This easy homemade Tahini Sauce is perfect for all your favorite Mediterranean dishes from rice bowls to pita sandwiches to grilled meats. This sauce comes together with 4 simple ingredients and is so simple to make.
TAHINI SAUCE
Tahini Sauce in Lebanon is used on a lot of different recipes from grilled meats, to pita wraps to salads. I am excited to share this simple recipe using only 5 ingredients with you guys. For any of you that eat at Mediterranean restaurants you are probably familiar with it. I have seen a variety of ways to make it but today’s is how I make it. I think a lot of it depends on your tastes so I suggest making it, tasting it and adjusting the lemon juice, garlic or even the thickness of it to your liking.
Where I live we have a local restaurant called Aladdins. It is a Lebanese restaurant and so many of their dishes remind me of my grandma’s cooking. When you order a lot of their hummus plates, pita wraps or salads you will get a side of tahini sauce. If you are going to be cooking a lot of Mediterranean dishes then this recipe is one to keep on hand!
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN A TAHINI SAUCE?
My favorite thing about this easy sauce is that it only uses five simple ingredients. You can’t beat that!
- Tahini paste: Otherwise known as sesame paste, tahini paste is the most important ingredient in a tahini sauce. I have tried a lot of tahini paste brands and I have two favorites. Ziyad is the brand my grandma used and my mom. This is the one I grew up with and I like the taste of it. Of course tahini is used in my hummus recipes so the taste and texture is really important to me. Ziyad tends to be thicker so I have recently starting using Lebanon Valley Tahineh and I love the thinner texture. It works great for this sauce because you don’t have to thin it out as much. If you can get your hands on either of those brands that would be my suggestion!
- Water: the water is used to help thin out the texture of the tahini sauce. If you don’t add extra liquid the tahini sauce is too thick to drizzle on pita sandwiches, salads or rice bowls.
- Lemon juice: the lemon juice is also used to thin out the tahini sauce and add a touch of sweetness to the nutty flavor.
- Garlic: garlic adds flavor as well. You can use less if you feel that 4 garlic cloves is too much. I love garlic so I go for more.
- Salt & pepper
WHAT IS TAHINI SAUCE USED FOR?
If you frequent Mediterranean restaurants you probably have tried tahini sauce. Many Mediterranean restaurants will serve a lot of their dishes with a side of it. This is used for drizzling on foods or dipping meats and breads in. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
Shawarma recipes: I love serving my chicken or beef shawarma recipes with a homemade tahini sauce. It adds a nice earthy flavor to the dishes.
Mediterranean salads: Tahini sauce is a nice dressing to add to your favorite salads. A few I like to use it with are this Lebanese Salad, Balela or a Mediterranean Chopped Salad.
Rice bowls: You can use this sauce in rice bowls. I especially love it in these Beef Kafta Meatballs.
Hummus plates: A traditional food in many Mediterranean countries is a hummus plate which will often have a salad and some sort of grilled meat on it. Use this sauce to pair with a hummus plate like this Hummus with Spice Beef and Toasted Pine Nuts.
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini paste
- 1/4 cup water {add more for consistency}
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash of pepper
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl or a mason jar combine all ingredients and stir well until combined. Add more water for a thinner consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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