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.
Andre D. says
Hey Tory,…. Fabulous recipe! First tahini sauce recipe I try and my search for a tahini sauce is done. This one’s first up in my recipe book. Your falafel recipe is excellent as well. Many thanks.
Steve Olivier says
I’ve never written back about a recipe before. This is exactly what I was expecting it to taste like.
Fabulous! I used Cedars brand Tahini. I’m putting this on everything. Thank you so much!
Tori Avey says
That’s what I like to hear! 🙂
KEALEBOGA says
hey Tori
i would definately try thi sauce
im a chef in Botswana, Africa
so i think they would love it he
will give u feedback of how the sauce did
Michele O'Connor Connolly says
This has become one of my favorite recipes, I make it for my Daughter every time she comes home from college and more for her to take back with Falafels (another wonderful recipe from you). Thank you for your generosity in sharing
Bonnie Michelle says
Thank you! I am an almost six decade Penn Dutch/Hungarian woman who thanks to a daughter is moving towards a vegetarian lifestyle. You blog has been an inspiration for me in “other worldly cuisine”. I just made the tahini sauce to complement a black bean falafel recipe I found. It tastes amazing. I promise next time I will make your falafel recipe and let you and readers know if I was able to replicate it!
Laura says
This sauce is spot on! My husband is from Jordan and he says this reminds him of back home and so does the shawarma! I am so happy I found this recipe! Thank you Tori for sharing your inspirations!! 🙂
Tori Avey says
Great Laura! 🙂 Happy to hear that.
Sandy says
can you freeze unused portions for later use?
Tori Avey says
Good question Sandy! I haven’t tried it and honestly I’m not sure it would work with this being a seed-based sauce. If you try it will you please let us know your results? I’m sure others would appreciate it.
Jaie Carey says
I made this and froze some left overs, it is fine to freeze and thaws out great.
g-mann says
Sounds like a good recipe but, if you want to make real tahini sauce then skip the blender and use a garlig smasher and salt to pulverize the garlic then just mix in the other ingredients. This is how my mother (who lived in Lebenon taught me to make it.
Helena says
Yes! Me too! xx
Chris says
the comma should be after the word “recipe” and not after the word “but” in your post. Also, simply because your mother doesn’t own a blender doesn’t make her tahini sauce any more “real” than someone’s who does.
Lucian says
Very good recipe. One of the seven wonders… Thank you so much!
J says
What a pleasure to make. This tastes just like the tahini sauce served at most of the Lebanese and Turkish restaurants I’ve been to.
Marg says
It’s good. Made it this arvo. I only had minced garlic and lemon juice in a bottle so it needed a level teaspoon of sugar. Fresh is definitely best but the added sugar might help it keep a bit longer and its doable with those items.
Red says
I am forever a changed woman. This recipe is lexactly ike what you get at the Lebanese restaurants. Delicious, fast and economical! Definitely a keeper.
Serrano says
I buy my hummus and tahini sauce in a local restaurant that is near our home. They have the best hummus and tahini sauce but they are a bit pricey. I no longer have to buy their tahini sauce!!! This recipe is delicious!!!!!!! I want to put this on everything!!!!! Love it !!!
Allison says
I came across your recipe last week when I ordered a falafel platter with tahini on the side from a new place. They gave me just the paste!
Five minutes following this recipe and I had the best tahini *sauce* I’ve ever had. (And as a falafel-obsessed vegetarian, I have certainly sampled my fair share.) Already making it for a second time this evening. Thanks for this wonderful addition to my cooking rotation!
TotalNoob says
As a total noob, I have been disappointed more times than I can count by “copycat” recipes…until I tried this one!
Not only does this taste just as good as my local lebanese shwarma place, but this is also cost effective and totally easy to make.
I coupled this with your shwarma chicken recipe and I will not be going to heading back to the restaurants any time soon!
marge201 says
My tahini jar from a Middle Eastern store says “tahini paste.” Never noticed the word paste. I bought organic tahini from Vitacost and that just says “tahini.” Paste or no paste, it’s the same product. Ingredients: sesame seeds. I will try your tahini sauce recipe, Tori, and thin it out with “bean juice” which I save & freeze when cooking soaked garbanzo beans. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
You are correct, there is no difference between tahini and tahini paste, as long as sesame seeds are the only ingredient. The big variation I’ve found between brands is consistency– some are much thicker than others with more of less of the sesame oil. That’s why this recipe is very much a taste-as-you-go kind of thing, adding liquid as needed. Enjoy!
khem moktan says
tangy,creamy,smoothy,flavourful sauce.
Brian says
Do I refrigerate the tahini sauce or can I leave it on the counter…also your recipes are terrific…Brian
Tori Avey says
Definitely refrigerate Brian. And thanks!
Persyda says
I just made this and it came out very very bitter. What went wrong? 🙁
Tori Avey says
Hi Persyda, this may mean that the tahini you used was rancid, or that the batch of tahini that you purchased had some seeds that were burned during roasting, which causes a bitter flavor. Next time try buying another brand of tahini, and taste the tahini before you proceed with making the sauce. It should taste creamy and like toasted sesame, not overly bitter (although there may be some slightly bitter undertones, which are natural for tahini). Good tahini should have a mildly sweet aftertaste. Generally I find the tahini sold in Middle Eastern markets is superior to the jars found in health food stores. Good luck!
Micha says
Tnx for that recipe , but how about beef? Shawarma marinade??
Tori Avey says
Micha I don’t have a beef shawarma recipe posted on the site yet. I do plan to post one in the future.