Middle Eastern Tahini Sauce Recipe

About this recipe

Ever got a falafel sandwich at a Middle Eastern place and with the first bite you've wondered what that awesome sauce is? That's tahini sauce!

This easy Middle Eastern sauce, also known as tahini dressing is perfect for dishes such as falafel, shawarma, kabobs and even roasted or raw vegetables. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants serve this sauce alongside the main dish and it's truly addictive!

What is tahini?

Tahini, also known as Tahina is a creamy paste made of toasted ground sesame and is a common condiment used in Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. It is the base for common Middle Eastern mezze and dips such as hummus and baba ghanoush. It's common to use tahini in sweet recipes such as halva. In Iran, people use sesame paste to make Halvardeh, a type of halva made with tahini, sugar and nuts and it's common to be served for breakfast.

Ingredients

• Tahini: A good tahini is made 100% of sesame seeds. It's smooth, creamy and not grainy at all. You can find tahini at Middle Eastern and Mediterranean shops or online.  You don't need to refrigerate tahini after opening the jar. 
• Garlic: This recipe calls for a few cloves of garlic. I like mine to have a stronger garlic taste but if you like your tahini sauce to have less of a "kick", you can use one clove of garlic. 
• Lemon juice:Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a nice bright flavor to the sauce. You can also use lime juice. 
• Spices: You need cumin, cayenne and salt. These spices add enough flavor to our homemade tahini sauce. The amount of cayenne pepper depends on how spicy you like the sauce to be. 
• Water: To thin out the tahini, we use water. The amount of water depends on the tahini's consistency and how thick you'd like the sauce to be. 

Instructions

• Stir the tahini with garlic in a bowl to combine. 
• Season with salt, cayenne pepper and cumin. 
• Add in the lemon juice and water. Stir to combine and add more water if needed. 
• Add the chopped parsley (if using), mix and taste to make sure the seasoning is right. 

Variations

• Lemon: Double the amount of lemon juice in the original recipe for more acidity.
• Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon more cayenne pepper to the basic tahini sauce recipe.
• Tahini yogurt sauce: Add 2 tablespoons yogurt to the original tahini sauce recipe and add more water if needed. Tahini yogurt sauce has more subtle tahini flavor and is a bit creamier. 

Serving suggestions

I love this easy garlic tahini sauce recipe because I can use it in many different dishes. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:

• Sandwiches and wraps: You can serve this sauce with shawarma, chicken souvlaki, beef shish kabob, falafel or even chicken gyro. This sauce will make every sandwich and wrap 10 times better! 
• Plates and rice dishes: Top dishes such as Greek chicken and rice with some tahini sauce for more flavor!
• As a dip: This sauce make a delicious dip that you can serve with some homemade pita chips, roasted vegetables, grille vegetables or fresh cut vegetables such as carrots and celery. 

Frequently asked questions