This homemade tahini recipe is so easy to make, and it makes super creamy tahini that tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes!
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. It is a staple in many cuisines, especially in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It’s vegan, gluten-free, tastes nutty, and is incredibly simple to make.
Store-bought jars of tahini can be expensive. Homemade tahini is not only cheaper, but it also tastes amazing. You can use tahini to make homemade hummus, my favorite tahini dressing, creamy tahini sauce, and more!
Key Ingredients
- Sesame seeds: I use hulled seeds (pictured below on the left) and toast them in a dry skillet to bring out their natural nuttiness.
- Oil: I add a few tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil to help the tahini turn into a creamy smooth paste. Try avocado oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil. Sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil) also works.
- Salt: Optional, but I always use it. It just makes the tahini taste better.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Homemade Tahini
Tahini is incredibly simple to make. If you’ve ever made nut butter like almond butter or homemade peanut butter, the process is very similar. You will grind sesame seeds in a food processor with some oil until smooth. Here are my best tips for making it:
Tip 1: Toast your sesame seeds. Toasting your sesame seeds is an important first step. It improves their nutty flavor and makes them easier to blend. Simply toast them in a dry pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly and watch them closely, as they can go from perfectly golden to burned in a matter of seconds.
Tip 2: Use a food processor. A food processor is the best tool for making creamy tahini. The process will go through several stages, so don’t be discouraged. The seeds will first turn into a crumbly meal, then a thick paste, and finally a creamy, smooth tahini. Be patient and keep processing. I’ve had many moments when making tahini where I thought the seeds were never going to break down, but they always do! Tips for using a blender are below in the recipe.
Tip 3: Add a little oil. Adding a few tablespoons of a mild-tasting oil (like a light sesame oil or a neutral vegetable oil) will help the tahini become smoother and creamier. This is the secret to getting that perfect, pourable, and drippy texture. Adjust the amount of oil to get your desired consistency. I find 3 to 4 tablespoons perfect for a texture like store-bought tahini.
Tip 4: What to do if your sesame seeds won’t blend: This is the most common problem people run into, but it’s easy to fix.
- Be patient: The most likely reason is that you just need to keep blending. It can take up to 5 minutes minutes or even longer for the seeds to release their oils and turn into a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed and keep going.
- Increase the batch size: Our recipe is for a small batch of tahini, and your food processor’s blades may sit slightly higher than ours, causing the sesame seeds to just fling around, hitting the sides of the bowl. Try adding more seeds to give the machine more to work with.
- If all else fails, add a bit more oil: If your sesame seeds are older, they might be too dry to release their oils easily. Adding a little extra oil is the best solution here.
Ways to Use Tahini
The most well-known way to use tahini is to make hummus, but we use it in our kitchen in many other ways. We use tahini to make other dips like baba ganoush (a roasted eggplant dip) and serve it plain next to homemade falafel.
It’s also the perfect base for sauces and dressings. Look at our tahini salad dressing or this creamy tahini sauce with lemon and garlic. I also use that creamy sauce for this tahini kale salad, a dip for our garlic asparagus, these chicken lettuce wraps, and a drizzle for honey roasted carrots.
You can even use tahini for desserts. Seriously. Drizzle over ice cream or use it instead of peanut butter or butter in your favorite cookies. Once you have tahini in your fridge (it lasts over a month), we bet you will find yourself adding it to a variety of dishes without direction from us!
Easy Tahini
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Making tahini at home is easy and cheaper than buying it from the store. I also think it tastes better! For the best deals, look for sesame seeds in bulk bins or at International, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets. While you can make tahini from unhulled, sprouted, or hulled sesame seeds, we prefer hulled seeds.
My favorite uses for homemade tahini are this homemade hummus and this delicious tahini sauce with garlic.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 cup (140g) sesame seeds, we prefer hulled
2 to 4 tablespoons light flavored oil such as sesame oil (not toasted), avocado, grape seed, vegetable, or a light olive oil
Pinch of salt, optional
Directions
1Toast the sesame seeds: Add sesame seeds to a wide, dry saucepan over medium-low heat and toast, stirring constantly, until the seeds become fragrant and turn light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Stay close and keep stirring, as the seeds can burn quickly.
2Make tahini: Add the toasted sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor, then process until a crumbly paste, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, then process for 2 to 4 minutes more, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the food processor a couple of times.
3To finish: Check the tahini’s consistency. It should be smooth, not gritty, and should be pourable. You may need to process for another minute and add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil. Taste the tahini for seasoning, then add salt to taste and process for 5 to 10 seconds to mix.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep tahini in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for a month. After some time in the fridge, it might separate like natural peanut butter. To fix this, stir it well before using it.
- Sprouted and black sesame seeds: You can make tahini from sprouted or black sesame seeds. If you have sprouted your seeds at home, make sure that you dry and toast them before making the tahini.
