Basic: Tahini Sauce

Tahini sauce is tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and ice water. That’s it. The trick is the ice water, add it slowly while whisking, and the tahini will go through a stage where it seizes up and gets thick and pasty. Keep adding water and whisking. It loosens back up into a smooth, pourable sauce.

It takes about 5 minutes. Taste it and adjust, more lemon if it’s flat, more salt if it’s bland, more water if it’s too thick. Drizzle it on falafel, roasted vegetables, grain bowls, grilled meat. It keeps in the fridge for about a week.

How to Make Basic Tahini Sauce:

Mix Tahini with Acid and Watch It Seize

In a medium bowl, combine tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt.

Stir with a fork or whisk. The mixture will immediately seize up into a thick, grainy paste that looks broken. This is normal and expected. The acid causes the tahini to tighten and thicken dramatically.

Do not add more tahini to thin it. Instead, move to the next step.

Add Ice-Cold Water Gradually

Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition.

At first, the mixture will remain thick and grainy. Keep going.

After about three or four tablespoons, the sauce will suddenly break and transform into a smooth, creamy, pourable consistency. This transformation happens quickly once it starts.

Continue adding water until the sauce reaches the consistency of heavy cream and coats the back of a spoon.

Season and Adjust Consistency

Stir in olive oil and optional cumin. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice for brightness, more salt for depth, or more water to thin.

The sauce will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator, so err on the side of slightly thinner than you want.

Before serving, give it a stir and add a splash of water if needed to restore the pourable consistency.

Basic: Tahini Sauce

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• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup 1x

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Description

A creamy, nutty sauce made from sesame paste that is a cornerstone of Middle Eastern cooking. Tahini sauce is endlessly versatile, working as a drizzle for falafel, roasted vegetables, grain bowls, and grilled meats. Mastering the emulsification technique gives you a silky result every time.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup tahini (well-stirred)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup ice-cold water, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of ground cumin (optional)

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt. Stir with a fork — the mixture will seize up and become very thick and paste-like. This is normal.
2. Add the ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. The sauce will first look grainy, then suddenly become smooth and creamy after about 3-4 tablespoons.
3. Continue adding water until the sauce reaches a pourable but not watery consistency — it should coat the back of a spoon.
4. Stir in the olive oil and cumin if using. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, salt, or water as needed.
5. Transfer to a jar or serving bowl. The sauce will thicken as it sits, so thin it with a splash of water before serving if needed.

Notes

• Use ice-cold water for the smoothest emulsion — warm water can make tahini grainy.
• Stir the tahini jar thoroughly before measuring, as the oil separates over time.
• Stores refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 1 week. Thin with water before using.
• The quality of your tahini matters — look for brands made from hulled sesame seeds for a milder flavor.

• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving