Simple 5-Minute Tahini Sauce

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This easy Tahini Sauce recipe takes less than 5-minutes to make with only a handful of ingredients. It’s delicious on pasta, salad, veggie bowls, falafels, and more!

Tahini sauce

Seriously! This tahini sauce recipe requires only 5 ingredients, and one of them is water. There are two optional add-ins that I like to include, and they are listed below.

We love this tahini dressing because it’s…

  • Creamy
  • Perfectly sweet
  • Requires only a handful of ingredients
  • Is great on salads, pasta, and more
  • Zesty
  • Fresh
  • Delicious

Tahini sauce ingredients

It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients to make this delicious sauce. It’s pretty simple and so versatile.

  • tahini (crushed sesame seeds)
  • lime juice (or lemon)
  • maple syrup
  • minced garlic
  • water
  • turmeric (optional)
  • sriracha, cayenne pepper, or other hot sauce (optional)

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

How to make this healthy sesame dressing

This tahini dressing really is easy to make with only a few ingredients, a bowl, and a whisk.

Simply add all ingredients except the water to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Slowly add in water and mix until creamy and pourable.

Pro tips and suggestions

  • Consistency- If the mixture seems stiff at first, continue to whisk and add small amounts of water at a time until smooth and creamy.
  • Where to buy- Many grocery stores stock tahini paste, and it can usually be found in the same aisle as peanut butter.
  • Storage- Tahini sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

What is tahini anyway?

Tahini seems to be popping up everywhere lately, but what the heck is it?

Tahini is basically a paste made from toasted and ground sesame seeds. Some people call it sesame butter.

sesame seeds in one bowl and tahini in another
Tahini paste is easy to find in many grocery stores on the peanut butter isle.

It used to be considered an exotic ingredient only used in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. However, in the last decade or so, it has become widely used in the US and other countries.

Most often, tahini is used in making hummus, dips, and dressings. It has a nutty flavor that even lends itself well to some desserts like Minimalist Baker’s Chocolate Banana Soft Serve.

There is one word of caution, however. Though tahini is crushed sesame seeds, just as peanut butter is crushed peanuts, they are not at all similar in taste.

When I was first introduced to tahini paste, I made the mistake of trying to eat it straight out of the jar on a spoon. Big mistake! Unlike, peanut butter or other nut butter, it is not naturally sweet at all. It tasted awful on its own. Fair warning….don’t do it!

One tablespoon of tahini contains 7.9 g of fat, most of which is from heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  A small amount of tahini goes a long way, so you can get the benefits without stretching out the waistline.

tahini sauce
Ready in only 5-minutes!

Uses for tahini sauce

  • Falafels
  • Salad dressing
  • Pasta sauce
  • Veggie bowls
  • Roasted vegetables
  • Marinade
  • Dip for veggies
  • Burger & sandwich topping
veggie bowl with rice and tahini sauce and chopsticks
This simple tahini dressing can be served on so many foods like these Veggie Bowls.

Recipes that could use a little tahini dressing

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

Tahini sauce in small glass jar being spooned out with white spoon
4.65 from 14 votes

Tahini Sauce Recipe

This easy Tahini Dressing recipe takes less than 5-minutes to make with only a handful of ingredients. It's delicious on pasta, salad, veggie bowls, falafels, and more!
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup tahini paste
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lime juice or lemon
  • 1-2 tablespoon maple syrup or other sweetener
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or sub garlic powder optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon tumeric optional
  • sriracha sauce optional, or other hot sauce

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except the water to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together.  
  • Slowly add in water and whisk until creamy and pourable. If the mixture seems stiff at first, continue to whisk and add small amounts of water at a time until smooth and creamy.
  • This makes approximately 3/4 of a cup and keeps in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Video

Notes

Pro Tips & Suggestions:

  • Consistency- If the mixture seems stiff at first, continue to whisk and add small amounts of water at a time until smooth and creamy.
  • Where to buy- Many grocery stores stock tahini paste, and it can usually be found in the same aisle as peanut butter.
  • Storage- Tahini sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Uses for Tahini Sauce:

  • Falafels
  • Salad dressing
  • Pasta sauce
  • Veggie bowls
  • Roasted vegetables
  • Marinade
  • Dip for veggies
  • Burger & sandwich topping
Terri has a number of Mini-Video Series available that include Plant-Based Basics, Recipes, & Beyond; 30-Minute or Less Recipes; and Sandwiches, Wraps, & Spreads.

Nutrition

Serving: 2.5 tablespoons | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.8g | Protein: 2.8g | Sodium: 19mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2.6g

Disclaimer

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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About Terri Edwards

Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy.  I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…

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11 Comments

  1. My goodness me, this dressing is a winner in so many ways. Easy to prepare, tasty, lasts considerable time in the fridge and can be (as I have done) used for a variety of meals. Brilliant over vegetarian sausages and home made black bean patties. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
    Cheers.
    Frank

  2. Surely you jest! Just tried this for the first time on our veggie-rice bowls…no stinkin way this stuff will last 10 days in our fridge…we’re pouring it like gravy over here …it’s not gonna last overnight!!! ? GOOOOOD STUFF!!!!! ??

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  4. I love this sauce. I am trying to limit fats due to diabetes and I would love to know what a serving size actually is so I can put it in MyFitnessPal. Also I really can’t cook very well and math has always been an issue. Some guidance on how to figure out serving size would be wonderful for me.

  5. This is GREAT! I make it with a little more garlic and a little less sweetener, and will often double the recipe for pasta. This is very savory, even without the hot sauce, and we like it cold or hot. Makes an excellent salad dressing, also.

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