Homemade Tahini Paste Recipe

Prep time 2 mins | Cook time 5 mins | Total time 7 mins

The scenario you’re all familiar with:  Really in the mood for some homemade hummus.  Garbanzo beans?  Check.  Olive oil?  Check.  Lemons?  Check.  Garlic?  Check.  Tahini paste?  Dang it.

Don’t let that stop you again.  It’s super simple to make yourself and tastes even better than store-bought! Adopted from The Daring Gourmet
 
Serves: Makes just under ¾ cup

Ingredients

1 cup hulled sesame seeds
3 tablespoons or more extra virgin olive oil (see Note)

Instructions

1. Heat a clean, dry cast iron or heavy duty skillet over medium high heat and add the sesame seeds. Stir frequently until they begin to turn golden brown and then stir constantly. Be careful, sesame seeds burn very easily.
2. Once they're toasted, let them cool a few minutes then add them to a food processor.
3. Start by adding 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Process the mixture into a paste, scraping down the sides. Add more olive oil until you reach the desired consistency (*see Note)
4. Makes a little less than ¾ cup tahini paste, depending on how much olive oil you use.
5. Store the tahini paste in the refrigerator in an airtight jar. Will keep for several months.

Notes
* The texture may be slightly gritty, which isn't a problem, you won't notice it at all when you use it to make hummus for example. But if you want it a little smoother you can run it again through a high-powered food blender (I used my Vitamix).

* Instead of olive oil you can also use sesame oil, but olive oil is traditional. (Use raw sesame oil, not toasted, or the tahini will have an overpowering "Chinese food" flavor.)