This rich and creamy tahini pasta sauce may be the easiest and most delicious vegan sauce that you can make! Just toss some tahini in a blender with some garlic, spices, and some pasta water and blend into a delicious, healthy, oil-free pasta sauce.
This creamy Mediterranean-flavored pasta sauce is made from tahini blended with lemon and rich umami flavors like Liquid Aminos and nutritional yeast.
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❤️ Why make tahini pasta
If you are looking for a creamy oil-free pasta sauce that can be made in just minutes, this tahini sauce is the recipe that you have been looking for.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Pasta - Any size or shape of pasta that you like will work for this dish. You can check my vegan pasta brands post if you need help finding vegan pasta.
- Tahini - This is the base of the pasta sauce. Tahini is made from sesame seeds ground into a paste with a peanut butter-like consistency. You can use any other nut butter that you wish instead of the tahini, but it will change the flavor.
- Garlic - Fresh minced garlic is the most flavorful, but you can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead if needed.
- Nutritional Yeast - This gives the sauce even more of an umami flavor. (Nutritional yeast is optional, so feel free to omit it if you would like to.)
- Bragg's Liquid Aminos - For flavor. This is similar to soy sauce and you can use soy sauce or Tamari instead if you choose.
- Lemon Juice - For a delicious lemony flavor to brighten up the sauce. You can use either freshly squeezed lemon or bottled.
- Red Pepper Flakes - For a little bit of heat.
- Pasta Water - This is the hot starchy water that the pasta cooks in. Use it to thin out the sauce. You can also use vegetable broth instead if you wish.
- Parsley - fresh parsley pairs perfectly with this pasta sauce and lightens it up. (Fresh Parsley is optional but highly recommended.)
🔪 Helpful tools
- Blender - for mixing up the sauce. If you don't have one, simply mix the ingredients with a fork or a whisk and mince the garlic separately.
🥄 How to make tahini pasta
Step 1 - Boil pasta in a large pot of water according to package instructions. Be sure to salt your water.
Step 2 - While your pasta is cooking, to a blender add 1/4 cup of tahini, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 2/3 cup of the pasta's cooking water. Blend until creamy.
Step 3 - Drain your pasta and toss it with the tahini sauce.
Step 4 - Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes, and serve hot.
➕ Add in options
This creamy tahini pasta sauce is a great simple sauce for a quick and easy meal, but you can also add various vegetables to it as well. These are some of my favorite add-ins.
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Kalamata Olives
- Steamed Broccoli
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Steamed Kale
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Lemon Zest
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Pan-fried Tofu
- Breaded Tofu
- Baked Tofu
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Serve the pasta hot. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- This tahini sauce makes a great salad dressing and sandwich spread too!
❓ Frequently asked questions?
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It has a texture similar to nut butter and a slightly nutty umami taste.
This tahini sauce is not only delicious on pasta, but it makes a great salad dressing too. I also love it drizzled over tofu, couscous, or rice, and it makes a yummy sandwich spread.
This pasta sauce is naturally gluten-free as long as you use Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tamari. Traditional soy sauce contains wheat. Simply pour the sauce over your favorite gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free meal.
🥡 How to store and reheat tahini pasta
Refrigerate: This tahini pasta will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: The tahini sauce freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the tahini pasta in the microwave for about 3 minutes per serving or add a tablespoon of water and reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.
🌟 More vegan pasta recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Tahini pasta recipe
Tahini Pasta
Equipment
- Blender optional
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 (16 oz) package pasta (any shape that you choose)
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2/3 cup pasta water (or broth)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup parsley (fresh chopped for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions.
- While your pasta is cooking, to a blender add 1/3 cup of tahini, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 2/3 cup of the pasta's cooking water. Blend until creamy.
- Drain your pasta and toss with the tahini sauce.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes, and serve hot.
Notes
- Serve the pasta hot. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- This tahini sauce makes a great salad dressing and sandwich spread too!
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Kalamata Olives
- Steamed Broccoli
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Steamed Kale
- Spinach
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Pan-fried Tofu
- Breaded Tofu
- Baked Tofu
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
This sauce was delicious, and you were right, the parsley is key! So good!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Is it 1/3 cup of tahini or 1/4?
So sorry for the typo, it's 1/3 cup of tahini. 🙂
Hi - There's 1/3 cup tahini in the ingredients but mentions 1/4 cup in the directions. 🙂
So sorry for the typo, it's 1/3 cup of tahini. It's fixed now.