Having a few really good sauces and dips up your sleeve is key to creating easy, adaptable, and delicious dinners. With just 5 ingredients and ready in minutes, this lemon herb tahini sauce is one of those sauces you'll be sure to make again and again.
Use for serving on roasted veggies, falafel, as part of a grain bowl, alongside some tofu or tempeh, or as a dip for salad rolls. It is also perfect drizzled over some lightly steamed veggies such as broccoli or yam.
Ingredients
Make using simple pantry staples, you may have everything on hand already. Be sure to use fresh herbs, either grown yourself or purchased.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Tahini: I like to use hulled and roasted tahini for this lemon herb tahini sauce, it has the best flavour and creamy texture, but any tahini will work. Unhulled tahini will make a darker coloured sauce but will provide more fibre and a slightly more bitter flavour. See tahini substitutes.
- Garlic: fresh garlic is best here, but for those who cant eat fresh, garlic powder will also work as a substitute.
- Lemon: again fresh lemon juice is best in this recipe, it will have much more flavour than bottled juice.
- Herbs: I used flat leaf parsley and cilantro in this recipe, but chives, mint, basil or a combination of any of all or any of these fresh herbs will be delicious. Dried herbs will not have the same punch and should not be used as a replacement.
How to Make Tahini Sauce
Step 1: add all the ingredients but the herbs to a small food processor or blender.
Step 2: blend until very smooth and creamy.
Step 3: add the herbs (tear them up beforehand to make mixing easier).
Step 4: blend again to chop the herbs and incorporate, and serve.
Top Tips
- Reduce the recipe: if you're cooking for one, this lemon herb tahini sauce can easily be halved for a smaller serving.
- Increase the recipe: if you're wanting lots, double it to eat throughout the week.
- Add more herbs: up the herbs to ½ cup if you want more herb flavour.
- For dry tahini: add 2 tablespoons of olive oil if your tahini isn't fresh and runny.
- Make your own tahini: blend raw or roasted sesame seeds in a food processor until smooth and creamy, just as you would to make nut butter.
How to Store
- Storage: lemon tahini sauce will stay good in the fridge storied in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: it is not recommended to freeze this recipe.
FAQ
What's the best tahini to use?
There are two types of tahini, a light and a dark—the light is made with hulled seeds and is easier to find, while the dark is made with unhulled seeds. The unhulled version is stronger tasting and has a bitter taste, but is higher in fibre. In this recipe I used the lighter, hulled, version, but use what you like.
How can I make tahini sauce without a blender?
If you don't have a blender, try mixing all the ingredients in a bowl starting with the tahini and water, then add the salt, lemon, zest, and oil. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Finley chop the fresh herbs and add stir them in before adjusting the seasoning.
What is the difference between tahini and tzatziki sauce?
Tahini alone is just sesame seed paste or butter, like peanut butter but made from sesame seeds. Tzatziki is a yogurt dip with garlic and other ingredients added.
More Vegan Dips and Sauces
If you make this Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce or any other vegan snacks on Wholehearted Eats, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more WHE, follow along on Instagram or subscribe for new posts via email.
Recipe
Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Blender or mini processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 4 to 6 tablespoon water
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt this will vary depending on tahini. Start with ¼ teaspoon and taste to adjust.
- ¼ cup chopped herbs try a mix of chives, parsley, and cilantro
Instructions
- In a small food processor or blender add the tahini, lemon juice, 4 tablespoons water, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.½ cup tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice, 4 to 6 tablespoon water, 2 cloves garlic, ¼-½ teaspoon salt
- Next add the herbs and pulse to combine.¼ cup chopped herbs
- Add up to 2 tablespoons more water if you want a runnier sauce and mix again to combine. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- To make a fully green sauce, try pureeing all the ingredients in a blender or small food processor until smooth.
- Not all tahini is created equally. For this recipe, I love to use a toasted sesame seed tahini (if it is not toasted the label will say "raw"), as well as one that is nice and runny! If you are using an older or dry tahini, try adding a little extra oil or hot water to rehydrate it.