Making Homemade Tahini is so easy that you’ll want to make a couple batches. It is so versatile! We used in overnight oats, hummus, oatmeal cups, oatmeal bars and even created a lemon tahini sauce and drizzled it on sheet pan cauliflower for a great protein boost to recipes.
We were busy being lazy over the Christmas holidays when we saw this article put out by the Today show listing the hottest foods for 2019. Tahini was one of them. Wait! What? I didn’t realize that it was becoming “a thing” like kale did years ago! It took a little bit to find it at the grocery store – and it wasn’t cheap. Stick around and I will show you how to make tahini from scratch. It is one of the easiest recipes out there!
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
Healthy – You pretty much just need sesame seeds and olive oil. It is such a great source of protein that you’ll love adding it to so many recipes like the Roasted Cauliflower, Overnight Oats and of course, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.
Super Easy and Fast to Make – This is seriously only about 10 minutes to make this and you have a good amount to use in recipes. When it is this fast, you can make a couple batches or make it every couple weeks.
👩🍳 Ingredients
Sesame Seeds | Shop around for these. Small jars (like you would use to sprinkle on Asian food, cost way too much. Amazon had larger containers for a lot less money.
Olive Oil | You only need a little bit to help this become super creamy.
📝 Instructions
Step One: The first step is to roast two cups of sesame seeds on a roasting pan. Don’t add oil or anything. You are just trying to get a nice roasted flavoring to the seeds. Roast for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Step Two: Allow the seeds to cool. During the roasting process, the seeds will get toasty which will make the flavors richer. Don’t skip this step.
Step Three: After the seeds have cooled, pour them in a food processor or a high speed blender and add a little bit of oil. Mix until well blended. Add additional oil if you want the tahini to be a little thinner and creamier. Keep it thicker like this recipe for a tahini paste.
Step Four: Pour the finished product into a jar and cover. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to two months with no problem. Just make sure the seal of the jar stays on tight.
Recipe FAQ
Several people have asked me if tahini is vegan and it is! It is made of seeds so it is chock full of nutrients including protein and the good fats. In fact, it has higher levels of calcium and fiber than peanut butter. It is a very tasty and healthy addition to the vegan or vegetarian diet.
There is a difference between the hulled and the unhulled versions of sesame seeds. The hulled version has the outer hull of the seed removed and is a lighter color typically found at the local grocery stores. The unhulled version will still have the darker outer shell. Either version will work for homemade tahini, but the unhulled version will be a bit more bitter.
Don’t expect tahini to have a sweet taste like nut butters. It is a bit bitter. I didn’t really like it when I took a raw spoonful for the first taste. It was very flavorful, but it wasn’t a taste that I immediately enjoyed. That said, it is extremely delicious when mixed with other ingredients in recipes. The earthy flavor complements flavors like lemon, garlic and peppers. It also adds a soothing well-grounded taste to overnight oats.
Tahini has the same texture as peanut butter. You control the texture by adding or reducing the amount of oil added to the high speed blender. Smoother, creamier tahini is made by adding a bit more oil. I recommend making the tahini with a bit less oil as it is always easier to add more later. Also, most of my recipes use tahini as just one ingredient and it is easier to adjust the texture during preparations.
🍴 Expert Tips
If you haven’t had the chance to make tahini at home yet, but you want to make a recipe that calls for it, you can use a substitute.
- Sunflower seeds. Grind your own sunflower seeds into a paste to use as a substitute. These are easier to find in the store than an economical bag of sesame seeds.
- Nut Butters. The paste-like consistency of butters made from cashews, almonds or even brazil nuts will replace tahini. Expect that these will be sweeter than the tahini, but will work in a pinch. We wrote a post on how to make almond butter at home or how to make pistachio butter.
- Organic Peanut Butter. You probably already have a jar of this at home. Like the other nut butters, it will be sweeter than tahini, but will work.
- Plain Sesame Seeds. Sprinkling on sesame seeds instead of using the tahini paste will provide a hint of the distinctive flavor. It definitely will not be as strong as the tahini.
🍽️ What Recipes to Incorporate
Ok, so hopefully, you are sold and are comfortable with how to make this. Are you scratching your head with which recipes to use it in? As I mentioned above, we will be posting about the Roasted Red Pepper Cauliflower, Overnight Oats, Smoothies, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus in the upcoming weeks but to keep you going here are a couple more ideas:
- Roasted vegetables with tahini sauce. This is a great time to make the tahini a bit thinner by adding a tad more olive oil. Combine it with lemon juice and freshly minced garlic for a fantastic sauce!
- Salad Vinaigrette. Create a vinaigrette base by combining tahini with a more olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar. This adds a lot of flavor to a salad.
- Sandwich Spread. Combine the tahini with avocados and olive oil to make a spread for pitas. Add chicken and greens and you’ve created a hearty, healthy lunch or easy dinner!
- Tahini Yogurt. Combine tahini and greek yogurt to make a tahini yogurt sauce. Toss together greens, sliced red peppers, cucumbers, grape tomatoes together in a pita and use drizzle the tahini yogurt on top. Add some spices, lemon juice and a garlic clove and you’re at the next level of deliciousness for your pita!
Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
How to Make Tahini
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sesame Seeds hulled
- 2 tbs Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 2 cups baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
- Allow roasted sesame seeds to cool. They should be a little toasty to bring out a richer flavor.
- Pour cooled sesame seeds along with 2 tbs of olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. You can add more olive oil if you would like it a smoother consistency.
- Store in a jar in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Roasted vegetables with tahini sauce. This is a great time to make the tahini a bit thinner by adding a tad more olive oil. Combine it with lemon juice and freshly minced garlic for a fantastic sauce!
- Salad Vinaigrette. Create a vinaigrette base by combining tahini with a more olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar. This adds a lot of flavor to a salad.
- Sandwich Spread. Combine the tahini with avocados and olive oil to make a spread for pitas. Add chicken and greens and you’ve created a hearty, healthy lunch or easy dinner!
- Tahini Yogurt. Combine tahini and greek yogurt to make a tahini yogurt sauce. Toss together greens, sliced red peppers, cucumbers, grape tomatoes together in a pita and use drizzle the tahini yogurt on top. Add some spices, lemon juice and a garlic clove and you’re at the next level of deliciousness for your pita!
Nutrition
Thanks Ginny! I was looking for a better tahini recipe. Your post helps me a lot. Thanks again for awesome sharing.
Thanks so much, Marsha!! Keep us posted how you like it! Cheers!!