Tahini Sauce
Updated Mar 24, 2025
This is the best tahini sauce recipe (from someone who KNOWS Middle Eastern food). Made with tahini paste, garlic, and lemon - so good!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Jump to Section
Authentic Tahini Sauce!
Tahini sauce is one of the most popular Lebanese condiments that I learned to make from my parents and grew up eating with with falafel and beef shawarma, but also on top of Lebanese spicy fish), drizzled on oven roasted cauliflower and even used as a dip with zaatar fries. So you get my point- you can use it as a dip, a spread, or even a dressing and you might as well double the recipe to store in the fridge for all kinds of recipes.
All you need to make tahini sauce is tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and just enough water to give it the perfect consistency, which will depend on what you’re using it for. Commonly referred to as Tarator in Arabic, tahini sauce is a versatile Middle Eastern condiment that’s vegan, flavorful, and takes only a few minutes to make
What is Tahini Sauce?
Tahini sauce is a Middle Eastern condiment served with many dishes from the region. It’s made with only 4 ingredients: tahini paste, which is crushed sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Tahini is made by grinding toasted, hulled sesame seeds to create a creamy, smooth spread. It’s similar to the process of making peanut butter, actually. Once it’s in paste form, it has a savory and nutty flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tahini paste: You can find it usually in the condiments section of your local store, or in the ethnic foods aisle and make sure the label includes no other ingredients. You want to make sure the only ingredient is hulled sesame seeds because that’s tahini paste in its purest form, which will give you the best flavor and consistency here.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice rather than bottled because it makes all the difference.
- Garlic cloves: Finely crush the garlic cloves for the best flavor. Don’t swap it with garlic powder
- Salt: A little salt helps to bring out the natural flavors of the tahini.
- Water: Add more or less depending on how thick or thin you want the sauce. If you’re using it as a dip with fries or vegetables, keep it thick and creamy. If you’re using it as a sauce to add to sandwiches or salads, add more water for a more liquid sauce.
How to Make Authentic Tahini Sauce
Recipe Video Tutorial
My Best Tahini Sauce Tips
- Make sure to crush, then mince, the garlic. It allows the garlic to mellow out evenly into the lemon juice and eliminates any harsh lingering taste.
- Use a food processor to make it faster. The traditional way of making tahini sauce is by manually whisking in a bowl, which takes a couple of minutes, and some elbow grease. However, using a food processor eliminates the need to crush the garlic in advance and creates quicker emulsification.
- Add seasoning or herbs to switch it up. I usually just add chopped parsley to keep it traditional. But you can add cumin, paprika, coriander, or cayenne pepper. You can also switch up the herbs by using cilantro, mint, or dill.
- Taste and adjust. As with many Lebanese condiments and recipes, I recommend starting with the recipe below and adjusting to your taste by adding more lemon juice or more salt. That’s because every jar of tahini will be different, and the acidity of lemon juice can also vary.
What to Eat with Tahini Sauce
Tahini sauce is vegan, gluten-free, and versatile, especially with Mediterranean recipes. You can use it in salads, in sandwiches, or as a dip. You can thin it out with more water when using it as a salad dressing versus a dip or sandwich sauce. Here are my favorite tahini sauce uses:
- Falafel
- Beef Shawarma
- Chicken Shawarma
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- Shawarma Pita Pizza
- Roasted Cauliflower Pitas
- Baked Kale Chips
- Lebanese Fish & Rice
Recipe Help & FAQs
This recipe makes about 8-10 ounces of tahini sauce, depending on how much water you add to it. I like to store mine in a clear mason jar in the fridge so I can see it. You can store it in any container you have on hand, though and expect it to last for up to 14 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze the tahini sauce. Just place it in a freezer-safe container, and it’s good for up to 3 months!
I recommend the Ziyad brand on Amazon. Not all tahini is created equal. Look for high-quality brands that only have one ingredient – mechanically hulled sesame seeds. And make sure the tahini is not separated. If you notice separation, give it a good stir before adding it to the food processor. Bad tahini paste will be bitter and chalky, so you want to avoid that.
This could be due to the type of tahini paste you’re using since there are so many different varieties. I would recommend trying another brand to see if you have a similar issue. To fix your current batch, try adding some olive oil to the mixture.
More Sauces and Dips:
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Creamy Feta Dip
- Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
- Avocado Hummus Dip
- Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
If you try this Tahini Sauce recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Lebanese Tahini Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini paste
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Place the tahini paste in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Use a fork or whisk to combine the ingredients until completely combined and they form a thick paste.
- Slowly add water to the mixture and whisk until completely combined, smooth with a pourable texture.
- Taste and adjust by adding more lemon juice, salt or water.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Comments
So easy, so tasty!
Yay!! So glad you loved it, Erin! Thanks!!
I tried this very simple recipe and my tahini came out perfect. I used the Ziyad paste. I also added parsley and a little paprika on top. Delicious! Thank you.
Yum, that sounds so good!! So glad you enjoyed it, Yaniv! Thanks!!
Hi, what do you think about the SOOM tahini brand?
It’s not authentic and there are more authentic truly Middle Eastern brands like Cortas, Al Kanater, or Ziyad.
Enjoyed this with cauliflower recipe also. Had pasta spirals leftover spirals and was good together. Will make this again with the spirals
So happy you liked it, Fiona! Thanks!!
Just made this to put in kafta sandwiches and it’s fire
So glad you like it, Diana!! Thanks!
Delicious as written! Also, perfect thinned out a little further and used as a dressing on greek salad, yummmm
Yum, love that you used it as a salad dressing!! That sounds so good! So glad you liked the recipe, Teresa. Thanks!
