Since sharing our easy tahini recipe, we’ve been experimenting with more ways to use tahini. I’ve used it to make homemade hummus and am now obsessed with this easy dairy-free tahini sauce. I keep a jar in my fridge at all times! For more of a salad dressing, see our easy tahini dressing! I love serving this creamy tahini sauce over salad, grain bowls, grilled meats, and roasted veggies. And always serve it next to our homemade falafel and pita bread. I can’t wait for you to make it!
Key Ingredients
Tahini: This sesame seed paste is the base of our sauce. Before measuring it, give it a good stir to make it runny and smooth. You can buy tahini or make your own. Here’s my recipe for homemade tahini (it’s super simple, I promise). Fresh garlic: For the garlic to melt into the sauce, grate it with a microplane or mince it into a paste. I’ve shared some tips in the recipe below. Fresh lemon juice: This thins the sauce and keeps it fresh and bright. Olive oil: This makes the tahini sauce smooth and luxurious. Cumin, cayenne, fresh parsley, and salt: These are optional, but I love them in this recipe. Warm water: This is the secret ingredient for making the smoothest, creamiest homemade tahini sauce. Watch our video to see how water quickly transforms the tahini into an unbelievably creamy sauce.
How to Make Tahini Sauce
Tahini sauce is much more than the sum of its parts. The tahini, lemon, and water combine to make the dreamiest, most delicious sauce. It is also dairy-free and vegan, not to mention easy to make. We’ll start by stirring tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. It starts creamy and then might seize up on you (see the photo below). Don’t worry if it looks lumpy. We will fix that when we add the water. The tahini sauce becomes super creamy as you whisk in the warm water. You can add as much or as little water as you like. It all depends on what you plan to use it for. For spreads, add less. Add more if you want to use the sauce as a dressing or for drizzling. To finish your homemade tahini sauce, add extra flavor with spices and fresh parsley. I love a slight smokiness from ground cumin, some spice from cayenne, and a fresh pop of color and flavor from parsley.
Ways to Use Tahini Sauce
Once you make this creamy lemon garlic tahini sauce, you’ll always want a batch in your fridge. Use this sauce whenever you want to add a creamy (non-dairy) drizzle to your dishes. It works for salads, grain bowls, rice bowls, and wraps. I love it in this tahini kale bean salad and use it to drizzle over roasted veggies. Examples are my honey roasted carrots with tahini sauce and this garlic asparagus, which I love to dip into tahini sauce. I also love this tahini sauce for homemade falafel, grilled chicken, and seafood, like baked salmon or garlic herb shrimp. 1 garlic clove, finely grated or made into a paste, see tips 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon olive oil Pinch fine sea salt 2 to 6 tablespoons lukewarm water Pinch cumin, optional Pinch cayenne, optional 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional 2Whisk in the water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have your desired consistency. If making a spread, look for the consistency of peanut butter. For a sauce, add enough water to resemble the consistency of runny yogurt. 3Stir in the optional cumin, cayenne pepper, and parsley. 4Taste for seasoning and adjust with additional salt or lemon juice.
