Tahini Recipes Beyond Hummus (Sauces, Salads, and More)

You bought a jar of tahini to make homemade hummus, but don't stop there. The ground sesame paste can be used in so many other ways. Turn it into sauces and dressings for vegetables, incorporate it into sandwiches and salads, and whip it into various dips. These 11 savory recipes offer plenty of inspiration to get creative with tahini.

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Chilled Carrots With Tahini-Ginger Dressing

Vicky Wasik

In this simple recipe, beautiful sweet carrots are lightly cooked, then tossed in a flavorful dressing that's rich with ginger, cilantro, lemon, and just a touch of tahini.

Chilled Carrots With Tahini-Ginger Dressing
The Best Baba Ganoush

J. Kenji López-Alt

This rich, smoky, creamy baba ganousch is full of charred eggplant, tahini, and olive oil. The key to creating a thick dip is to drain the cooked eggplant of water. A salad spinner makes quick work of it, but you can drain in a colander, too. Mix by hand and serve with warm pita bread and raw veggies.

Baba Ganoush
Creamy Cucumber Salad

Lynn Wolsted

Made with raw cucumbers that you’ll salt and drain of excess water, this simple salad is tossed with a tahini, lemon, dill, garlic, and shallot dressing. The sauce can be prepared up to a week in advance, too, so you can get one step out of the way early.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
Roasted Kale With Tahini Sauce

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

This 20-minute roasted kale dish proves that a little salt, heat, and a lemony tahini drizzle can transform a humble green into a star side. Don’t skip the step of massaging the kale with salt, lemon zest, and oil to tenderize it before roasting on high heat.

Roasted Kale With Tahini Sauce

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar

Jonathan Lovekin

Earthy tahini sauce with lemon and garlic is a perfect match for sweet roasted butternut squash and onion. It’s all topped with toasted pine nuts and a sprinkle of za’atar and parsley. Once you get the hang of making this, try switching out the squash for any root vegetable or tuber.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar
Grilled Chicken and Cabbage Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing

J. Kenji López-Alt

If you have leftover grilled or broiled chicken, this is a tasty way to use it up. Rub the cooked chicken with olive oil, lemon, and garlic, then add it to a bowl with shredded cabbage and red onion. Add a tahini/lemon juice/garlic dressing to the bowl, then sprinkle with tons of fresh herbs and sesame seeds.

Grilled Chicken and Cabbage Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing Recipe
Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

A nice change from chicken or tuna salad, this chickpea salad sandwich filling is full of finely chopped veggies and fresh herbs, all bound together with a mixture of tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Serve it on crusty bread, in a pita, or as a topping for greens.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing

Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

Crispy tofu, creamy avocado, and fresh grapefruit wedges top greens such as baby kale, spinach, or arugula (or a mixture of all three). It’s all dressed with a mixture of grapefruit juice, tahini, miso paste, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey, for a salad that's hearty yet refreshing.

Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing

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Makhloota (Chickpeas and Fava Beans With Tahini)

Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

Brighten up chickpeas and fava beans with a punchy lemon, garlic, and chile sauce, then drizzle it all with olive oil and a creamy tahini dressing.

Makhloota (Chickpeas and Fava Beans With Tahini)
Beef Shawarma

Serious Eats / -Melati Citrawireja

Beef shawarma—paper-thin, spice-marinated beef with irresistible charred edges—is an Arabic classic. Wrapped in warm bread, drizzled with velvety tahini sauce, and brightened with a sharp hit of pickles, it's bold, savory, and downright delicous.

Beef Shawarma
Roasted Eggplant With Tahini, Pine Nuts, and Lentils

J. Kenji López-Alt

Served over stewed lentils with vegetables, this roasted, charred, smoky, meaty eggplant gets topped with a light and creamy tahini sauce and crunchy pine nuts. The sauce is seasoned with cumin and has plenty of garlic and lemon.

Roasted Eggplant With Tahini, Pine Nuts, and Lentils

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Tahini Recipes Beyond Hummus (Sauces, Salads, and More)

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