Tahini’s base ingredient is sesame, that oilseed crop that has a 4000-year-old history in the much-celebrated Mesopotamia. We’re using it to prepare some traditional dishes from the Arabic world and a few not-so-traditional tahini recipes.
So, how about letting the hummus, baba ganoush, halva, and other tahini recipes enchant your palate and imagination? Let them speak for themselves about how special an ingredient this magic condiment spread is. You can find even more tips and inspiration on cooking with tahini here and also tips for a better hummus here.
7 storybook tahini recipes
1. Sunflower Seed Halva
Have you ever tried some halva? It’s delicious! You know, you can make it yourself and it actually doesn’t require much in the way of skill. It’s all about frying and blending sunflower seeds, mixing them with powdered sugar and butter, flavoring with vanilla extract and then forgetting about them in the refrigerator for 3 hours. The actual time spent in the kitchen: about 15 minutes. How’s this for one of those tahini recipes that never grows old?
2. Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush translates to “happy dad” in Arabic, but he’s not gonna be the only happy person after serving this dish. It’s a starter that consists of roasted eggplant, mixed with some tahini, olive oil, and various seasonings. Some variations even include using tomatoes or pomegranate, if you’re feeling a bit playful.
3. Low-Carb Baba Ghanoush
You can enjoy this simple and delicious baba ganoush whenever you’re following a low carb diet. Ditch the bread from the equation and try it with carrot or celery sticks.
4. Spicy Tortilla With Tahini Sauce
Looking to treat yourself with a delicious snack? Let’s try something exotic today. How about a Middle Eastern snack. And this one here is so easy to make. It’s a spicy, roasted tortilla served with tahini sauce. This tahini sauce is one of our favorite dips, one we dearly invite you to try.
5. Creamy Tahini Eggplant Spread
The deliciously creamy texture of this dish will win your heart for sure. Just upgrade with yogurt and tahini the eggplant’s pleasantly smoky taste. This is a spread, but it can be served as a dip, too. So, serve it either with toast or with some snacks.
6. Roasted Garlic Hummus
Want to bring something new to the classic hummus recipe? You can add some roasted garlic into the mix. Wrap it in aluminum foil and cook it into the oven for about 20 minutes. That will help release the flavor and bring the hummus a new, garlicky flavor. We’ve totally enjoyed it. Do you?
7. Classic Hummus With Toasted Pine Nuts
Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern snack made from mashed chickpeas, blended with a bit of olive oil, tahini, lemon/lime juice, and seasoning to your liking. Nowadays you can find it in most grocery stores, but we find the homemade version to be much better. If you’ve never tried it, we highly recommend that you do, being one of our all-time favorite snacks.
