe 1/10/19. Question. I was waiting for the mixture to seize up. It never did. I stopped after 4 tablespoons of ice water.
I always stir my tahini as it separates with oil on top. Was I supposed to not stir my tahini before measuring 1/2 cup?
It still turned out delicious. Yum, and will definitely make it again.
Hi Lori, it doesn’t have to seize up. It happens occasionally. Try it with the full 6 tablespoons ice water next time and you might like it even more! Or maybe not, it’s up to you of course. :) You should stir the tahini well before using, so you did the right thing.
I have been making tahini sauce for decades and would include a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil with your recipe. I love cumin but would never add it to tahini sauce. Also I would leave out the coriander and parsley leaves from the sauce and use them as a garnish instead.
Thanks for sharing your variation!
Hi Kate
The ingredients I use are based on traditional Lebanese recipes and always include extra virgin olive oil.
I’m confused . I did make your hummus receipe which was amazing so I wanted to make my own Tahini especially since I’m out of the store bought kind but if I have to add in store bought to the homemade then what’s the point? I’m sure its great but I have sunflower seeds but no store bought Tahini . That’s exactly why I wanted and needed to make it from scratch . Thanks for any input .
Jennifer Hollywood .
How long can you keep tahini? I purchased some from Whole Foods, they did not have a small container. The salesperson did not know anything about it’s storage. Should it be refrigerated?
It should keep for awhile. Check the container as it should have a date on it and storage recommendation.
I just started to make this and realized I misread, so I’m leaving the garlic in it, by mistake, I guess.. but I think I’ll still like it. I’ve already blended the garlic in with the lemon juice in my food processor’s small bowl, so it can’t be separated out now.
What did you think after a few more bites?
This was delicious and easy! Love the soakin/straining garlic out of lemon juice technique…this is going to be my new go-to free subtle garlic flavor. Thanks for another great recipe.
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thanks for your review.
Can you please tell me how to make the tahini paste. In making falafel today
I don’t have a recipe for tahini paste, sorry! I buy pre made tahini from the grocery store.
Amazing! One time I skipped soaking the garlic in lemon juice ahead of time, and the whole taste was off. Thanks so much for sharing this.
You’re welcome, Corey!
Do you have a printable version of Lemon Parsley Hummus with Baked Pita Chips? I am having computer problems and cannot print it otherwise. Thank you for your many wonderful recipes.
Oh no! Did you use the print icon to try and print this?
Yes, but it still didn’t work so I cheated and went to my husband’s computer. Thanks for the reply.
I prepped some Kafka kebabs to grill last night and needed a good sauce to compliment the meat. Tahini sauce came to mind. This was the first and only recipe I went with, and so glad I did. The sauce came out incredible. A lot better than I even imagined. I infused the lemon juice with the garlic like the recipe said and it gave it amazing flavor. This will be my go to sauce for a lot of my dishes going forward.
How long do you think a fresh batch would last in the refrigerator?
Thanks for the great recipe
You’re welcome! This tahini sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week. The tahini may thicken with time; whisk in additional cold water as necessary to thin. Solomonov suggests that the tahini sauce can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Ah, the tahini sauce of my dreams! I love that there is no dairy in it. I was wondering how strong the garlic would be, because although I like garlic, I don’t LOVE garlic. But the fact that it was just an infusion made the level perfect.
I used exactly 6 T ice water and it is the right consistency….runs but sticks. This one goes in my library.Thank you for the gift.
Hooray! I’m so glad you loved it and the infused garlic helped too.
Made this tonight to drizzle over some buddha bowls. O.M.G. it is delicious!!! My hubby and I were scraping the sides of the bowls to get every bit of it. Thank you for this!!
You’re welcome, Pamela!
This sauce is delicious! I love the simplicity of it.
Thank you, Meg!
Wow, this is incredibly delicious! Thanks so much for sharing it.
You’re welcome, Katy!
I made your recipe today and it’s delicious thank you:)
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Xiomara.
Best I have ever had!!
Delicious and easy…
Thank you
Wow! Made this today and it is the best I have ever had, so simple.
I just made this and am so pleased with the flavor! It is meant for tomorrow’s dinner but I snuck a taste. Much better than my last attempt at tahini sauce which came out grainy and flavorless like unsalted almond butter. Your recipe is perfectly smooth and tangy.
Hi Kate,
I enjoy your site and recipes. I have a suggestion for the comment section:
Is there some way to mark comments by people who have made the recipe? That’s what I’m interested in. How did it turn out for you? After the first go, what substitutions did you make? What worked and didn’t work? Helpful tips and suggestions?
Thanks for this opportunity and your fun and hard work!
I’m not usually a huge fan of tahini sauce but made falafel and it needed something. This was great! I even used (gasp!) bottled lemon juice ;) Thank you for the recipe. Will def check out some others on the site.
I’m glad you liked this version!
I love the sauce . So much different flavours coming from it, as you eat .Next time I will try add more Tahini , as the sauce turned to liquify for my taste , but I still like very much , and will be doing often , that for SURE