Tahini Unveiled: Can I Use It Straight from the Jar? (2024)

FAQs

Tahini Unveiled: Can I Use It Straight from the Jar? ›

Spread it Like Butter: Spreadable and rich, tahini straight from the jar is a delightful alternative to traditional spreads. Whether on a slice of warm toast or a rice cake, the nutty goodness of tahini can be enjoyed with minimal effort.

Besides eating it straight out of the jar, spreading it on a sandwich or mixing it with chickpeas, garlic and lemon juice to make hummus, there's a laundry list of ways to use tahini.

Tahini is super as a mild condiment on meats. Use it straight or enhance it with a little lemon juice and smoked paprika and spread it on your burger. Some feta and cucumbers would complete the Mediterranean theme.

We recommend storing your tahini in a cool and dry area, away from heat and moisture. Ideally, a pantry a cabinet would be ideal. Like peanut butter, you can also store tahini in the refrigerator if you like it thicker.

Once you get your jar of tahini home, you want to open it up and give it a stir to make sure it's incorporated. (If the oil has fully separated, such as in the photo above, Food editor Joe Yonan uses an immersion blender to reincorporate it, after which he says it stays emulsified.)

Raw tahini is also an option. To make it, omit the first step of the recipe. However, some research indicates that toasting sesame seeds increases their nutritional benefits ( 45 ). ingredient in hummus, but it can also be used by itself as a dip or spread.

If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey. And if the flavor is too sharp, mellow it with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

The taste will be sour, kind of metallic, and just plain weird. Utilizing a trusty sniff test is another way of finding out if it's time for your tahini to take a one-way trip to the bin. But something that's important to remember is that ground sesame seeds do naturally have a slightly earthy, bitter aftertaste.

If you purchased tahini that seems dry and crumbly, you may want to thin it with oil so it develops a creamier texture. Whisk or stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time of your favorite oil. Keep adding any of these oils until the tahini is smooth and thin: Sesame oil, which gives a nutty flavor.

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It's rich in important nutrients like fiber, protein, copper, phosphorus, and selenium and may reduce heart disease risk and inflammation. What's more, test-tube and animal studies suggest that sesame seeds may have anticancer properties.

How long is tahini safe to eat? ›

“Once the tahini is mixed with water, you're supposed to refrigerate it,” Zitelman says, “but it doesn't last for more than five to seven days in the fridge.”

The bitterness in tahini is nothing like lemon or other strong citrus fruits. If anything, the bitterness in tahini is more comparable to the kind of bitterness you get with some green teas or coffee.

Incorporate it into a sauce

You may also use tahini as a savory sauce by thinning with water and adding lemon juice and chopped garlic for flavor. This condiment can be used on anything from roasted vegetables to grilled meats. You can even use it to make barbecue sauce.

If you purchased tahini that seems dry and crumbly, you may want to thin it with oil so it develops a creamier texture. Whisk or stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time of your favorite oil. Keep adding any of these oils until the tahini is smooth and thin: Sesame oil, which gives a nutty flavor.

It's exactly the same process as turning peanuts into peanut butter. The result is a very rich paste, delicious by itself in very small quantities – try a smear on your avocado toast – but usually appearing as an ingredient in other dishes and preparations. You'll see tahini labelled as hulled or unhulled.

A lesser known use for tahini is as a healthy spread for toast. It makes a great alternative to peanut butter or avocado toast, and is perfect for people with nut allergies.