Sometimes called sesame paste, tahini paste is a very popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. It's healthier than peanut butter and made with only two ingredients. You can use it to make tahini sauce, hummus, & tahini fudge!
If you've ever made almond butter or pumpkin seed butter, then you're already familiar with how easy it is to make seed butters and nut butters at home.
Making tahini paste might actually be easier because all you need is sesame seeds, a little oil, and a food processor. If you prefer tahini slightly salty, you can add a dash of salt.
If you're wondering what tahini paste tastes like, it has a gritty texture similar to natural peanut butter so you wouldn't necessarily eat a teaspoon of it by itself. It's nutty and a little bitter, however, it blends well with other ingredients. In the Middle East, it's enjoyed for breakfast with date syrup.
A little tahini paste and date syrup are swirled together on a plate and pieces of pita bread are dipped into it. You might say this was the original peanut butter and jelly!
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- This tahini paste recipe is really easy to prepare, is vegan, and only requires 2 ingredients!
- It's much cheaper to make homemade sesame paste vs. store-bought.
- It tastes better! Once you try it you'll never buy tahini paste again!
- Tahini lasts a long time, especially when stored in the refrigerator.
- You can use this tahini recipe to make so many delicious dishes and can even use it to make a tasty salad dressing!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sesame seeds: Use fresh white sesame seeds when possible. If you want to have a high-quality product, you have to use high-quality ingredients! Both hulled and unhulled sesame seeds can be used. Unhulled sesame seeds are darker in color.
- Oil: Although you technically only need olive oil, I like to add sesame seed oil too to really enhance the sesame flavor. It also makes the tahini color darker, so if you want your tahini paste lighter, you can leave it out. Other oils you can use include avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil if you absolutely have to.
- Salt: If you'd like, you can add a pinch of salt but I'm leaving it as an optional ingredient.
🍯 How to Make Homemade Tahini Paste
Step 1: Pour sesame seeds into a medium-sized pan. Toast over medium heat until lightly browned. Be sure to stir the toasted sesame seeds often to keep them from burning.
Step 2: Add the sesame seeds to a food processor along with sesame seed oil. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary.
Step 3: Process again, while slowly pouring the olive oil into the shute of the food processor lid. Continue to process until the seeds are completely emulsified.
Pro Tip: You want the consistency to be thinner than peanut butter, or similar to pancake batter.
Step 4: Carefully pour into an 8-ounce mason jar. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Now pat yourself on the back for making your own tahini paste!
Ways to Use Tahini
Now that you've made tahini, what will you do with it? Tahini paste can be used in so many recipes, here are a few to try!
- Garlic Tahini Sauce
- Tahini Fudge
- Babaganoush
- Hummus
- Vegetarian Pasties (Julleh)
- Mediterranean Overnight Oats
- Keto Deviled Eggs
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Tahini paste is made of ground sesame seeds. Sometimes oil is added to make the grinding process easier and the tahini texture smoother.
Tahini and tahini paste are the same. Both refer to a paste made with sesame seeds and used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Tahini and sesame butter are very similar. Both are made by grinding sesame seeds into a paste. However, tahini is made with hulled sesame seeds (lighter in color) while sesame seeds butter is made with unhulled seeds which are darker. Another difference is that sesame butter is sometimes sweetened while tahini is salty.
Substituting sesame butter for tahini is quite possible, as long as the sesame butter is not sweetened with honey or other sweeteners.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you want to add less oil, simply add one tablespoon of oil at a time, while processing the paste until it's as smooth as you'd like.
- I recommend using a smaller-sized food processor or doubling the recipe so that it's easier to process in a larger food processor.
- Tahini can be used in all kinds of recipes including tahini cookies.
- Tahini can be stored in a cool location or refrigerated for up to 3 months.
- If you notice that the tahini paste separates, all you have to do is stir or whisk in until it's incorporated.
🥙 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Two Ingredient Tahini Paste
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- ¼ cup olive oil (or avocado oil)
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Pour sesame seeds into a medium-sized pan. Toast over medium heat until lightly browned. Be sure to stir the toasted sesame seeds often to keep them from burning.
- Add the sesame seeds to a food processor along with sesame seed oil. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary.
- Process again, while slowly pouring the olive oil into the shute of the food processor lid. Continue to process until the seeds are completely emulsified.
- Carefully pour into an 8-ounce mason jar. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Now pat yourself on the back for making your own tahini paste!
Notes
- You want the consistency to be thinner than peanut butter, or similar to pancake batter.
- If you want to add less oil, simply add oil one tablespoon at a time, while processing the paste until it's as smooth as you'd like.
- I recommend using a smaller-sized food processor or doubling the recipe so that it's easier to process in a larger food processor.
- Tahini can be used in all kinds of recipes including tahini cookies.
- Tahini can be stored in a cool location or refrigerated for up to 3 months.
- If you notice that the tahini paste separates, all you have to do is stir or whisk in until it's incorporated.
Danielle says
Reminds me to make sure I talk to my mom as much as I can! There have been so many recipes I haven't made because I don't have tahini and I didn't feel like hunting it down. I had no idea it was so easy! This is great, I can't wait to give it a try.
HildaSterner says
Thanks for stopping by, Danielle. Yes, it is surprising how easy it is to make. I've been adding a teaspoon or two to my oatmeal every morning... good fats, right?
anastaciast says
Ok, two ingredients I can handle. 🙂 But I'll use my mortar and pestle. The first time I had hummus was in college. My Godmother gave me a taste of it in the car as we were traveling to Colorado. I said, t"his is nasty! It tastes like baby stuff!" I have since come around to a proper way of thinking. 🙂
I miss my Mom, too. 🙁
Cheers!
Shala
HildaSterner says
Haha, that's a funny response. I didn't like it when I was younger either. I guess it's a right of passage kind of recipe. You have to grow into it! So you're going to attempt it the old fashioned way, huh? mortar and pestle? I still have my mom's, it's huge and super heavy. Not sure what to grind in it. I just keep it because it was hers. It weights a ton!