What to Eat with Tahini – Breads, Vegetables and Sweets

How it works

What to eat with tahini? Start with bread: the sesame paste is a dip by itself. These 46 ideas go on to roasted vegetables, falafel, meat and fish, grains and salads, sweet things and drinks.

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A dip, a sauce and a spread

Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment of ground sesame seeds. As a sauce it is usually thinned with water and mixed with lemon juice, salt and garlic, then put on meat and vegetables or on falafel and shawarma. In many parts of the Middle East it is spread on bread for a quick snack or breakfast, or sweetened with date, grape or carob syrup for dipping.

Thick for dipping, thin for pouring

Left thick, tahini is for dipping bread and raw vegetables. Thinned, it pours over roasted vegetables, grain bowls and grilled meat. It goes into sweet things too: cakes, cookies, halva and ice cream.

Pair it with something sharp or sweet. Lemon, honey or date syrup rounds off the slightly bitter edge.
On a plate of roasted vegetables, put the sauce underneath and the vegetables on top, so they stay crisp.

Questions and answers

What do you eat tahini with?

Bread first: warm pita to dip, or toast with tahini and honey. After that, roasted eggplant or cauliflower, falafel, chicken shawarma, grain bowls, and sweet things such as dates, halva and vanilla ice cream.

Can you eat tahini by itself?

Yes, as a dip. It is also made into salad dressing and is a main ingredient of hummus and baba ghanoush.

What vegetables go with tahini?

Roasted ones above all: eggplant, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, red onions, broccoli and beets. For dipping raw, use cucumber spears, celery sticks, carrot sticks and bell pepper strips.

What sweet things go with tahini?

Dates, fresh figs, banana slices, dark chocolate, yogurt with honey, oatmeal, pancakes and vanilla ice cream. Halva is a sweet made with tahini, and bread dipped in tahini and date syrup is a snack of its own.

What to eat with tahini sauce?

Falafel and chicken shawarma, to begin with. The sauce also goes over lamb kofta, baked white fish, grilled chicken skewers and any roasted vegetable.

All 46 ideas

Bread and things to dip 8

Apple slices A tart apple, a dab of tahini and a pinch of salt.
Bell pepper strips Cut them wide and use them as scoops.
Carrot sticks Sweet and crunchy. Thin the tahini a little so it clings.
Celery sticks The groove holds a good line of tahini.
Cucumber spears Cold and watery against a thick, nutty dip.
Hummus Pour a spoonful into the well on top before the olive oil.
Toast with tahini and honey Spread it like a nut butter and finish with honey or jam.
Warm pita Tear it and dip. The plainest way, and the first one to try.

Roasted vegetables 8

Roasted beets Earthy and sweet, and the pale sauce looks good on them.
Roasted broccoli The crisp tips hold the sauce.
Roasted butternut squash Thick slices, a drizzle and a few toasted seeds.
Roasted carrots Left whole, with the sauce in a stripe across the plate.
Roasted cauliflower Brown it hard, then drizzle while it is still hot.
Roasted eggplant Soft, smoky flesh with tahini spooned over and a squeeze of lemon.
Roasted red onions Sweet, soft wedges that want something nutty on them.
Roasted sweet potatoes Sweet against a faint bitterness. Add a pinch of salt on top.

Falafel, meat and fish 8

Baked white fish Spoon the sauce over a fillet as it comes out of the oven.
Chicken shawarma Sliced thin and wrapped in flatbread, with the sauce inside.
Falafel Tucked in pita with salad, and tahini sauce over everything.
Grilled chicken skewers Plain grilled chicken takes on the lemon and garlic in the sauce.
Grilled lamb chops Rich meat under a sharp, lemony sauce.
Hard-boiled eggs Halved, with a drizzle and a pinch of salt.
Lamb kofta Grilled on skewers, with a bowl of sauce for dipping.
Roasted chickpeas Crunchy from the oven, tossed with a spoonful while warm.

Grains and salads 8

Chopped tomato and cucumber salad Diced small and dressed with lemon, with tahini over the top.
Cold noodles with tahini dressing Toss the noodles while the dressing is loose, then chill.
Couscous Fluffy and plain, under roasted vegetables and a drizzle.
Fattoush A crunchy salad. Thinned tahini makes the dressing.
Grain bowl with greens Tahini thinned with lemon is the dressing that ties a bowl together.
Lentil salad Earthy lentils, herbs and a spoonful of sauce stirred through.
Rice and lentils with fried onions A plain, filling bowl that wants a sauce on top.
Tabbouleh A fresh, sharp spoonful beside the sauce.

Sweet things 10

Banana slices On toast, with tahini underneath.
Bread with tahini and date syrup Swirl the two together on a plate and dip.
Dark chocolate Dip a square, or pour tahini over melted chocolate.
Dates Split one, take out the stone and fill it with tahini.
Fresh figs Halved, with a drizzle and a few sesame seeds.
Halva A sweet made with tahini itself. Crumble it over fruit or ice cream.
Oatmeal Stir a spoonful in at the end, with honey.
Pancakes Tahini first, then something sweet over it.
Vanilla ice cream A thin stream over the top, and a pinch of salt.
Yogurt with honey Thick yogurt and a swirl of each.

Drinks 4

Lemonade with mint Sharp and green, with crushed ice.
Mint tea Hot and sweet, after the meal.
Pomegranate juice Sour and dark red, served cold.
Salted yogurt drink Thin, cold and tangy beside grilled meat.