Tahini Sauce

This easy and creamy tahini sauce is mixed with garlic, fresh lemon juice and spices that is the perfect addition to drizzle over grilled meats and vegetables.

If I could drizzle tahini sauce on everything I would, and do quite honestly. The creamy, nutty sauce is addictive and there are so many variations from savory, to herby to sweet.

How to make Tahini Sauce

Making tahini sauce couldn’t be easier. If you have a food processor that is, but good ol’ elbow grease does the trick too.

Making tahini sauce starts with a jar of tahini, which is sesame seed paste. You can usually find it in the nut butter section of your local store.

In a food processor, add tahini sauce, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and water and starts blending. Check for consistency and add more water if needed. As you blend, it will start to get thick and then become thinner for drizzling.

I personally prefer my tahini sauce to be the consistency of honey and the longer it sits, or as it sits in the fridge, it will thicken up. When that happens, just add a bit more water and a good blend or mix to loosen the sauce up.

Tahini Sauce Variations

There are SOOO many variations you can do with tahini. Once you have the base down, have fun and experiment.

Here are some of my favorite ways to mix up tahini sauce:

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce: Basically this recipe that is fantastic with Lebanese hushwee (meat and pine nuts) or drizzled on top of roasted vegetables with pomegranate.

Tahini Yogurt: Mix a bit of yogurt in with the tahini sauce, which will give a little tang that is so fantastic. I like to use this for my homemade falafel.

Avocado Tahini Dressing: A bit thicker and great for spreading on toasted bread and topping with fresh tomatoes!

Green Tahini Sauce: One of my most popular recipes from my cookbook, entitled “Magical Green Tahini Sauce, is full of fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro and parsley but use any or all (tender) green herbs that you have, such as basil and chives too.

Honey Tahini Sauce: Now for a sweet version that is so fantastic for dessert! I made this sweeter version for blueberry borekas and honestly could drizzle it on top of anything sweet!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Tahini Sauce

This easy and creamy tahini sauce is mixed with garlic, fresh lemon juice and spices that is the perfect addition to drizzle over grilled meats and vegetables.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: creamy tahini sauce, tahini sauce

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Samantha Ferraro

Cost: $5

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

• 1 cup tahini paste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon juiced
• 2 tbsp olive oil divided
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4-1/2 cup water + more if needed, up to 1/2 cup
• cayenne optional, for heat
• 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika for garnish
• chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a food processor, add tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, spices and water and blend until smooth.
• Use a small spatula to scrape down sauce as needed and add more water if sauce is too thick. Blend until desired consistency and sauce has similar consistency as honey.
• Pour sauce into a bowl and garnish with olive oil, paprika, cayenne and chopped herbs.

Notes

If tahini sauce thickens in the fridge, add more water to thin it out.

If you don’t have a food processor, make sure to chop garlic as fine as you can and mix the rest with a whisk in a bowl.

Tahini sauce can be stored in an air tight container (mason jar works great) for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg