The BEST Easy Tahini Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade tahini last in the fridge? ›

How long does homemade tahini last? Homemade tahini can last up to 6 months when you store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It must be refrigerated and be sure to always use clean, dry utensils every time you open the jar.

Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds.

Store-bought jars of tahini can be expensive. Homemade tahini is not only cheaper, but it also tastes amazing. Use tahini to make homemade hummus, tahini dressing, tahini sauce, and more!

Besides eating it straight out of the jar, spreading it on a sandwich or mixing it with chickpeas, garlic and lemon juice to make hummus, there's a laundry list of ways to use tahini.

If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey. And if the flavor is too sharp, mellow it with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Store-bought tahini can either live in a cool dark place or in the fridge (we prefer the pantry, as the fridge can change the consistency of your tahini, making it less silky smooth). If you've mixed your tahini with other ingredients to make a sauce, always keep it in the fridge and use it within 5 days.

But how can you tell if it's spoiled? “Use your eyes and your nose first,” Zitelman says. “So if it looks different or if it smells different, then it probably is different.” Luckily, tahini is less prone to rancidity than sesame oil, although the reasons for that are not entirely clear.

Tahini is a tasty way to add powerful antioxidants and healthy fats to your diet, as well as several vitamins and minerals. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and its health benefits may include reducing risk factors for heart disease and protecting brain health.

Whisk tahini into sour cream and onion dip for some extra flavor, or use it in a white bean dip. You can also blend tahini with roasted vegetables, as in baba ganoush, but no need to stick with eggplant — beets, carrots, and other root veggies make a great dip too.

How to Store Tahini. Since it's very high in oil, keep tahini refrigerated once you've opened it to prevent it from going rancid too quickly. It gets difficult to stir once it's chilled, so be sure to thoroughly mix it before putting it in the refrigerator.

Do you stir tahini before using? ›

Once you get your jar of tahini home, you want to open it up and give it a stir to make sure it's incorporated. (If the oil has fully separated, such as in the photo above, Food editor Joe Yonan uses an immersion blender to reincorporate it, after which he says it stays emulsified.)

They're both healthy, dietitians say. Tahini is lower in carbohydrates and sugars than peanut butter is making it a better choice for people who follow low-carb diets, Politi notes. Both foods are predominantly fat, though peanut butter has a little more protein, Young adds.

It depends on the type of sesame seed used—some have a higher oil-to-meat content—where the seeds are from, and how they're processed. Tahini can be made from unhulled seeds, which yield a more bitter, grittier tahini. The roast level also impacts flavor in the same way it does coffee beans.

Without those common chemical emulsifiers and stabilizers, you usually end up with a hard, dry paste on the bottom of the jar, with a thick film of oil on the top. Which is a problem when you're trying to use it – you need both the paste and the oil combined in recipes that call for tahini!

Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. It offers several nutritional benefits, including anticancer effects, anti-inflammatory compounds, and antibacterial properties, among many others. Tahini is a paste made from toasted, ground sesame seeds. It has a light, nutty flavor.

According to the scientific journal Nutrition Research, consuming 40 grams of tahini a day helps to reduce the average total and LDL (“bad cholesterol”) by 6.4% and 9.5% after 4 weeks, respectively. The good fats in tahini limit the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Once you get your jar of tahini home, you want to open it up and give it a stir to make sure it's incorporated. (If the oil has fully separated, such as in the photo above, Food editor Joe Yonan uses an immersion blender to reincorporate it, after which he says it stays emulsified.)

Tahini has a very earthy flavor and is slightly bitter, but not overpowering. Although the spread resembles peanut butter and other nut butters, it does not have a similarly sweet flavor profile. The toasted sesame seed flavor shines through in this creamy, rich ingredient.