Recipe: D.I.Y. Tahini

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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published Aug 13, 2007
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Tahini is a major/strong> ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, and it forms part of the standard recipe for many dips and spreads like hummus and baba ghanoush.

In the Middle East, tahini is just a paste of oil and lightly toasted sesame seeds. With a good food processor or blender it’s a snap to make, and it will keep for a month or so in the fridge. We like to make a big batch to have on hand for impromptu hummus production.

D.I.Y. Tahini
about 2 cups

2 cups white sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat a heavy wide-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast lightly – about 2 minutes, shaking the pan so they toast evenly. Let cool completely.

Put in a food processor and drizzle in the olive oil. Pulse for 3-5 minutes, or until it’s as smooth as you can get it. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Refrigerate.