Description
This dairy-free tzatziki sauce uses tahini (i.e. sesame butter) for its creamy base.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/3 cup well-stirred tahini*
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed, grated, or finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Persian or kirby cucumber
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, like cilantro, dill, mint and/or parsley
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and whisk into a lumpy mixture.
- Add 3 tablespoons water and whisk into a creamy sauce. At first the sauce may seem broken, but keep whisking and it’ll come together.
- Grate the cucumber (with its skin) on a box grater. Working with a handful at a time, squeeze all the liquid out of the cucumber (I usually do this over the sink).
- Add the cucumber to the sauce, along with the herbs, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Garnish with olive oil if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Look for tahini in the international foods aisle or next to the other nut butters. Tahini brands vary vastly – some are a lot more bitter than others. Choose one that’s lighter-colored and has a pourable consistency, preferably a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean brand. Some good brands are: Soom, Krinos, Joyva, Beirut, and Whole Foods 365. Avoid Once Again and Wegmans for this sauce.
- Give your tahini a good stir with a butter knife before measuring it out, since the oil tends to separate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.1 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 4 g