- Unhulled sesame seeds: Tahini made from unhulled sesame seeds tastes more bitter and isn’t as smooth as when made from hulled seeds. I recommend using hulled seeds.
- Sesame seeds not processing: The sesame seeds take a minute or two to start breaking down (watch our video for reference). If your seeds are whirling around your processor bowl, you may need a higher-powered processor, or the blade may be sitting above the seeds. If you think this is the case, try increasing the sesame seeds in the bowl.
- Blender: I prefer using my food processor, but if you have a high-powered blender, you should be able to make tahini. As you blend, stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the blender to incorporate all the seeds.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Easy recipe to follow. I am new to tahini so I am wondering if I made it correctly. Is it usual to have a slightly bitter taste? Never had it before so didn’t know what to expect.
Yep, tahini (even store-bought) does have a bitter backbone.
Add fresh garlic & jalepenos for a spicy humus!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Awesome easy recipe,I’m glad you advised to be patient with it turning in a sauce. It did take quite a long time for me 45 mins and 5 tbs oil.
I just have one question, mine didn’t turn into a creamy colour,it’s light nutty brown ? I have to stop myself drinking it, gorgeous flavour.
Looking forward to trying lots of your recipes
Making hummus for the Superbowl today. Saw your recipe and then saw this tahini recipe. It could not have gone smoother (pun intended). I was able to make the tahini, remove all but a 1/2 cup (double hummus recipe) and then whipped it again with the lemon juice for the first step of the hummus recipe. One cleanup job for two different recipes. Total win!!! And totally awesome recipes. I really don’t want to share 😉
Yay! 🙂
This is awesome! I read through the ingredients, and this seems easy enough to make, and I’ll plan ahead, maing both your hummus and a tahini dressing for my vegetables. Great stuff!
This is my first attempt at making tahini. Thank you for a super easy but totally delicious recipe with clear easy to follow instructions. This will definitely be a staple in my fridge.
That’s amazing, Mel! So happy it worked out well for you!
Can you use an immersion blender instead. Thank you
That wouldn’t work. The best tool you can use is a nutra-bullet or ninja, the smaller blenders people use to make shakes. There are 4 blades blending a smaller area, unlike a big food processor, so the seeds get blended and don’t fall under the blades.
I’ve never used an immersion blender for this. If you have the small food processor attachment that comes with some immersion blenders, it may work, but I don’t think using the regular stick blender would have good results.
Delicious. Great instructions. Thank you!
Hi Katie, We are thrilled that our recipe worked so well for you!
How can I make tahini without any added oil, like the one I buy in the grocery store? The only ingredient in the store brand is sesame seeds.
Hi Jody, If your processor/blender is powerful enough, you may be able to, but the industrial options likely have a much more powerful machine or are using a different method.
I found myself eating this by the spoonful, trying to ration out enough for the hummus! So good.
I followed the exact steps and the consistency was great. However my batch of tahini turned out to be bitter. However can I avoid this from happening again?
Hi Priya, You can toast them for a bit less or try a different brand/supplier of sesame seeds. Tahini will always have a bitter backbone, though.
My tahini won’t get creamy what am I doing wrong. It has been in food processor for 20 minutes
Iy may be that there is more space underneath your processor blades, so the seeds aren’t being picked up enough to break them down. You may need a different processor or you can try transferring to a blender to see is that helps.
Can we grind the sesame seeds in a grinder? and Also the Serving size is only 1 tablespoon, I think that’s a mistake?
The tablespoon was for sharing nutritional facts. You can increase as necessary.
This is a GREAT basic recipe, since I’m a cook (so to speak) I will tweak it to my taste, but this recipe is damn good. Thanks
That’s great, Aram! Thanks for coming back.
Hi. This is my go to recipe Thanks!! Quick question — each time i make it, it is much “browner” than the image you show. Am I browning too much. I just browned for 3.5 minutes. Thanks Lisa
My tahini looks perfect but it tastes bitter. Did I do something wrong?
Tahini does is supposed to be on the bitter end of things. To reduce it slightly, you can skip toasting or only lightly toast the sesame seeds before processing.
It might be because you browned the sesame seeds a little longer than us. That is perfectly fine as long as you don’t burn them. We love a toasty tahini 🙂
Delicious and easy, but it took more than 4 tablespoons of oil (more like 6) to get it to a creamy, drippy consistency. That is likely because I used store bought roasted sesame seeds (which is all I had). Had some grittiness to it, even after longer than called for time in food processor. Great taste, though, and this is an easy recipe! Will try it again with untoasted hulled seeds.
I have tried 3 x to make this recipe – I’ve tried the Ninja Food Processor, the bullet and the blender and I cannot get the Tahini to go from the paste to the liquie stage – 3 – 4 tablespoons of oil and still I am left with a crumbly mess…..what am I doing wrong?
