Lemon Herb Tahini
A CAVA copycat: six ingredients into a blender, nutty and lemon-sharp with a lot of cilantro. Five minutes, no cooking, and it goes on roasted vegetables, grain bowls, falafel, pitas, grilled meat, or anything that needs a creamy dressing. Makes about 1 cup (eight 2-Tbsp. servings).
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the tahini, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, salt, and 2 Tbsp. of the water in a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding more water a tablespoon at a time until it pours the way you want it.
Notes
- Water sets the texture: 2 Tbsp. makes a thick dip, 3–4 Tbsp. a pourable drizzle. It also mellows the flavor, so a thinner batch tastes milder.
- Keeps 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It thickens as it sits — whisk in a splash of water to bring it back.
- Don't strip the cilantro stems. They carry as much flavor as the leaves and disappear in the blender.
- Fresh herbs only. Dried cilantro is not the same thing and won't work here.
- Herb swaps: parsley, basil, or green onion, alone or mixed with the cilantro.
- If the tahini tastes bitter — jar-dependent — a teaspoon of honey or sugar balances it. Lemon zest pushes it more citrus-forward; jalapeño or crushed red pepper adds heat.
- No blender: chop the cilantro and garlic very fine and whisk everything by hand. It seizes and looks broken when the lemon juice hits the tahini; keep whisking and add the water slowly, and it comes back smooth.
Nutrition
- Serving size
- 2 Tbsp.
- Calories
- 93
- Protein
- 2.5 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Saturated fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 1.5 g
- Sugar
- 0.5 g
- Sodium
- 122 mg
Estimated from the ingredient list, per serving. Not a substitute for a label.