The BEST Tahini Sauce Recipe | Downshiftology (2024)

FAQs

How do you make tahini sauce not bitter? ›

If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey. And if the flavor is too sharp, mellow it with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Tahini paste is just ground sesame seeds. Period. In comparison, tahini sauce is made by thinning the paste to a consistency similar to a thick cream, typically by adding other ingredients. My family's recipe adds lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to our tahini sauce.

What is tahini sauce? Tahini sauce is a Middle Eastern condiment that is served with many dishes from the region. It's made with only 3 main ingredients: tahini paste, which is crushed sesame seeds, lemon juice, and garlic. Tahini is made by grinding toasted, hulled sesame seeds to create a creamy, smooth spread.

The key to smooth and runny tahini is to give it time, so keep blending. Transfer to a container and enjoy!

Bitterness is generally part and parcel of tahini - it's how ground sesame seeds taste. What you will find, however, is that some tahini can taste more bitter than others. This is down to a few things; like how that particular tahini is processed, or the levels of something called oxalic acid in the hulls of the seeds.

#1: Baron's Organic Tahini

Naturally mild sweetness and not too bitter. Texture: 5 – About as creamy and smooth as it gets. Overall thoughts: 4.25 – We love how easy it is to stir and how creamy it is, and the flavor was pretty delicious.

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It's rich in important nutrients like fiber, protein, copper, phosphorus, and selenium and may reduce heart disease risk and inflammation. What's more, test-tube and animal studies suggest that sesame seeds may have anticancer properties.

Tahini with unhulled sesame seed contains more phytonutrients than peanut butter, and, for many people, is easier to digest than almond butter. Tahini is also a versatile ingredient because it's flavor is more neutral than most nut butters.

Nutrition: Tahini vs peanut butter

Tahini and peanut butter are good sources of healthy fats – with around 16 grams per serving each, but peanut butter tends to have more calories and protein compared to tahini.

Making your own tahini at home is not only easy, it's cost effective and super delicious! This recipe requires just 2 ingredients, 20 minutes, and a food processor to prepare!

Does tahini need to be refrigerated? ›

Do you need to refrigerate tahini? We recommend storing your tahini in a cool and dry area, away from heat and moisture. Ideally, a pantry a cabinet would be ideal. Like peanut butter, you can also store tahini in the refrigerator if you like it thicker.

When a small amount of lemon juice (or water) is added to the tahini or peanut butter, the hydrophilic dry particles are drawn to the water. As a result, it clumps up. As water is added, more clumps develop, causing the tahini to thicken overall.

Much of its makeup is carbohydrates, and when a small amount of juice (or any water-containing liquid) is added to tahini, a portion of each carbohydrate molecule is drawn to the water. As a result, clumps of carbohydrates appear.

Because tahini contains no extra ingredients or emulsifiers, it can—and usually will—separate into oil (on the top) and solids (at the bottom), just like an all-natural peanut butter. A quick stir or shake should be enough to return it to a cohesive pourable or spoonable state.

Preparation of sprouted and de-bittered sesame seed flour

After sprouting, the seeds were divided into two portions. The first portions were properly rinsed, put in a cooking pot, covered with water and boiled to a temperature of 100 °C for 20 min in a covered container to remove bitterness.

A small amount of added water acts like a glue, wetting particles just enough to get them to stick together, but eventually if you add too much water, the mixture turns into an evenly thinned-out liquid.

Once you get your jar of tahini home, you want to open it up and give it a stir to make sure it's incorporated. (If the oil has fully separated, such as in the photo above, Food editor Joe Yonan uses an immersion blender to reincorporate it, after which he says it stays emulsified.)