Carrageenan Free Classic Tahini Sauce
Creamy, garlicky, and bright with fresh lemon, this tahini sauce comes together in minutes with nothing but a bowl and a whisk. Store-bought versions often sneak in stabilizers and thickeners — carrageenan being one of the most common culprits — so making it from scratch is genuinely the smarter move. Here, the magic happens through technique: whisking ice water into the tahini one tablespoon at a time transforms a seized, thick paste into a silky, pourable sauce with no additives required. Ground cumin adds a subtle earthy warmth that rounds out the tang of the lemon, and a handful of fresh parsley stirred in at the end keeps things bright and fresh. It's endlessly versatile — drizzle it over roasted vegetables, grain bowls, grilled meats, or use it as a dip for warm pita. Once you see how easy this is to pull off at home, you'll never reach for the jarred stuff again.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 3–5 tbsp ice water, plus more as needed
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin until the mixture seizes into a thick, pale paste.
- 2
Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition, until the sauce loosens to a smooth, pourable consistency that falls off the whisk in a slow, steady ribbon. Start with 3 tablespoons and add more for a thinner sauce.
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