Make Rich, Creamy, and Smooth Tahini Sauce at home

• Food: Creamy Tahini Sauce
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Over there, I see you looking skeptical. Is there such a thing as “the best” tahini sauce? Isn’t everything the same? Contrary to popular belief, my pal! This tahini sauce is by far the greatest I’ve ever tasted.

This tahini sauce is rich, creamy, silky smooth, nutty, and tangy all at the same time. Its delicate garlic flavor complements rather than competes with the toasted sesame flavor.

Whether it’s fresh or roasted veggies, salad, falafel, or pita bread, this tahini sauce lends seductive richness and zest to everything it touches.

When I set out to prepare tahini sauce, I did what I always do and researched everything I could about the subject.

Chef Michael Solomonov of Serious Eats gave me some hints. (I don’t know who this person is, but his methods inspired my hummus recipe, which was a huge hit.)

How to make Tahini Sauce?

1. To begin, marinate the garlic for 10 minutes in lemon juice. The lemon juice’s acidity keeps the garlic from becoming too harsh (here’s why). Your lemon juice will be infused with a wonderful, subtle garlic flavor this way.
2. Remove the garlic cloves from the lemon juice. This may appear to be extra labor, but it is well worth it (I tried both strained and non-strained versions). This process provides a silky smooth tahini sauce and guarantees that the garlic flavor does not take center stage. If you’re short on time, omit the garlic and instead whisk in the lemon juice afterward.
3. Combine the tahini, salt, and cumin in a mixing bowl. Tahini sauce is impossible to create without it, and the salt and cumin bring out the other flavors.
4. Add ice water and whisk until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. It will seize up when you add the tahini to the bowl. When you add enough ice water to it, it loosens up. Just wait until you see the makeover!
5. If required, adjust to taste. For a thinner consistency, add more water, more salt, and/or more lemon juice for a tangier flavor. You’re ready to go with your tahini sauce!

Tahini Sauce’s Uses

Tahini sauce, in general, goes well with other Middle Eastern ingredients and flavors.

It can be used as a dip or a sauce. It’s also delicious with vegetables and other fresh, herb-flavored ingredients. The following foods pair nicely with tahini sauce:

• Falafel
• Vegetables in season
• Vegetables roasted
• grilled pita wedges or flatbread
• Farro, for example, is a whole grain.
• Dressing for salads (thinned with water as necessary)
• Served with hummus and/or baba ganoush as an appetizer.

Tahini Sauce Made with the Best Tahini

Ethiopia produces the best tahini. Solomonov suggests Soom Foods, which I purchased from Amazon (affiliate link). It’s excellent, and I can see why he likes it so much.

What’s my other go-to? Trader Joe’s organic tahini, which, like Soom’s, is prepared from Ethiopian sesame seeds. Whole Foods 365 used to be my go-to, but after tasting a few terrible jars, I’m reluctant to try it again.

Tahini Sauce Variations

Simply add herbs to your basic tahini sauce to make it more interesting. Fresh leafy herbs, such as fresh parsley, cilantro, dill, or basil, can be whisked in.

Simply combine the herbs with the tahini sauce in a food processor or blender if you want a more consistently green sauce. For further information, see the recipe note.

Tahini Sauce

Learn how to prepare a silky smooth tahini sauce. The best tahini sauce is silky smooth, zesty, and seductive. This recipe is also simple to prepare. All you’ll need is a whisk! 1 to 14 cup yield; double the recipe as required.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 garlic cloves, medium to large, crushed or minced
• a quarter-cup of lemon juice
• 1/2 c. tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, fine
• a pinch of cumin powder
• 6 tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the garlic and lemon juice in a medium mixing basin. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to allow the garlic to flavor the lemon juice.
2. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. To remove as much liquid as possible, press the garlic solids with a spatula. Garlic should be discarded.
3. In a mixing basin, combine the tahini, salt, and cumin. Whisk the ingredients together until they are completely combined.
4. 2 tablespoons water at a time, whisking well after each addition until the mixture is smooth. (Don’t worry if it seizes up.) You should get a flawlessly creamy, smooth, light-colored tahini sauce after around 6 teaspoons.
5. Thin with more water if required for a more drizzling sauce. If you want more sharpness, add more lemon; if you want more overall taste, add another pinch of salt. The tahini sauce is now ready to eat!

NOTES

• SKIP THE GARLIC AND STIR THE LEMON JUICE IN WITH THE OTHER INGREDIENTS IN STEP 3 IF YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME. This method will yield a wonderful, basic, tangy tahini sauce.
• STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This tahini sauce keeps for approximately a week in the refrigerator, covered. The tahini may thicken with time, so add more cold water as needed to thin it down. The tahini sauce can also be frozen for up to a month, according to Solomonov.
• HERBED TAHINI SAUCE: To make the tahini sauce, whisk in 14 cups (or more, to taste) of chopped fresh, leafy herbs. Fresh parsley, basil, dill, and/or cilantro are all excellent choices. Simply combine the tahini sauce and herbs in a food processor or blender to get a well-blended green sauce. (This makes more sense if you’re double the recipe and/or producing the blended herbed sauce option.)
• FOOD PROCESSOR OPTION: Unpeeled garlic cloves can be tossed into a food processor, blitzed until finely chopped, then added to the lemon juice, and set aside for 10 minutes. Then, using a strainer, separate the garlic from the mixture as directed, and return the garlicky lemon juice to the food processor. Blend in the tahini, herbs (if using), salt, and cumin until smooth. Thin the sauce with cold water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it’s completely smooth.