How To Make Tahini

I can't stress enough how easy tahini is to make at home, nor how quickly it can be made. Best of all though, making your own tahini is so much more cost-effective than buying it. Half a kilo of sesame seeds costs around the same as two commercial jars of tahini from the supermarket.

Another reason for making your own tahini is that sometimes the shop-bought stuff can be a bit icky, and even rancid, especially if it's not been stored in ideal conditions. I once bought a jar from a local corner shop, and discovered that although it was within date (just), it smelled really bad - like old oil. I suspect that at some point, the clear glass jar had been kept in direct sunlight, and that the oil had simply gone off.

Also, by making your own tahini, you can control how much - if any - salt goes into to it. I prefer to not add any salt, I'd rather season the actual recipe I am making, but some brands add salt to their tahini as a matter of course - and labels aren't always printed in a Roman alphabet!

Although it's not strictly essential to toast the seeds beforehand, I find it adds to the depth of flavour, and gives the tahini more of that lovely, nutty taste. Feel free to omit this step though, if you want.

Once you've made your tahini, use it in salad dressings, to make tarator, hummus, baba ghanouj, falafels, halva (omnom!), as a marinade for tofu, a dip for crudités, a topping for baked potatoes... or even in cocktails! While the uses for tahini are not endless, it can be used for so much more than hummus. Why not make some today, and see for yourself?

Enjoy!

📖 Recipe

How To Make Tahini

Tahini is so easy to make at home, is ready in a jiffy, and you have full control of what goes into it. This will make around 270g.

Print Rate

Course: Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: Levantine

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Makes (slide to adjust): 270 g

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

• 150 g sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

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Instructions

• Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet for 5 mins (don't let them brown). Keep the pan moving to prevent burning.
• Add the seeds to your food processor bowl, and whizz on high speed for 5 mins, until the oil starts to be released from the seeds. (Depending on your processor's speed, you may need to process a little longer. You could use a high speed blender instead.)
• Drizzle in the olive oil, a little at a time, and keep processing until the tahini is at your desired consistency.
• Store at room temperature in an airtight jar, away from direct sunlight. Some separation of tahini and oil may occur, just stir it in before using.

Nutrition Facts

How To Make Tahini

Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp)

Calories 103 Calories from Fat 89

% Daily Value*

Fat 9.9g15%

Saturated Fat 1.4g7%

Sodium 1.4mg0%

Carbohydrates 2.7g1%

Fiber 1.4g6%

Protein 2g4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe?Do mention @yums0me and/or tag #yums0me - I'd love to see how yours turned out!

DisclaimerMeasurements in parenthesis are approximate; it is beyond the scope of yumsome to be able to provide pinpoint-accurate ingredient quantities for every type of measuring utensil. As a guideline however, I make the assumption that:

• 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
• 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
• 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml

Further information may be found here

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