This easy to make creamy tahini sauce recipe uses only three ingredients and takes just seconds to make. Delicious and adaptable, it goes with everything. Try it with salads, as a dip or in a sandwich.
Tahini Sauce
Tahini is a ground sesame seeds paste that is widely used in Middle Eastern cookery and across the Eastern Mediterranean. It is most commonly used in hummus, mixed with mashed chickpeas, garlic and lemon juice to make the familiar dip.
It’s also the main ingredient in this delicious thick and creamy sauce, which is also known as tahina. Tahini sauce is the traditional dip for falafel. It is also perfect on a green salad, with crudités, in a sandwich, on grilled meat and fish, on rice… In fact, it’s good with almost anything you can think of. It’s also good for you, because tahini is full of minerals. It’s a good source of calcium, so great for anyone who avoids milk.
This tahini sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. It is also very practical, as the sauce will keep in the fridge for at least a week. It is very adaptable and will rapidly become a must-have in your pantry. Serve it thick or thin, and jazz it up any way you like!
How to Make Amazing, Goes-With-Everything Tahini Sauce
Step One – First, gather your ingredients. Give the tahini a good stir before you measure it out, as it tends to separate.
Step Two – Simply mix the tahini and olive oil together. Stir in garlic powder (if using) and season with salt.
Step Three – Whisk together until the oil is well blended with the tahini.
Step Four – Slowly whisk in some cold water, so that the dressing starts to thicken. The photo above shows a ratio of 1:5 water to tahini by volume.
Step Five – Add a little more water, so that the mixture magically thickens again. The picture above is 2:5 water to tahini by volume.
Step Six – Add more water. At this point, the mixture will clump and curdle so that you think it has all gone wrong. The picture above is 3:5 water to tahini by volume. It looks most unappetizing but trust me, keep adding water and keep whisking.
Step Seven – Add water and keep whisking. At about 4:5 water to tahini, the magic will happen. Suddenly, that curdled, lumpy mess will turn into a silky smooth thick tahini sauce. This thick tahini sauce is ideal for dipping and spreading. You can also use it as a base for flavoured tahini dressings.
For a thick tahini sauce that will be spoonable, use about 80% the volume of tahini in water.
Step Eight (optional) – For a thinner sauce, add more water. Keep stirring until your sauce has a coating consistency. It should be creamy and silky smooth at a ratio of equal quantities of tahini to water. This sauce is ideal for drizzling on falafel wraps and shawarma.
In order to make thin tahini sauce with the consistency of single cream, you need to use equal volumes of tahini and water.
Variations on Tahini Dressing
We love this tahini dressing SO much, we’ve made nine versions. Here are the two I have described above (thick and thin), and seven flavour variations!
How to Serve Tahini Dressing
I slather this on everything – salads, leftovers, labneh, eggs and even stir though soup.
It is also great as a dip with homemade tortilla chips, crudities or melba toast.
Creamy Tahini Dressing {Vegan, Gluten Free, Paleo, Keto}
Ingredients
- 250 ml tahini
- 4 tbs olive oil ((use a good quality))
- 1 tsp garlic powder ( (optional))
- salt (and optional pepper) ((vary according to taste))
- 250 ml water
Instructions
- Stir the tahini well, as it separates in the jar over time. Mix the the tahini, olive oil and garlic powder (if used) together. Season.
- Slowly start to add the water, mixing in with a whisk.
- The mixture will initially thin. It will then thicken dramatically and look curdled. DON'T WORRY. Keep adding the water, whisking all the time.
- Eventually the thick, curdled mixture will magically transform to a creamy dressing. For thick tahini dressing you will need about 80% of the volume of the tahini in water (200 ml).
- The thin tahini dressing will have about the same volume of tahini and water and should have a coating consistency.
Notes
- Serving size is one tablespoon.
- This recipe is 1 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
If you like this recipe, try it with these vegan kebabs or with this chicken version. It’s also delicious as part of a mezze spread. Serve it with dishes such as these Greek lemon potoatoes, beetroot salad with labneh and greens, and baked feta.
abby
good idea with the garlic replacement! i saw a nice looking gordon ramsay mackerel dip using tahini – not a combination i’d thought of before but maybe a use for your dressing.
Helen
The basic dressing can be adapted to any tastes and flavours. Mackerel sounds interesting.
Sarah P
Such a useful dressing to make, with so many variations. They all sounds so tasty, I wouldn’t know which to pick first.
Helen
A flavour for all occasions.
Lottie
I love using tahini for dips and dressings. This is such a simple yet successful recipe. So many uses.
Helen
I am a big fan of tahini, such a good ingredient.
Erin
This is a great dairy free dressing. I find it quite difficult to find other suitable alternatives, so many involve mayo or yogurt. I will certainly be trying this.
Helen
It is nice to have a creamy dressing that is dairy free.
Alice
Garlic tahini dip sounds like a dream come true. Delicious with something simple like carrot sticks.
Helen
A simple way to enjoy as a dip.
Vikki
I’m so glad you give detailed instructions. If I tried this and got the the curddling stage, I’d panic! Never tried tahini, but this dressing looks really tasty.
Helen
Don’t give up at the curdling stage, keep going. It will improve.
Denise
This is such a cool post! I love all the variations from one basic recipe! I just made a simple lemon and garlic sauce yesterday. My father was Lebanese and we grew up with a lot of tahini dishes. Can’t wait to try one of your variations….I’m intrigued with the maple one!
Helen
I’m addicted to my tahini dressing and all the variations
Gloria
Homemade dressings/sauces are always so much better than store bought. You have control over the ingredients….and most time they are less expensive too. Great collection of flavours here.
Helen
A tahini dressing for every day of the week and more.
Michelle
I absolutely adore tahini. I love how easy it is to make at home, and your variations sound amazing. I love the excuse to use it in more places!
Helen
Tahini is so good, we use it so often.
rebecca
I love all these variations on one basic recipe. so delicious
Helen
A different dressing for every day of the week.
Jenni LeBaron
I love tahini dressing. It’s such a simple way to jazz up dinner. I love your Indian tahini dressing recipe. What a fresh idea!
Helen
A tahini dressing for every occasion!
Veena Azmanov
I love creamy salad dressings which is why Tahini is in my fridge almost all the time. I have many variations of the tahini but never tired the Indian and Italian!! Sounds yum.
Helen
I think that tahini is one of my favourite ingredients!
Janette | Culinary Ginger
I’ve never thought of using tahini in dressings, going to try this. They all look so good.
Helen
it is a really almost magical dressing ingredient! ideal for a creamy dressing.
Marisa Franca
What a great idea on using tahini. We bought a large jar — we needed it for a recipe and so we didn’t know what we were going to do with the rest of it. Your dressings sound so good. We’ll be using it up in no time.
Helen
I adore tahini – I make a big batch of this dressing every other week.
Soniya
Oh wow! What a great post!! Now I don’t have to looking up for tahini dressing anymore.. saving it for later!
Helen
I have every tahini dressing you could possibly need!
Chichi
This post is so rich in a variety of options to make tahini dressing. I like that any one can find a variation they love. I think I love then all.
Helen
I love all the variations – so much choice you won’t get bored of the dressing.
Jolina
What a great resource for tahini dressing! We love to make the “regular” one from scratch so I cannot wait to start experimenting with these. I think we’d start with the Japanese miso first.
Helen
I LOVE the miso version!
Shelley
Love it! So simple! I decided to buy a jar of tahini while at Costco and didn’t know what to make. I stumbled on your recipe. I was hesitant on adding the water because the mixture with as already pretty liquidy. But as you said, it thickens up. Recipe is a keeper!