21 tahini recipes
Tahini is a super versatile ingredient with a creamy texture and nutty flavour – get it involved in sauces, dressings, dips and even sweet bakes, using our recipes
Looking for a tahini recipe? Want to make the best hummus? We've got you covered with this collection of savoury and sweet ideas, from koftes with tahini sauce to salads with tahini dressings, tahini cakes to tahini-spiced pastries.
What is tahini?
Made by grinding the toasted hulls of sesame seeds into a paste, tahini is the major ingredient in hummus, halva and baba ghanoush. Its nutty flavour is synonymous with Middle Eastern, North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisines and lends itself well to both sweet and savoury dishes. You can buy the best tahini here.
Savoury tahini recipes
Classic hummus
Tahini is a key ingredient in this velvety chickpea dip, which makes a great addition to a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean mezze feast. Making your own hummus is easier than you'd think, try it here...
Tahini
Making your own tahini is easier than you think. Whip it up for savoury and sweet dishes such as hummus and brownies.
Super-seedy salad with tahini dressing
A tangy tahini and yogurt dressing is the perfect way to finish this veggie salad, packed with prebiotic goodness.
Roast carrots with tahini sauce
Roast carrots and chickpeas and serve with a sauce made of tahini, lemon and garlic. Any leftovers make a great packed lunch.
Deep-fried sprouts with tahini dip
A thick and creamy tahini dip is the perfect partner for these crispy brussels sprouts, ready in just 15 minutes.
Baba ganoush with lavash
Check out our take on traditional Eastern Mediterranean baba ganoush. Comprised of grilled aubergines and tahini, this dip is seriously creamy. What's more, it's vegan too.
Smoked chilli meatballs with tahini-creamed beans
Tahini is the secret ingredient in the creamed beans which these punchy chilli lamb meatballs are served on top of . Try more meatball recipes here.
Baked sweet potatoes with tahini, pine nuts and pesto
Tahini sauce is the ideal topping for these easy baked sweet potatoes. They're simple, vegetarian and gluten-free, making them perfect for a midweek meal.
Cauliflower shawarma with tahini, pomegranate and pine nuts
This recipe comes from Berber and Q in East London. Serving cauliflower whole like this, fresh from the BBQ and smothered in tahini sauce is inspired. Serve by itself or as a side dish. Check out more of our great cauli recipes right here.
Warm hummus with pine nuts, raisins and olives
Turn tahini and a few other storecupboard staples into this vibrant mezze dish, sprinkled with jewel-like pine nuts, raisins and olives.
Veggie koftes with tahini sauce
Check out these spiced veggie koftes with a nutty tahini yogurt sauce. They're a great lunch or light dinner, coming in under 415 calories per serving.
Chicken salad with Japanese tahini dressing
Tahini gives this low-calorie salad a savoury, nutty edge. Ready in just over 30 mins, it makes a perfect quick and easy mid-week meal.
Sesame-crusted lamb
Tahini is used to marinade the lamb here, as well as forming the base of the sauce to serve it with. Load the lot into flatbreads and tuck in. Want to know how to pick and cook the best lamb? Listen to this episode of our podcast to find out!
Sweet tahini recipes
Black and white tahini cookies
With a little help from Edd Kimber, you too can create these dramatic-looking, on-trend cookies. They're made using black tahini, which is slightly more rich and bitter than regular tahini and pairs a treat with white chocolate.
Chocolate and tahini cake
Check out this vegetarian chocolate celebration cake with tahini and honey. This indulgent layer cake is a real crowd pleaser and looks impressive too.
Tahini bundt cake
This recipe from Edd Kimber combines chocolate, tahini and sesame brittle for a really indulgent cake. If you’re not sure how this will taste, think peanut butter and chocolate but with more depth.
White chocolate and tahini cookies
Tahini gives a lovely sweet-salty kick to these crisp, grown-up cookies, while pretzels add extra crunch. We've got plenty more top cookie recipe here.
Tahini brownies
Give these dark chocolate brownies a grown-up Middle Eastern twist with an indulgent salted tahini buttercream topping. Get more top brownie recipes here.
Chocolate tahini and baharat pots
The woody spices in baharat (a Middle Eastern spice blend) work beautifully with dark chocolate and nutty tahini. This is a really rich dessert so you only need a small amount.
Tahini, cardamom and date cinnamon rolls
Check out these easy cinnamon rolls. Tahini, cardamom and dates give these rolls a lovely creamy twist. Bake for a weekend breakfast or for a great mid-morning snack.
Tahini chocolate cookies
Our irresistible version of the classic American Oreo biscuit teams crisp, dark cookies with a creamy tahini buttercream – one will never be enough.
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