I used to have this issue when I tried using olive oil. Sesame oil works much more reliably.
Hi Melanie, This is a very common issue with making tahini at home, so you’re not doing anything wrong! It’s a matter of time and friction. My main recommendation is to keep blending and scraping down the sides of the bowl. It can take a long time, often 10-15 minutes or more, depending on your machine’s power. It might seem like a crumbly mess for a while, but it will eventually transform. You can also try adding a tiny bit more oil (a teaspoon at a time) to help it along, or even a little warm water, as that can sometimes help it smooth out, though it may thicken first. Just be patient and keep blending!
Thanks I never have made this before or have never had it before it was easy to make not sure but I think I will get better to make it I added it to the humus it turned out good thanks
I made this a while back. I’ve just made again. It seems darker then I remember. Do you recommend using for hummus or should I try again?
Hi Marcia, I wonder if its just that you have different batch of sesame seeds (maybe a different brand). I’d still go with it as long as it tastes as expected.
This recipe is delicious but I had to add a lot more EVOO to make it pourable
I absolutely love your recipe for your favorite hummus. It is my favorite too now! I love that you include videos. I can’t wait to try your tahini recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
Greetings from the UK. I will try this as I often want a specific quantity of tahini and don’t want to buy a whole jar that is nearly always wasted in the back of the cupboard. Fresher is best. Thank you.
Thank you! Had I known it was so easy to make I would have never run out of it.
This tahini recipe is much better tasting and a much much better value than any store bought I have used. Delicious. No more buying tahini for me!
WOW! This was amazing. I have been a hummus lover for years and am trying to make more from scratch items so I know exactly what is going into my food. Your step by step directions and descriptions made this tahini so easy to make. It came out perfect (and I am no chef!). I used it in your homemade better than store bought hummus recipe and now I’m paying the price – I can NEVER go back to store bought it was so good! Thank you!
Never knew I could make tahini at home! It was taking to long in food processor, so I transferred to the nutri bullet and it worked perfectly! I found the bitterness decreases the more you blend it. It heated up a lot in the bullet so I would recommend stopping and taking the lid off every now and then to release pressure. But this is a great find. Never have to buy tahini again.
After viewing the recipe and trying it, I have to conclude that it is great for those who haven’t tried anything as such although this is exactly similar to something we call raitha/perugu pachadi in our culture and with a few weeks this can be even more wonderful.
After viewing the recipe and trying it, I have to conclude that it is great for those who haven’t tried anything as such although this is exactly similar to something we call ratha/perugu pachadi in our culture and with a few weeks this can be even more wonderful.
I just tried it a few hours ago and honestly it’s perfect. The recipe is exactly how it should be. Salt is good but not too much.I made a sauce from this tahini, garlic, lemon, vinegar, pepper, parsley and it was amazing in a cauliflower casserole.Definitely will do again when I run out 🙂
Very good recipe; but I really found that baking the seeds in the oven,on tin foil,on baking sheets in the over, about 400 degrees, makes the seeds get a lovely golden hue,they bake better,I tried my frying pan,and its not as easy roasting very fragile sesame seeds in a hot pan as you think.I did some,but the oven worked better.–a golden hue.However when i processed all the seeds in the food processor,I also added the darker seeds that were in the skillet.I followed the instructions about adding oil,and I used an oil with no flavor.(flavorless oil.)The paste started to blend,and its was darker brown,but the SMELL WAS HEAVENLY! A little darker roast makes a darker Tahini that smells and tastes SO RICH.i was amazed.For me,a newbie to Indian cooking,(I have a couple used Indian cookbooks,one on “healthy”Indian cook.)–my first experience making a little tahini was great!! Now I realize baking makes them golden,I’ll use that.But there must be a RANGE of flavors of tahini.Great recipe.
We enjoy these dishes. My husband is greek. I’m 1/2 Greman, and 1/2 Irish. My mother in law didn’t make these dishes. I enjoy making things from scratch. I always say it’s made with Love.
Thank you for sharing all these recipes too.
Where do you suggest getting your seeds. I only see the small bottles in the store…and even on Amazon i see bags of just over 1 cup for $5-$6…so it would only make 1 recipie and not very cheap. Do you buy them in bulk somewhere?
I find larger bags in Korean markets, online, and sometimes in the bulk aisle of my local grocery store.
Thank you, tahini is hard to find and this recipe is perfect! My son bought a 5 nights at Freddy’s cookbook and one of the dipping sauces is made with tahini, it turned out great, and I will use this in my cooking now forevermore.
The best hummus, the perfect recipe. Thank you! 😊
AMAZING flavor!! Super easy and delicious. I want to eat the entire bowl by itself!!! Thank you so much!