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Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce

Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce

Creamy lemon herb tahini sauce made with tahini, fresh lemon, garlic, herbs, and a backbone of extra virgin olive oil. It whisks together in 10 minutes into a smooth, pourable sauce for bowls, vegetables, falafel, and more.

By Olivea Kitchen | Published June 12, 2026

Jump to Recipe
Prep 10 min
Cook 0 min
Total 10 min
Easy

Why We Love This Recipe

Lemon herb tahini is a Mediterranean staple that pairs nutty sesame with a bright lift of lemon and a backbone of Olivea extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil rounds out the tahini and brings its own monounsaturated fats and polyphenols, including hydroxytyrosol.

Nothing here is cooked, so the oil and the tahini both go in raw and keep their character. Tahini contributes calcium, iron, and plant protein, lemon adds vitamin C, and fresh herbs and garlic round it out. It is the kind of sauce that makes a bowl of vegetables feel like a meal.

Drizzle it, dip into it, or use it as a dressing: it is one of the easiest ways to get more extra virgin olive oil and plants onto your plate.

View Nutrition Facts

Recipe Success Tips

Stir the tahini jar well first.

Tahini separates as it sits, with a layer of oil on top and a dense paste below. Stir it thoroughly, right down to the bottom, before you measure, or your sauce will be unevenly thick and bitter. A clean, narrow spatula makes this easier.

Do not panic when it seizes.

When lemon juice and garlic hit tahini, the mixture suddenly turns thick, pale, and pasty. This is completely normal and even a good sign. Keep whisking and add water a little at a time, and it will loosen into a silky, pourable sauce.

Add water gradually.

Cold water is what takes tahini from a stiff paste to a smooth, drizzle-able sauce. Add it a tablespoon at a time, whisking between each addition, until you reach the consistency you want. It always takes more water than you expect.

Use a good olive oil for body.

A few tablespoons of fresh extra virgin olive oil give the sauce a rounder, richer flavor and smooth out tahini's edge. Since it is never heated, the oil's fruity, peppery notes come through, so reach for a quality oil like Olivea.

Taste and balance at the end.

Tahini sauce lives or dies on the balance of lemon, salt, and garlic. Once it is smooth, taste it and adjust: more lemon for brightness, more salt to bring it to life, a splash of water if it is too thick. It should taste lively, not flat.

Ingredients

8
servings
  • 1/4 cup Olivea Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup tahini, well stirred
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 3 tbsp cold water, plus more as needed
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Microplane
Citrus Juicer
Measuring Spoons

How to Cook Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce

PREP

1
Grate the garlic to a paste and finely chop the parsley. Stir the jar of tahini all the way to the bottom so the oil and paste are fully recombined before you measure it.

WHISK

2
In a medium bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice and garlic. It will seize and turn thick and pasty almost immediately, which is exactly what should happen. Keep whisking.
3
Whisk in the Olivea extra virgin olive oil, then add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, whisking after each, until the sauce loosens into a smooth, pourable cream.

FINISH

4
Stir in the parsley, salt, and cumin if using. Taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, or water until it is bright, savory, and just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Recipe Notes

Drizzle this sauce over roasted vegetables, grain bowls, falafel, and salads, or use it as a dip for warm bread and raw vegetables. It is especially good spooned over grilled fish or lemon chicken, or spread onto warm sourdough focaccia.
Swap or add herbs: cilantro, mint, and dill all work beautifully. Stir in a spoonful of harissa or a pinch of smoked paprika for warmth, or add extra garlic and lemon for a sharper, punchier sauce.
Tahini sauce belongs to the same family of quick, no-cook dressings built on good olive oil. A bright lemon vinaigrette and a bold chimichurri rojo are two more worth keeping in the fridge.
Store the sauce in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will thicken as it chills, so whisk in a splash of cold water to loosen it back to a pourable consistency before serving.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts
Serving size 2 tablespoons
Calories 150
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g19%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Trans Fat 0g
Unsaturated Fat 12.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 150mg7%
Total Carbohydrate 4g1%
Dietary Fiber 1.5g5%
Total Sugars 0g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 10mcg1%
Vitamin C 4mg4%
Calcium 45mg4%
Iron 1.2mg7%
Potassium 60mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Best No-Cook Way to Get Olive Oil Benefits

Whisked together cold, this sauce keeps both the tahini and the olive oil raw, so the polyphenols stay intact. For a steady daily dose without any whisking, the Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement delivers concentrated olive polyphenols in a single capsule.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Lemon tahini sauce is a smooth, creamy Mediterranean sauce made from tahini (ground sesame paste), fresh lemon juice, garlic, and water, enriched here with extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs. It is used as a dressing, dip, and drizzle across Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
Whisk tahini with lemon juice and grated garlic until it seizes and thickens, then whisk in olive oil and add cold water a little at a time until smooth and pourable. Finish with chopped herbs, salt, and a pinch of cumin, then taste and adjust.
That is completely normal. Tahini seizes when it first meets lemon juice and garlic, turning thick and pasty. Do not add more tahini or give up; just keep whisking and add cold water gradually, and it will loosen into a silky sauce.
A few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil round out tahini's flavor and add richness, body, and its own monounsaturated fats and polyphenols. Because the sauce is never cooked, a fresh oil like Olivea brings fruity, peppery notes straight into the bowl.
It is endlessly useful: drizzle it over roasted vegetables, grain bowls, falafel, and grilled meats or fish, use it as a salad dressing, or serve it as a dip for warm bread and crudites. It turns simple vegetables into a full meal.
Stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator, it keeps for up to 5 days. It thickens as it chills, so whisk in a splash of cold water to bring it back to a pourable consistency before serving.
Yes. Made with tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and herbs, it is naturally vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It does contain sesame, which is a common allergen, so keep that in mind when serving a crowd.
Yes. Leave it out for a milder sauce, or use a smaller amount of roasted garlic for sweetness without the raw bite. You can also add a little more lemon and herbs to keep the flavor bright.

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