Lemony Whipped Tahini Sauce is a creamy Middle Eastern sesame dip that comes together in 30 seconds! We love it with grilled chicken, falafel, kofta meatballs, and, of course, fries!
If ever a recipe was close to my heart, it’s whipped tahini sauce. If you’ve ever eaten at or ordered take out from a fabulous Middle Eastern restaurant or food truck, you’ll recognize tahini sauce. It usually comes in absurdly small little plastic containers (and it’s always watered down, too) as if it was worth its weight in gold. And really, it is! There’s never ever enough to dip all of your falafel, kofta, veggies, or fries. Tahini sauce is the poster child for a recipe we love to make at home. It means we can have a potentially bottomless jar of this precious sauce any time we want.
whipped tahini highlights
what is whipped tahini sauce?
Whipping takes tahini sauce to the next level. It’s a combination of tahini, lemon, garlic, salt, and water that turns from a thin sauce consistency to a thick fluffy luxurious dip when you whip it together.
what you’ll need for whipped tahini
- tahini
- sesame paste (most often used in hummus.) I have a recipe for homemade tahini here.
- garlic
- I use one clove, but you can get as garlicky as you want.
- lemon juice
- sea salt
how does this work??
Tahini, a paste made from oil rich sesame seeds, can seize up or thicken when vigorously mixed with water due to a process called emulsification. This is the same process that happens when you make a creamy salad dressing, and it happens with peanut butter, and chocolate, too (have you seen my One Ingredient Chocolate Mousse?) I use an immersion blender to whip up whipped tahini sauce in seconds.
how to whip tahini, step by step
step 1. place ingredients in a tall narrow jar
- The jar should just fit the head of your immersion blender. A snug fit ensures that the blender blades have maximum contact with the ingredients, allowing for efficient blending.
step 2. blend
- Start with the blades at the bottom of the jar and blend, wiggling the head of the blender slightly up and down and around until everything is nicely emulsified. You will see the mixture will be light, fluffy and thickened.
step 3. chill
- Your whipped tahini will thicken even further as it chills.
what to serve with whipped tahini
So many choices here. To start with, whipped tahini can be used in Middle Eastern inspired recipes like:
- The Best Falafel Recipe
- Falafel Salad Bowl
- Chickpea Fries with Lemon Tahini Dip
- Lamb Kofte Skewers
- Lebanese Meatballs
- Moroccan Meatballs
- Kofte Bowl with Warm Spiced Yogurt
You can use whipped tahini in the same way you’d use any appetizer dip, too. Consider serving whipped tahini with:
- Homemade Baked Pita Chips
- Rainbow Crudités
- Fresh veggies and dip
- Veggie Dip Cups
- Fried Olives
- Beer Battered Fried Mushrooms
- Fried Green Beans
- Chickpea Fries with Lemon Tahini Dip
- French fries
Whipped tahini has an affinity for meats:
Whipped Tahini
Equipment
- immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini, be sure to stir the jar really well before measuring.
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
immersion blender instructions
- Put everything EXCEPT the water in a tall narrow quart jar that just fits the head of your blender.
- Place the head of the blender at the bottom of the jar and blend the contents for a few seconds to combine.
- Add the water gradually while blending, moving the blender head up and down and around the jar gently to get everything whipped and thickened. You may not need all the water. It's handy to have a helper at this point. If you're alone, add the water 1/4 cup at a time and blend in between, adding more water as needed until the tahini is pale and thickened.
- Cover the jar and refrigerate until needed. It will thicken as it chills.
regular blender instructions
- Place everything into the blender EXCEPT the cold water. Blend briefly to combine. Then with the blender on drizzle the cold water through the top until the tahini becomes pale and thickened.
- Transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve.
How long will this sauce keep, please?
It will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks, at least.
I always have tahini in the house so i tried this and wow! Can I use this in hummus?
I hadn’t thought about that Joe, but I don’t see why not.
W?hat is a good imnersion blender? I don’t have one. And I haven’t made the recipe yet.
I like cuisinart or KitchenAid, both are great.