20 Recipes with Tahini

Tahini, or tahina (طحينة in Arabic), is a rich, nutty sesame seed paste.

The star ingredients are these delicious dishes’ velvety texture and rich, nutty taste.

Tahini also offers a versatile canvas for endless dishes and adds a dose of healthy fats to sandwiches, salads, dips, and many more.

It’s a creamy paste with a luscious texture crafted from hulled sesame seeds, which are toasted to perfection before being ground into a smooth, velvety consistency.

This ancient ingredient boasts a rich, nutty flavor profile, making it a beloved staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

Our 20 best tahini recipes

1. Tahini sauce

We start this list with one of our favorite ways of using tahini: creamy tahini sauce.

It’s a versatile dressing with a luscious texture and nutty undertones, perfect for drizzling over salads, falafel, and grain bowls.
You can also serve it as a dip with potatoes and pita chips for an easy appetizer.

2. Yogurt tahini dressing

This velvety, creamy tahini yogurt sauce adds a nutty dimension to stuffed veggies, salads, and stews.

With a blend of tangy yogurt and rich tahini, it’s a 5-minute sauce that perfectly complements a variety of Mediterranean recipes.

3. Easy tahini salad

Wondering how to use tahini with salads? Try this quick tahini salad with crispy chickpeas and fresh veggies.

Eat it with warm pita bread, falafel, and hummus as a side or main dish.

4. Creamy sesame noodles

Tahini is the secret ingredient that makes the peanut sesame sauce velvety creamy.

We love this Asian-inspired dish for its chewy noodles, slightly sweet peanut sauce, and refreshing cucumber and mango on the side.

5. Hummus

Making hummus is as simple as blending chickpeas, tahini, a splash of lemon juice, and a clove of garlic.

The right type of tahini will elevate your hummus, giving it a creamy-dreamy texture with a subtle nutty taste and silky mouth feel.

6. Mediterranean bowl

A velvety tahini drizzle perfectly complements colorful vegetables, protein–rich chickpeas, and crispy pita.

We eat this Mediterranean bowl for dinner with dips of all kinds, dressings with tahini, and garnish with lemon and fresh herbs.

7. Fatteh

This loaded hummus recipe is elevated by a double dose of tahini, creating a Middle–Eastern mix of vegetarian protein and textures.

The luscious tahini in the hummus and the yogurt sauce add a rich depth to this indulgent and satisfying appetizer.

8. Buddha bowl

Tahini adds creamy to this Buddha bowl with fresh vegetables, pickled red onions, and lean protein (grilled tofu).

The tahini peanut butter dressing adds nutty richness and healthy fats to this grain bowl.

9. Baba Ganoush

Eggplant dip, or baba ganoush, is a creamy and smooth dip infused with lemon and tahini.

The rich tahini and zesty lemon create an indulgent spread perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and special occasions.

10. Whole roasted cauliflower

Whole roasted cauliflower is a tasty centerpiece covered in harissa marinade and a refreshing lemon tahini sauce.

Enjoy this Mediterranean dish with couscous, hummus, shirazi salad, and pita bread.

11. Mutabal

This yogurt dip with charred eggplant is enriched with creamy tahini and fragrant spices.

Mutabal – sometimes spelled moutabal – is a tasty Middle Eastern dip with a beautiful smoky flavor. The recipe is easy to make, with a few ingredients mixed in a blender until creamy.

12. Roasted cauliflower salad

Tender roasted cauliflower florets are perfectly complemented by crispy chickpeas and drizzled with a lusciously healthy tahini sauce.

This vibrant salad is excellent for meal prep and lunchbox meals as it stores well in the fridge.

13. Avocado spread

We blend avocado with lemon and tahini to achieve a creamy-dreamy texture and a rich, nutty flavor.

If you haven’t tried this avocado recipe yet, you are in for a treat. It’s perfect in sandwiches, wraps, and as a dip served with fresh veggies.

14. Tofu cream cheese

Blending tofu and tahini creates a lusciously smooth, rich vegan cream “cheese.”

This quick and easy tofu recipe provides loads of vegan protein and a nut-free cheese alternative. It takes 5 minutes to make and can be spread on bagels, sandwiches, and bruschetta.

15. White bean dip

White bean dip with tahini is a velvety, smooth, and delicious appetizer idea.

It’s an easy recipe that can be made in 5 minutes with creamy cannellini beans, tahini, herbs, and a food processor. It pairs well with focaccia bread and pita chips and even works as a pasta sauce.

16. Easy lentil hummus

The tender texture of lentils pairs well with nutty tahini in this creamy and earthy lentil hummus.

Make it with cooked brown lentils for a 5–minute dip idea, and serve it with toasted bread.

17. Oil-free granola

Tahini is a natural and wholesome ingredient that allows us to replace oil in this healthy granola recipe.

It adds a ton of flavor and nutty, earthy notes, hugging the nuts and oats and making the granola an excellent breakfast idea.

18. Roasted pepper hummus

Next on our list is this velvety, creamy hummus variation with roasted bell peppers.

Compared to the original hummus, roasted red pepper hummus has a slightly sweet and smokey flavor and a vibrant color. It has pita bread, crackers, veggies, wraps, and sandwiches.

19. Cauliflower soup

Unlike most cauliflower soup recipes that use butter, cheese, or cream, we use creamy-dreamy tahini to give character and substance to this delicious soup recipe.

The soup is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and packed with healthy fats and minerals. Tahini is the perfect substitute for butter, cheese, and cream in this recipe.

20. Piyaz salad

Next is one of our favorite Turkish salads, Fasulye Piyazi. It’s a creamy, indulgent, yet healthy and nutritious vegetarian meal.

And as you all might have guessed, Fasulye stands for beans. It differs slightly from a classic white bean salad and is more similar to a tahini salad as it uses tahini sauce for the dressing.

21. Chickpea curry salad

You’ll love this curry chickpea salad because it’s quick, tasty, and indulgent while being healthy and protein-packed.

The secret is a mix of tahini, yogurt, mango, and curry powder blended into the most delicious, nutty, curried, and creamiest dressing you’ll ever taste.

22. Eggplant boats with tahini

We end this recipe roundup with a tender roasted eggplant recipe and a drizzle of tahini sauce; it’s excellent as a vegetable side dish or appetizer idea.

Eggplant’s fiber–rich flesh complements tahini’s antioxidant content, crafting a nutritious alliance rich in vitamins and a wholesome choice for any meal.

More recipes that pair well with tahini

Protein-rich mains include zucchini fritters, lentil patties, and chickpea fritters.

Salads, grain bowls, and vegetable side dishes, such as:

• Couscous salad
• Moroccan couscous
• Israeli couscous salad
• Mediterranean salad
• Carrot lentil salad
• White bean salad

Salads

Couscous Salad

30-Min Meals

Mediterranean Salad

Salads

Lentil Carrot Salad

Salads

White Bean Salad