Easy homemade tahini recipe with just 2 simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps. Homemade tahini paste is so much more flavorful than the store-bought version and takes very little effort!
I recently started making homemade tahini paste and I just love how easy it is to make with very little effort. To be honest, I started doing this when my baby started solids and I wanted to find an easy way to introduce seeds to her diet. While she loves a drizzle of it over ground meat or sourdough bread, I’m the one that can’t get enough of this delicious and easy tahini recipe.
Easy Homemade Tahini Recipe
After tasting this homemade tahini paste, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a pre-made jar from the store ever again. The flavor is so much better when you toast the sesame seeds and grind it yourself. The freshness just can’t be beat, and it’s so delicious in hummus, dressing, and drizzled on toast.
What is Tahini?
If you’ve never heard of tahini before, it’s a seed paste made with ground up sesame seeds. I commonly see it used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking as a condiment or an added ingredient in a recipe. Most famously, it’s used in hummus and baba ganoush, and I’ve seen many recipes that bake with it as well!
I’ve had a variety of tahini before, and a good quality, fresh tahini should taste creamy, nutty, with a SLIGHT hint of bitterness. Depending on the freshness, the type of sesame seeds used, and the toasting period, tahini can also be gritty and extremely bitter which I’m not a fan of. This easy tahini recipe is the former kind and I love how deliciously savory it is.
How to Make Tahini from Scratch
If you are wondering how to make tahini at home from scratch, all it takes are 2 simple ingredients: hulled sesame seeds and olive oil (or any other neutral tasting oil). There are 2 simple main steps to make homemade tahini paste:
- Toast the hulled sesame seeds. I like to do this on the stovetop in a large, dry skillet. Keep stirring the entire time and make sure not to burn the sesame seeds. You want them to release some of their own oils and turn golden in color. Toasting for too long will yield a bitter end result.
- Place the toasted sesame seeds in a food processor and process until sand-like in texture. Add olive oil and process again until smooth and creamy.
Once you know how to make tahini at home and taste it, you’ll never go back, especially because it’s so easy and quick!
Notes When Making This Homemade Tahini Recipe
- I highly recommend using hulled sesame seeds (I love this brand) for the best creamy texture. Tahini made from unhulled sesame seeds will be grittier and more bitter.
- Make sure not to burn the sesame seeds when toasting. They should be golden in color and not dark.
- I have found that using a food processor works best, but a blender can work if that’s all you have. You may need to pause several times to scrape down the sides if you do use a blender.
- I recommend storing homemade tahini in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for maximum freshness. Nuts and seeds can go rancid easily at room temperature.
If you enjoyed this easy tahini recipe, you might also like…
- Black Sesame Latte (Paleo, Vegan, Whole30)
- Whole30 Tzatziki Sauce (Paleo, Keto)
- Chocolate Toasted Coconut Butter (Paleo, Whole30, Vegan, AIP, Keto)
- Creamy Chimichurri Sauce (Paleo & Vegan)
- Garlicky Whole30 Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (Paleo, Keto, Vegan)
Easy Homemade Tahini (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 cups hulled sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or any other neutral tasting oil), plus more if needed
Instructions
- Heat a dry, clean skillet over medium high heat.
- Add hulled sesame seeds and toast while stirring for 4-5 minutes until the oils are released and they are golden and fragrant.
- Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
- Add the seeds to a food processor and process until crumbly and sand-like in texture.
- Add olive oil, and process until smooth and runny in consistency. Add more oil for a thinner consistency, and pause to scrap down the sides with a spatula, if needed.
- Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 month in the fridge.
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This is such a great idea and way easier than I thought!
I’ve have the hardest time finding tahini to purchase. I can’t wait to use this recipe to make it myself. Thanks!
I’m always so amazed at how sauces I just normally buy are so easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
La tahina es una pasta hecha de semillas de sésamo básica, otro elemento esencial para la realización del hummus. Jamal nos advierte de la importancia de comprobar que la tahina que compremos esté elaborada en Líbano, Palestina o Siria porque si no corremos el riesgo de que nos vendan una tahina de otro producto, como cacahuete o almendra que no nos servirá para el plato. Es fácil encontrarlas en pastelerías árabes e incluso en establecimientos regentados por pakistanís.