Tahini is central to Middle Eastern cooking and a versatile ingredient globally. Here's what to use when you're out.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds — either raw or lightly toasted. It is a staple of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African cuisines, where it serves as the base of hummus and baba ghanoush, as a sauce for grilled meats and falafel, as a dressing for salads, and as a flavouring in desserts like halva.
Good tahini has a smooth, pourable consistency and a balanced flavour: nutty, slightly bitter (from the sesame seed skin), and rich. Hulled tahini (made from seeds with skins removed) is smoother and milder; unhulled tahini is more bitter and robust.
The best nut-free substitute for tahini. Similar smooth, seed-butter consistency and similarly mild, slightly earthy flavour. Lacks tahini's distinctive bitter sesame note — add a small amount of toasted sesame oil (1/2 tsp per tablespoon) to bring it closer. Works very well in hummus, dressings, and sauces.
Natural cashew butter has a smooth, creamy texture and mild, slightly sweet flavour that works well as a tahini substitute in most applications. Less bitter than tahini — the result will be rounder and sweeter. Works particularly well in dressings and dessert applications.
Natural almond butter is nuttier and slightly more bitter than cashew butter, making it a reasonable tahini approximation. Choose natural, unsweetened almond butter — the consistency should be runnier like tahini. Slightly stronger flavour than tahini.
Peanut butter works structurally in place of tahini but imparts a pronounced peanut flavour. Use natural peanut butter (runnier consistency, no added sugar or oil). Works best in applications where a peanut note is welcome — satay-style sauces, certain cookies, smoothies.
Provides the sesame flavour but is a liquid oil, not a paste. Works well in marinades and dressings where a small amount of sesame flavour is needed but the paste form is not required. Significantly more intense than tahini — use sparingly.
Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden, cool, then blend with a neutral oil (2 cups seeds + 2–3 tbsp oil) until smooth. This is one of the easiest pantry staples to make from scratch and produces excellent results.
Nut-free: Sunflower seed butter and DIY tahini are nut-free. All nut butters (cashew, almond, peanut) are not. Vegan: All listed substitutes are vegan. Gluten-free: All listed substitutes are gluten-free. Sesame allergy: If substituting due to sesame allergy, avoid sesame oil. Use sunflower seed butter or cashew butter and omit sesame oil additions.