Tahini Sauce (Israeli)

Tahini sauce is one of our go-to toppings for a variety of savoury dishes. It's made from tahini, a dense paste made from crushed sesame seeds. Tahini sauce is a mixture of tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and water. This traditional sauce is served in Israel and in Arab countries throughout the Middle East. The sauce is used as a condiment to accompany dishes like hummus, falafel and baba ganoush. It can also be served alongside a kosher meat meal as a dairy-free alternative to cream sauce.

1 cup Tahini Paste, preferably a paste made from light coloured seeds (hulled)
¾ cup lukewarm water, or more for consistency
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced (optional)

Grind tahini paste, lukewarm water, garlic, lemon juice and salt together in a food processor or blender until sauce is creamy and ivory-coloured. A food processor is the easiest way to make this sauce; scrape the sides of the processor periodically during processing. If using a blender, you may need to use a long-handled spoon to break up the thick part of the sauce once every 30 seconds; this will keep it from clogging your blender blades.

After a few minutes of blending, sauce will turn into a rich, smooth paste. If mixture is too thick, slowly add more water until it reaches the preferred consistency. You may need quite a bit of water depending on the thickness of your tahini paste.

If using tahini to top hummus or a meat dish, keep it thick and creamy. As a condiment for pita or falafel, a more liquid sauce is usually preferred. Taste often during the blending process; add more lemon juice or salt, if desired.