Easy Tahini (Better than Store-Bought)
- PREP 10min
- COOK 5min
- TOTAL 15min
Making tahini at home is easy and cheaper than buying from the store. We recommend looking for sesame seeds in bulk bins or at International, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets for the best deals. While tahini can be made from unhulled, sprouted, and hulled sesame seeds, we prefer hulled seeds for tahini. Tahini can be kept in the refrigerator for a month.
You Will Need
1 cup (140g) sesame seeds, we prefer hulled
2 to 4 tablespoons neutral flavored oil such as avocado, grape seed, vegetable or a light olive oil
Pinch of salt, optional
Directions
Toast 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 in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful; sesame seeds can burn quickly.
Make Tahini
Add the toasted sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor, then process until a crumbly paste, about 1 minute.
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, then process for 2 to 3 minutes more, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the food processor a couple of times.
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. Process 5 to 10 seconds to mix.
Store tahini in an airtight container for one month. It might separate over time like a natural peanut butter would. If this happens, give the tahini a good stir before using it.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- 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 just whirling around your processor bowl, you may need a higher-powered processor, or the processor blade may be above the seeds. If you think this is the case, try increasing the sesame seeds in the bowl.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.