Fantastic recipe. I added maple syrup to give it more depth. My falafel pita was perfect with this tahini sauce. Think I’ll roast a cauliflower with this tahini tomorrow.
Ooh, maple syrup sounds interesting! I hope you enjoy your roasted cauliflower. Thank you, Therese!
Good recipe with interesting and helpful information. Thank you
Yay, I’m so glad you thought so! Thanks, Diana!
This is SOOO good!! I followed the recipe exactly & it was the perfect sauce for topping the chicken shawarma I had bought at Trader Joe’s. Tastes good over coconut rice, too. And it was so easy to make.
Yay!! Aww, so glad you liked the recipe and found it easy to make! Love all of the pairings you made, they sound incredible!
Just perfect so good! My 10-year-old daughter helped me and said mommy so delicious! So perfect with your chicken shawarma recipe!
Aww, that makes me so happy! Thank you, May!!
Delicious! I made this sauce to go with your falafel recipe and it made excellent falafel sandwiches. Thank you!
Thank you, Gol!! So happy you love the sauce!
I made this to go with Yumna’s recipe for crispy falafel and it was delicious. Easy and tasty!
Thanks, G! So glad you liked it!!
Absolutely Fantastic 🌟 Went well with my power bowl.
Yum, sounds so good! Glad you liked it, Tabitha!!
Made this today with falafels . It tastes so good . 😋
I love using sauces like this and then dusting it with a bit of sumac. Even just plain rice with tahini sauce is wonderful, and it can be used to make a dynamite cold pasta salad or coleslaw.
Love this tip!
LOVED IT! We had it over rice, beans & broccoli. Great recipe, thank you.
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Can you add olive oil to it for taste or will it not mix well with the added water
I find the tahini is oily enough for this sauce and while it may be fine to add a little olive oil, I have not tried it yet myself.
thank you, very nice ,
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
I was making this sauce for shawarma, so wanted a slightly runny sauce for pouring.
I followed the recipe (mostly), but changed the method a little. More on this below. For the lemon juice, I only had one lemon, which gave slightly less than 1/3 of a cup – maybe just 1/4 cup – so I topped up with some bottled lemon juice. On tasting the sauce, I found it tangier and a bit more lemony than I like. Next time, I’ll just use the one lemon.
In the past, I’ve found that using 1/2 cup of tahini and then adding water takes a long time and a lot of elbow grease, and makes a big quantity of sauce that goes very thick in the fridge (almost like peanut butter) and requires repeated thinning.
So this time, I started with the lemon juice, water, salt and garlic in a small container and used a hand blender to finely blend them. Then I added the tahini a couple of tablespoons at a time and blending until I got the consistency I wanted. Very easy!
Not sure if I reached a half cup, but I think I used about 8 tbsp of tahini, so it should be close.
Thanks for this recipe – I think it will be great with my shawarma!
Thanks so much for sharing your tips!
It would be easier to make the recipe if you put the measurements BEFORE the steps instead of making us scroll all the way down.
Hi Richard, thank you for the feedback. You actually don’t have to scroll at all as there is a button at the top under the recipe title that let’s you jump straight down to the recipe card.
Can I use lime juice instead of lemon? Or half n half?
You can use lime juice, but it may alter the flavor slightly.
Simply delicious! This sauce would great with just about any savory dish.
Thank you! It really would.
Amazing with grilled fish.
I love that! What a combo!
Can you freeze the sauce after you make it? Thank you.
Yes! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and it will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
How can you make the recipe if you are using raw sesame seeds?
You would have to grind the sesame seeds into a smooth paste, which will be your tahini paste.
Easy and delicious! I enjoy Tahini sauce with just about everything of course chicken and falafel and veggies (grilled) and on top of grilled chicken salads. It’s amazing with avocado smashed on AK Mak crackers and I dip in Tahini sauce or garlic sauce (from restaurants I take home). I think it would be amazing with a spicy/chocolate type recipe like on top of Chicken Mole with parsley.
Would love to get more Lebanese recipes from you for Cabbage salad and healthy leaner meat recipes that make your body feel good that you mentioned in your video. I eat a lot of chicken and fish. Once in awhile lean pork and occasionally red meat.
Looking forward to more!
Thank you! The ways to enjoy tahini sauce are truly endless. Can’t wait to hear what you think about my other recipes! Thank you for the suggestions!
This was an explicit write up. Thanks for sharing. I will try this.
Thank you! You’re so welcome! Hope you enjoy!!
Don’t we add olive oil at all
It’s not necessary in this recipe, but if the sauce comes out bitter, you could remedy the current batch by adding some olive oil to the mixture.
easy and tasty, thank you!
Most welcome! Thank you!
So easy to make!! So delish.
And to think how much I’d spend on Lebanese takeout. .
This sauce partnered with shawarma chicken/falafel as recommended by Yamna, is just delightful!
These recipes are helping me realize what really goes into food and how I can eat in a healthy, wholesome manner.
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing and it’s good to see you cooking more at home!!
I make my own tahini it’s easy and cheap I put sesame seeds into a small coffee grinder and grind till it goes to a dry paste put into a jam jar add olive and stir close up and keep it in the fridge and it can last for months ……
That’s so smart! I should try that!
This is exactly how my mother used to make it, an authentic recipe
Awww, thank you!!! So glad to hear it! I learned it from my mother 🙂
Trying it tonight. Looks incredible!
Yay…hope you like it!
Love the recipe! Thanks for all the helpful tips too! ????
Yay! Thanks so much! Appreciate it 🙂