Middle Eastern Tahini Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is tahini sauce made of? ›

What is tahini sauce? Tahini sauce is a Middle Eastern condiment that is served with many dishes from the region. It's made with only 3 main ingredients: tahini paste, which is crushed sesame seeds, lemon juice, and garlic. Tahini is made by grinding toasted, hulled sesame seeds to create a creamy, smooth spread.

Almond Butter: Almond butter takes the lead as a top tahini alternative due to its similar texture, color, and flavor. While slightly sweeter and less bitter, a dash of extra salt can balance the sweetness, making it ideal for both savory and sweet dishes.

Tahini paste is just ground sesame seeds. Period. In comparison, tahini sauce is made by thinning the paste to a consistency similar to a thick cream, typically by adding other ingredients. My family's recipe adds lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to our tahini sauce.

If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey. And if the flavor is too sharp, mellow it with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Tahini is an excellent source of minerals and heart-healthy fats and additionally, a versatile food that can be featured in every meal of the day, for five very good reasons. Sesame seeds contain sesamin and sesamolin, two powerful antioxidants that protect cells from free-radical damage and may prevent heart disease.

At the heart of every tahini jar lies the sesame seed. The quality of these seeds significantly influences the price. High-quality, ethically sourced sesame seeds can be pricier, contributing to the overall cost of the final product.

It's impossible to confuse tzatziki and tahini; not only do they taste radically different in both flavor and texture, but they look radically different, too, because they're not even made from the same base: Tzatziki is a Greek sauce made from cucumbers and yogurt, while tahini is made from crushed sesame seeds.

Once opened, tahini can be refrigerated to maintain its freshness. Expect it to last from three weeks to one year, depending on its composition and storage conditions. You can also keep it in the pantry after opening the jar, but it may spoil more quickly.

Making tahini at home is easy and cheaper than buying it from the store. I also think it tastes better! For the best deals, look for sesame seeds in bulk bins or at International, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets. While you can make tahini from unhulled, sprouted, or hulled sesame seeds, we prefer hulled seeds.

Is Tajin the same as tahini? ›

Though its name sounds similar to the Middle Eastern condiment tahini, Tajín has little in common with the sesame paste, and in fact was named after an archeological site where its founder learned the Nahuatl word for chile, Aji.

They're both healthy, dietitians say. Tahini is lower in carbohydrates and sugars than peanut butter is making it a better choice for people who follow low-carb diets, Politi notes. Both foods are predominantly fat, though peanut butter has a little more protein, Young adds.

Once you get your jar of tahini home, you want to open it up and give it a stir to make sure it's incorporated. (If the oil has fully separated, such as in the photo above, Food editor Joe Yonan uses an immersion blender to reincorporate it, after which he says it stays emulsified.)

The good news is that you'll definitely know if tahini has expired. The taste will be sour, kind of metallic, and just plain weird. Utilizing a trusty sniff test is another way of finding out if it's time for your tahini to take a one-way trip to the bin.

As the amount of water is increased, more clumps develop, causing the tahini to thicken overall. If you keep adding water, eventually you'll cross over the threshold of thickening it; enough water in the system will cause the tahini to loosen and thin out. This is similar to what happens when chocolate seizes.

How Does Tahini Taste? Tahini has a very earthy flavor and is slightly bitter, but not overpowering. Although the spread resembles peanut butter and other nut butters, it does not have a similarly sweet flavor profile. The toasted sesame seed flavor shines through in this creamy, rich ingredient.

It's impossible to confuse tzatziki and tahini; not only do they taste radically different in both flavor and texture, but they look radically different, too, because they're not even made from the same base: Tzatziki is a Greek sauce made from cucumbers and yogurt, while tahini is made from crushed sesame seeds.

Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds.

It is a staple in many cuisines, especially in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It's vegan, gluten-free, tastes nutty, and is incredibly simple to make. Store-bought jars of tahini can be expensive.

Tahini is lower in carbohydrates and sugars than peanut butter is making it a better choice for people who follow low-carb diets, Politi notes. Both foods are predominantly fat, though peanut butter has a little more protein, Young adds.