This easy Lemon Tahini Sauce is a rich, creamy and nut-free sauce. This healthy sauce is a perfect addition to vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free diets. Use it as a salad dressing, or as a spread on sandwiches and wraps, or as a sauce for falafel.
This Mediterranean sauce is now popular all over the world. It packs a punch in its flavor and is a simple sauce that comes together quickly with pantry ingredients.
The base for this sauce is a tahini paste which is made with just 2 ingredients - sesame seeds and oil. For the tahini sauce, we add lemon, garlic, maple or agave, cumin powder and salt.
It is a versatile sauce that can be used as a tahini dip for veggies, drizzle it over salad bowls or buddha bowls or over air-fried vegetables.
This sauce has become a favorite with my family. The kids love to dip roasted veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower in it, and also falafel.
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What is Tahini Sauce?
Tahini is a common ingredient used in hummus and baba ganoush.
It is made with toasted sesame seeds and oil. The toasted sesame seeds are ground to a fine paste just like almond butter or any other nut butter.
You can make tahini paste from scratch at home too. Check out my easy homemade tahini recipe to make the paste at home. If you can't make it at home, you can buy the Tahini paste. I like the one at Trader Joes the best.
Tahini sauce is the slightly runny version of the tahini paste with additional seasonings. It might sound a little bit confusing, but the tahini paste is used to make the sauce. Tahini is naturally vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Ingredients
This lemon tahini sauce needs only a few ingredients that are available in your pantry.
Tahini paste: This recipe's main ingredient is Tahini, so you can use homemade tahini paste or you can get store brands such as Trader Joes.
Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice will work best for this tahini sauce
Garlic: It adds that zing to this sauce. Finely mince or grate it to add it to the sauce. I usually mince the garlic while prepping this lemon tahini sauce.
Cumin powder: Spoon it in to sharpen the nutty, earthy flavor.
Salt: To bring the flavors together
Water: This recipe requires only a few spoons of water. Add 1-2 tablespoons at a time. You can leave this sauce thicker to use as a spread or make it thinner to get a drizzle consistency for salads.
How to make?
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and gently whisk to combine.
- Add water one tablespoon at a time till the sauce becomes creamy and pourable.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Now your Lemon Tahini Sauce is ready to enjoy.
Drizzle it on salads, crunchy veggies and spread it on pita bread and enjoy.
Pro-Tips
There is no need for a blender or food processor to whip up this sauce. But if you want a very smooth texture, you can use an immersion blender.
In case you are adding any herbs like cilantro, you can use a food processor to finely grind and blend the sauce.
How to use?
This lemon tahini sauce can be used in many ways:
- As a dip for air-fryer vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, beets, pumpkin and carrots.
- Use it as topping for grilled burger, or shawarma.
- As a dressing for salads or buddha bowls
- Dip for vegetables, crackers, pizza or falafel
How to store?
You can store this sauce in the refrigerator for at least a week. Use a clean and dry glass container to store the sauce.
Variations
You can make any variations of this sauce such as:
- Adding finely chopped cilantro or parsley to make it a lemon herb tahini sauce.
- Add some ground spices such as cinnamon or turmeric to make turmeric lemon herb sauce .
Common Questions
This lemon tahini sauce is a great source of anti-oxidants and it has anti-inflammatory properties as well as vitamins and minerals.
It is bit like your regular peanut butter with slight bitter taste that is well balanced by the tangy taste of the lemon juice and sweetness of maple syrup.
Tahini sauce will always have a slight bitter taste. But, if it is excessive it might be due to the over or under roasting of hulled sesame seeds. If you have bought tahini from the store, then check the expiration date.
Yes you can freeze tahini sauce in a glass container, but make sure it has the space to expand when frozen. Freeze the sauce in half or ¾th filled glass container. You can also freeze tahini in freezer friendly bags for later use.
I hope you enjoy this amazing lemon tahini sauce. Do share how it turns out in comments!
Easy Lemon Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon Tahini paste
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Maple syrup or agave
- 2 cloves Garlic minced or grated
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 3-4 tablespoon Water
- Salt add to taste
Instructions
- To a medium bowl, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, maple syrup, minced garlic and cumin powder.
- Whisk to combine. Add water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce is creamy and pourable.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Lemon Tahini Sauce is ready to enjoy. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
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