Is Tahini Sauce Vegan? Here’s What You Should Know…

Here's everything you need to know about the vegan status of tahini sauce...

Ordinarily, yes - tahini sauce is vegan.

But to fully answer the question, we need to address the difference between tahini sauce and tahini paste (also simply referred to as tahini).

Whereas tahini paste generally consists of ground sesame seeds and nothing else, tahini sauce is thinner and contains multiple ingredients. Here are some typical elements of tahini sauce:

• Tahini paste
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Parsley

Now this is where it can get tricky: some tahini sauces may contain non-vegan items like yogurt, though these sauces are most likely to be homemade.

Be especially wary when you eat out and ask for a list of ingredients when tahini sauce is on the menu.

It usually won't have things like yogurt, but it's always best to ask.

What you'll usually find in the store is tahini paste, a vegan staple full of heart-healthy fats, calcium and magnesium. Again, it's usually just ground sesame seeds.

It's when you eat out that it's mixed with the ingredients above.

Let's take a look at a tahini ingredient statement...

Here's what's in Roland Tahini (linked above):

Ingredients: Pure Ground Sesame Seed.

That's it! However, some tahini pastes may have added oils.

Okka and Woodstock both make vegan-friendly tahini that you can find online, at Wholefoods or at your local supermarket (linked below).

There are also many brands or generic versions of tahini. You'll usually find it in the international section or by the peanut butter.

Okka Tahini Paste

A popular brand that's in a lot of grocery stores including Whole Foods and widely available online.

Woodstock Tahini Paste

Woodstock is another brand that you'll commonly see around.

Again, there are so many different tahini brands out there and they're all pretty much the same.

Tahini is a very common vegan condiment, but there are so many more out there! 

Take a peek at our list of vegan condiments to stock your kitchen with.

Here are some that similar to tahini: