i’ve been waiting quite a while to post this recipe. i was most familiar with tahini as an ingredient in hummus. my mom would buy it at the health food store a few times a year when she would whip up hummus. but aside from that, we never used tahini in our house. until i went dairy free years ago. since then, it’s been an all-time favorite ingredient of mine (if you do a quick search on my site, a plethora of recipes will pop up!). it’s that kind of pantry staple that lends depth, flavor, and creaminess in just about any and every dish you could imagine. be it salad dressings, soups, drizzled on your favorite mains and salads, tahini is a rich and satisfying partner to whatever it is you’re preparing regardless of whether you’re whipping it or not.
add that tahini with a few other basic ingredients to a food processor, and you’ve got yourself the smoothest and frothiest sauce to spread, drizzle, and add to all the things. you can serve this dip/sauce immediately after you make it, which will be a bit on the warm side from the motor of your food processor. or, you could store it in your fridge and serve it within 5-7 days. this obviously will result with a colder sauce/dip, and will have seized a bit and have a thicker consistency. this is completely normal and great to serve as a dip. but, if you would like it to be thinner and more on the drizzling side of spectrum, just whisk a bit of water in a little at a time to get your desired consistency - don’t forget to taste it after and season the tahini if need be, the water can dilute it, especially if you add enough.
this is the kind of sauce that elevates any dish really - it turns bland grilled chicken is completely different meal. it magically makes roasted veggies more appealing, or a salad more creamy and exciting. whatever random (or non random) meals or ingredients you have in your fridge, whipped tahini will 100% make them more satisfying - promise!
also! we’ve started a hashtag! if you make any of the sauces from this sunday series, you can hashtag them on instagram with: #prepsaucesunday so we can all share in the fun, and hopefully get even more ideas on how we’re using these sauces throughout the week!
xo!!
method
place the tahini, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt into the container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade. with the engine running, drizzle in the cold water 1/3 cup at a time until you have reached your desired consistency. for me, this usually takes about 1 cup of water to achieve a frothy, light sauce. if you want it on the thicker side, do not add as much water.
taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic, lemon juice, and/or salt. store whipped tahini sauce in an airtight jar or container in your refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.
ingredients
1 cup tahini paste
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup - 1 cup cold water
