If you find store-bought tahini too bitter or just don't have any on hand, you're going to love this easy hummus with sesame seeds! It's thick, creamy, and made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Plus, you don't need any prepared tahini. We'll make it fresh from sesame seeds right in the food processor.
Enjoy it with raw or pickled veggies, warm pita, or as a spread for sandwiches, wraps, and more. Like my traditional hummus recipe made with tahini, it's so versatile you'll want to make it a weekly staple!
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Your recipe had me when I read No tahini! I followed your recipe to a "T"! All I can say is Yummy!
- Heather
Ingredients
- Canned chickpeas (reserve the liquid!)
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Olive oil
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon juice
- Ground cumin
- Salt
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
How to make hummus with sesame seeds instead of tahini
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over low heat, if using raw seeds.
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid (aquafaba).
- Add the chickpeas, sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and salt to a food processor. Blend until thick and creamy, adding a little aquafaba as needed to thin.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Blend again for a minute or two until silky smooth.
Serving suggestions
Hummus with sesame seeds can be enjoyed in so many ways:
- Spread it on toast or bagels
- Made a sandwich or wrap with roasted veggies
- Turn it into an herby hummus salad dressing
- Toss it with pasta and extra garlic and lemon to make creamy hummus pasta
- Top baked potatoes or oven-baked autumn vegetables
- Stir into quinoa or lemony spinach rice
It's a smooth and creamy, without any bitterness, and full of Mediterranean flavor.
Made this recipe or have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 For even more recipes, join the Veggies Save The Day community. It's less like a newsletter and more like emails between friends.
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Homemade Hummus Without Tahini (Using Sesame Seeds)
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, (1½ cups cooked) drained, liquid reserved
- 3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, See notes*
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- salt, to taste
- 1 pinch paprika , for garnish (optional)
- 1 pinch sumac, for garnish (optional)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the chickpeas, toasted sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and cumin.3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 pinch ground cumin
- Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, and adding reserved chickpea liquid a tablespoon at a time to thin out the hummus.
- Taste and add salt, as needed. Process again.salt
- Transfer the hummus to a container and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
- Before serving, add a pinch of paprika and/or sumac and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Enjoy with vegetables and toasted pita.1 pinch paprika , 1 pinch sumac, 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation.
Patricia Giannelia says
Looks like a great recipe, as at times I do find the tahini a bit strong in flavour. One thing about hummus in general, it also freezes well. So when I make it, I often take half of it, put it into a small container and freeze it, use the fresh and then take the other out when I need it.
Amy Katz says
I like this idea, Patricia! I usually end up gobbling it all up, but good advice.
Sharon M. Slobodow says
I recently made hummus using sunflower seed butter instead of tahini! It tasted great and had a lovely smooth texture.
Amy Katz says
Great idea, Sharon!
Micah says
Just got a food processor and I can’t wait to try this recipe out I L🩵ve hummus! But I didn’t know what tahini was so te sesame seeds are something I can find easly
Amy Katz says
Fantastic! I hope you enjoy it, Micah!
Pamela says
I may have toasted my sesame seeds a bit long, but I found the sesame to be a very prominent amount flavor. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation. I made this with my Vitamix, and it took 5 tablespoons of the reserved liquid before it really started to break down the sesame seeds and smooth out. I did end up adding additional seasoning, but I would definitely consider this a solid starting point for making hummus in the future.
Amy Katz says
Thanks Pamela, these are great notes for anyone making the recipe. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
Rosalind says
So easy to make & delicious!!
Beautiful recipe.
Thank you!
Heather says
Your recipe had me when I read No tahini! I followed your recipe to a “T”! All I can say is Yummy!
Look forward to trying out some of your other recipes.
Thank you
Amy Katz says
So glad you enjoyed it, Heather!
Salome says
I made (and tasted) hummus for the first time. It was super easy to make and tastes delicious! Thank you!
Amy Katz says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Salome!
Sil says
Tasty! I doubled the garlic because, well....we really like garlic 😋 whuch gave it a little heat. Will definitely make it again.
Amy Katz says
You can never have too much garlic in my book!
June says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Not all the time I want to use tahini
Amy Katz says
I hope you enjoy it, June!
JoAnn Bush says
This is delicious! Thank you so much.
Amy Katz says
Thank you, JoAnn! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
David says
I love your comment about not being able to find a commercially made tahini that's not bitter! I'm so not a fan of tahini - or sesame oil, which I (personally) find a bit overpowering - but I have been known to add waaaaay more than the recommended amount of toasted sesame seeds to things, because I love *that* particular taste.
So can't *wait* to try this recipe... except it also got me thinking: can I do similar in other recipes calling for tahini?
Do you have an approximate (and very happy with massive ballpark figure!) measurement of exchange for amount of tahini to replace with just toasted sesame seeds? Is it approximate measurements, eg: 1 teaspoon tahini to 1 teaspoon seeds? Or more seeds?
Thank you! 🙂
Amy Katz says
Hi David! If you want to make your own tahini from sesame seeds, generally 1 cup of seeds will make about 1/2 cup of tahini. You can also process the seeds with a few tablespoons of olive oil to make it even smoother. With 1 cup of seeds and 2 Tablespoons of oil, you'll end up with closer to 1 cup of tahini. I hope you enjoy the hummus!
Jennifer says
It was very to easy to make and delicious!
Amy Katz says
Thank you, Jennifer!
Carol says
If you cook your own chickpeas is the cooking liquid aquafaba?
Amy Katz says
Hi Carol! Yes, that's correct.