Tahini sauce is creamy, smooth, and flavorful. Made in just 5 minutes with a handful of ingredients including tahini paste, garlic, and lemon juice, this tahini sauce boasts a nutty flavor, creamy texture, and tons of nutrition. Pair it with classic Middle Eastern dishes such as falafel and shawarma, or drizzle it on with fresh or roasted vegetables, toasted pita bread, or salad. The best part? It's vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free, so everyone can enjoy it!
Why You’ll Love Tahini Sauce
- Tahini is a seed-based food. Sometimes, you’ll see tahini referred to as nut butter, but it’s really made of sesame seeds (and entirely nut-free!). Most tahini pastes are free of allergens like dairy, gluten, and nuts. And as with any seed-based food, tahini boasts tons of healthy and essential fats, nutrients, and proteins. And it's completely vegan!
- It has a staple taste you don’t want to miss. Tahini sauce is a staple food in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine—and if you’ve ever tasted it, you know why. It has an amazingly robust flavor that is strong, earthy, and nutty.
- It only takes five minutes to throw together. This tahini sauce comes together in less than five minutes. It’s so easy to create this flavorful, creamy sauce that I find myself making it all the time to eat with veggies, bread, and protein!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this easy and delicious tahini sauce, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- tahini paste
- garlic - you will need to finely grate or mince the garlic. You can also crush the garlic using a mortar and pestle.
- lemon juice - for the best flavor, I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice, but bottled lemon juice will work too. You can also substitute it with lime juice.
- salt
- water
How to Make the Best Tahini Sauce
Tahini sauce is the easiest sauce you will ever make. All you do is combine all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir together until smooth. If you find that the sauce is too thick, slowly add a little bit more water until it reaches the desired consistency. Then, transfer to a serving dish and serve.
PRO TIP - If your tahini sauce is thick or separated at any point, it just needs to be stirred more. Keep stirring until it's 100% smooth.
How to Use Tahini Sauce
You can serve tahini on it's own like a dip with a side of pita bread, or get more creative and use it to take all your meals to the next level. Here are some of my favorite ways to use tahini:
- Shawarmas - tahini sauce is a classic on shawarmas/donairs. Serve your next Chicken Shawarma with a drizzle of it on top.
- Falafel - Falafel just would't be the same without a drizzle of tahini sauce. It's a must!
- Burgers - instead of mayo and ketchup, give your Hamburgers a Middle Eastern flair with tahini sauce. It's especially good on Mediterranean Turkey Burgers.
- Salad Dressing - serve tahini sauce as a dressing over any of your favorite salads. Try it with Greek Chickpea Salad (instead of Greek dressing) or Chicken Garden Salad.
- Meat - top it on Grilled Chicken Skewers, Lamb Chops, Roast Chicken, or Meatballs.
- Vegetables - drizzle it on grilled or roasted vegetables.
- Veggie Dip Platter - serve it as a vegetable dip alongside Hummus and Baba Ganoush.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- The perfect consistency: Tahini sauce has a slightly runny consistency which make it easy to drizzle on Chicken Shawarma, Falafel, and Meatballs. You can also serve it as a dip, but you will have to use less water to get it to that thicker consistency.
- How to store: Homemade tahini sauce will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More Middle Eastern Recipes
- Chicken Shawarma
- Classic Hummus
- Homemade Pita Bread
- Baba Ganoush Eggplant Dip
- Persian Shirazi Salad with Cucumber and Tomato
- Persian Saffron Chicken Kebabs (Joojeh Kabob)
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Recipe
Tahini Sauce
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Tahini sauce is creamy, smooth, nutty, and flavorful. Made in just 5 minutes with a handful of ingredients, add this gluten-free, vegan sauce on everything.
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic, finely grated or minced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon), freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients (tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and water). Stir well with a spoon until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, slowly add a little bit more water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
Notes
The perfect consistency: Tahini sauce has a slightly runny consistency which make it easy to drizzle on Chicken Shawarma, Falafel, and Meatballs. You can also serve it as a dip, but you will have to use less water to get it to that thicker consistency.
How to store: Homemade tahini sauce will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
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