Garlic Tahini Sauce

This Garlic Tahini Sauce is a creamy dairy-free sauce packed with plant-based proteins from sesame seeds and delicious on top of a salad, roasted vegetables, or as a tahini salad dressing.

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Eating a variety of plants, vegetables, and plant-based protein is very good for your health. It’s not just the 5-a-day quantity that matters, but also the variety. Tahini is a great way of eating many vegetables and adding protein in one dish.

Tahini sauce is a simple creamy Middle Eastern sauce made from tahini that can be used on summer vegetables and salads to increase your protein intake or just to add a subtle Mediterranean taste. Tahini is a creamy paste, a Middle-Eastern condiment often used in salad dressing dips like Baba Ganoush, Lemon Herb Tahini, and Hummus, or to bake cookies and cakes.

Tahini is made from toasted ground sesame seeds, that’s all. It’s a very similar ingredient to peanut butter, but it’s nut-free and packed with 17 grams of plant-based protein per 100 grams. As a result, it’s a great way to add proteins, fibers, and flavors to many vegan and vegetarian recipes. Plus, tahini is also high in calcium, with 10 mg in a single tablespoon!

Ingredients and Substitutions

All you need to make the best tahini sauce are:

• Tahini Paste – You can use unhulled tahini or hulled tahini, but hulled tahini is made from sesame seeds without their shells. As a result, it has a creamier texture and makes a creamier, smoother tahini dip with a less bitter flavor.
• Fresh Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemons taste the best.
• Garlic Clove – I like to crush the cloves using a garlic crusher tool. It results in a smooth sauce, rather than using minced garlic that lets pieces of garlic in the sauce. You will enjoy the garlic flavor without bites of fresh garlic.
• Salt and Pepper – to taste.
• Iced Water – Prepare an ice bath with ice cubes and tap water before starting the recipe. In fact, iced water turns dips and sauces ultra-creamy. It’s a technique also often used in hummus recipes.

How To Make Garlic Tahini Sauce

There’s nothing easier than making an authentic garlic tahini sauce. It takes under 15 minutes to make, and you will love all the possibilities it gives.

1. First, prepare the iced water. To do so, pour water and ice cubes into a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature.
2. In another bowl or the bowl of a food processor, add tahini, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice.
3. Use a small whisk, or the blade attachment, to stir/blend ingredients, until it becomes thick and difficult to stir.
4. Now, add the iced water gradually. Stop when the texture reaches your desired consistency. Tahini sauce is a creamy sauce that can be thick as a dip or runny as a dressing. To use as a salad dressing or roasted vegetables dressing, add all of the water. For a thicker texture and make a tahini dip, add a bit less water.

Flavoring Options

You can play with flavors and add some extra herbs, spices, and condiments to the sauce to create a range of tahini sauce flavors. Add some of the following optional ingredients:

• To boost the sweetness: Add a touch of maple syrup or honey.
• To make it spicier – Add ground cumin, cayenne pepper, or sumac to boost it’s Middle-Eastern flavors.
• Dijon Mustard for a tangy taste
• Fresh parsley, dill, chives, fresh cilantro, or mint finely chopped
• And to make it creamier – Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Serving

This easy tahini sauce can be used for many purpose like:

• Salad dressing
• Dip to raw vegetables
• Sauce in bread like my low-carb pita bread recipe or my Moroccan bread.
• Sauce for roasted vegetables
• Drizzled on falafel, koftas, or kebab.

Below are some simple recipes that marry very well with this tahini sauce recipe:

• Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Rutabagas
• Oven-Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Lemon Chicken Pepper
• Baked Pork Chops

Storage Instructions

Tahini sauce can be stored well in the fridge in a sealed glass mason jar for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze the tahini sauce as well in ice cube trays and defrost a single serving at room temperature for a few hours before using.

Allergy Swaps

This sauce is naturally:

• Gluten-free
• Egg-free
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Nut-free
• Low-carb keto friendly

However, if you are allergic to some of its ingredients or don’t have some of them, I listed below some substitutions you can try:

• Lemon Juice – Replace the lemon juice with the same amount of lime juice, apple cider vinegar, or half water and half white vinegar.
• Low-FODMAP – Skip the garlic.
• Garlic – You can replace the fresh garlic with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder if preferred.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find below my answers to your most common questions about this garlic tahini sauce recipe.

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