Easy Tahini

This homemade tahini recipe is so easy to make, and it makes super creamy tahini that tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes!

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. Homemade tahini is not only cheaper, but it also tastes amazing. You can use tahini to make homemade hummus, my favorite tahini dressing, creamy tahini sauce, and more!

Key Ingredients

• Sesame seeds: I use hulled seeds (pictured below on the left) and toast them in a dry skillet to bring out their natural nuttiness.
• Oil: I add a few tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil to help the tahini turn into a creamy smooth paste. Try avocado oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil. Sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil) also works.
• Salt: Optional, but I always use it. It just makes the tahini taste better.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Homemade Tahini

Tahini is incredibly simple to make. If you’ve ever made nut butter like almond butter or homemade peanut butter, the process is very similar. You will grind sesame seeds in a food processor with some oil until smooth. Here are my best tips for making it:

Tip 1: Toast your sesame seeds. Toasting your sesame seeds is an important first step. It improves their nutty flavor and makes them easier to blend. Simply toast them in a dry pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly and watch them closely, as they can go from perfectly golden to burned in a matter of seconds.

Tip 2: Use a food processor. A food processor is the best tool for making creamy tahini. The process will go through several stages, so don’t be discouraged. The seeds will first turn into a crumbly meal, then a thick paste, and finally a creamy, smooth tahini. Be patient and keep processing. I’ve had many moments when making tahini where I thought the seeds were never going to break down, but they always do! Tips for using a blender are below in the recipe.

Tip 3: Add a little oil. Adding a few tablespoons of a mild-tasting oil (like a light sesame oil or a neutral vegetable oil) will help the tahini become smoother and creamier. This is the secret to getting that perfect, pourable, and drippy texture. Adjust the amount of oil to get your desired consistency. I find 3 to 4 tablespoons perfect for a texture like store-bought tahini.

Tip 4: What to do if your sesame seeds won’t blend: This is the most common problem people run into, but it’s easy to fix.

• Be patient: The most likely reason is that you just need to keep blending. It can take up to 5 minutes minutes or even longer for the seeds to release their oils and turn into a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed and keep going.
• Increase the batch size: Our recipe is for a small batch of tahini, and your food processor’s blades may sit slightly higher than ours, causing the sesame seeds to just fling around, hitting the sides of the bowl. Try adding more seeds to give the machine more to work with.
• If all else fails, add a bit more oil: If your sesame seeds are older, they might be too dry to release their oils easily. Adding a little extra oil is the best solution here.

Ways to Use Tahini

The most well-known way to use tahini is to make hummus, but we use it in our kitchen in many other ways. We use tahini to make other dips like baba ganoush (a roasted eggplant dip) and serve it plain next to homemade falafel.

It’s also the perfect base for sauces and dressings. Look at our tahini salad dressing or this creamy tahini sauce with lemon and garlic. I also use that creamy sauce for this tahini kale salad, a dip for our garlic asparagus, these chicken lettuce wraps, and a drizzle for honey roasted carrots.

You can even use tahini for desserts. Seriously. Drizzle over ice cream or use it instead of peanut butter or butter in your favorite cookies. Once you have tahini in your fridge (it lasts over a month), we bet you will find yourself adding it to a variety of dishes without direction from us!