Taratour, or tahini sauce, is one of the basic sauces of Levantine and Middle Eastern cooking. Four simple ingredients are enough for a creamy, tangy sauce that works with falafel, hummus, vegetables and salads.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup tahini.
- 1–2 tsp salt, as in the original recipe, adjusted to taste.
- About 1/2 cup water, adjusted to the consistency you want.
- 1/4 cup lemon juice.
- Optional: crushed garlic to taste.
How to make taratour
- Put the tahini, lemon juice and salt in a bowl.
- Start mixing, then add the water gradually.
- Keep mixing until the sauce becomes smooth and uniform.
- Adjust the amount of water depending on how thick you want it. Taratour is usually served creamy and relatively thick.
- If you want a stronger flavor, add crushed garlic and mix again.
What comes with tahini besides fat?
Tahini is not just “fat.” Because it is made from sesame seeds, it also provides unsaturated fats, plant protein and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron, although the exact amounts vary by product and processing method.
For claims that tahini “balances cholesterol,” the stronger scientific way to look at it is through replacement: randomized trials show that replacing some saturated fat with unsaturated fat lowers LDL. So tahini’s strength is not that it acts like a cholesterol drug, but that it is a plant source of fat that can replace sources richer in saturated fat within a complete plant-based meal.
Trials testing sesame itself also suggest possible benefits for some cardiovascular risk factors, but the quality of evidence differs across outcomes. We do not need to load tahini with treatment claims beyond what the evidence supports.
Sources: meta-analysis of replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, and recent systematic review of sesame trials and cardiovascular risk factors.
What can you serve with tahini sauce?
- Falafel.
- Hummus with tahini.
- Grilled vegetables.
- Salads.
- Vegan shawarma: soy-protein shawarma with tahini, soy-protein shawarma with garlic sauce, or tofu shawarma.
- Vegan kibbeh or kebab, such as baked lentil kibbeh or soy-protein kebab.
Frequently asked questions
Why does tahini seize up when I add lemon?
The consistency changes when acidic liquid is added, but gradually adding water while stirring brings it back to a smooth sauce.
Can I make taratour without garlic?
Yes. Garlic is completely optional. The basic sauce works with tahini, lemon, water and salt.
How thick should taratour be?
It depends on how you will use it. For falafel and sandwiches, a thicker sauce works well; for salad, you can thin it with a little more water.
Quick summary
Taratour is a popular Eastern Mediterranean tahini sauce served with falafel, salads and vegetables. Mix tahini, lemon juice and salt, then add water gradually until smooth. Garlic is optional.
Made the taratour? Put it next to hummus 😋🌱
One of the simplest and most famous naturally vegan dishes in Arabic cooking. See our hummus with tahini recipe.
