This creamy tahini pasta is nutty, earthy, and slurpable. It combines the richness of tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds, with aromatic garlic, citrusy lemon, and jammy cherry tomatoes to create a luscious pasta sauce with Mediterranean flavors. It's a quick and easy pasta recipe that's protein-rich, naturally vegan, and very customizable.
Ready in just 30 minutes, this delicious lemon tahini pasta is slightly garlicky with sweet acidity from blistered and shrunken cherry tomatoes that get briefly sauteed in a skillet.
Using tahini - a magical ingredient made from ground sesame seeds - is an excellent way to add nutty flavor, protein, healthy fats, and creaminess to pasta.
Serve your pasta with cucumber salad or fennel salad for a delicious and easy weeknight meal! Make a double batch of tahini pasta sauce and drizzle it on everything from roasted vegetables to salads.
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⭐️ Why This Pasta is the Best
- Creamy, nutty, earthy, and slurpable, with bright notes of lemon and garlic, and jammy tomatoes
- Healthy pasta recipe that's protein-rich, nut-free, vegan, and high in fiber & healthy fats
- Quick & easy pasta with tahini sauce using simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes
- Customizable recipe that can be made using your favorite veggies or herbs
- Tahini pasta works great for meal-prep
💬 What is Tahini?
Tahini is a protein-rich paste made from ground sesame seeds that provides nutty flavor that's slightly bitter. Used in both savory and sweet recipes, you can usually find this thick and creamy paste next to peanut butter on grocery store shelves.
Tahini is quite healthy - it's full of healthy fats, high in protein, and includes a variety of nutrients, like iron, calcium, potassium, and B vitamins.
For more tahini recipes, try my vegetarian quinoa bowl, roasted eggplant dip, and hummus.
🍅 Ingredient Notes
- Cherry tomatoes - Not only do they provide sweet and slightly acidic juiciness, but cherry tomatoes give our vegan tahini recipe added texture.
- Garlic - I recommend using fresh garlic for optimal flavor.
- Rotini, rigatoni, or fusilli pasta - I recommend using one of these short pastas in order to catch the thick sauce and let it get into all of the nooks and crannies. However, you can totally use your favorite pasta shape!
- Tahini - This protein-rich paste made from ground sesame seeds provides nutty flavor and thick creaminess. You can usually find this seed butter next to peanut butter on grocery store shelves.
- Juice and zest of one lemon - Using fresh lemon juice (and zest) will make a difference in adding fresh citrus flavor.
- Fresh parsley - Adds bright herby notes that complement the tomatoes and tahini.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Alternative to tahini: You can substitute any nut butter for the tahini. Almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter would all work great.
- Vegetables. Change it up by adding your favorite vegetables, like asparagus, broccoli, or eggplant.
- Herbs. Substitute your favorite seasonal herbs, like rosemary, basil, thyme, or sage.
- Gluten-free version: Substitute gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free meal.
- Protein: Although tahini is protein-rich, you can add more protein, like chickpeas or tofu.
- Spicy. Add an extra pinch of red pepper flakes for extra heat.
🔪 How to Make Creamy Tahini Pasta
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until tomatoes have burst, shrunk down a bit, and start to look jammy. Add minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt, and cook for an additional minute.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Before draining, remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Slowly stream in the reserved cup of pasta water and whisk until smooth.
Add cooked pasta and tahini pasta sauce to pan with cherry tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon or large spatula to toss and combine over medium-low heat, until sauce thickens and clings to the noodles, about 2-4 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes (if using). Season to taste with additional salt if necessary.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- How to store: Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: I don't recommend freezing the cooked pasta. However, you can make a double batch of the tahini pasta sauce and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months (in a freezer-safe container).
- To reheat: Place pasta in skillet with a little water added to help make it creamy. Reheat over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Save pasta water. Make sure you save 1 cup of pasta water before draining pasta. It has a lot of flavor and it contains starch, which thickens the sauce and helps it stick to the pasta. The sauce will be very thin but will thicken as it cools.
- Double your sauce. Make a double batch of tahini sauce and use it on roasted carrots, falafel, or drizzle it over a grain bowl or salad.
- Salt pasta water. Be generous when you salt your pasta water. As the water is absorbed into the noodles, the salt is absorbed along with it, giving it flavor. So, be generous with the salt!
- Tahini tips: Tahini should be thick and creamy. If you get to the bottom of your tahini jar and it's hard, it might be salvageable by adding a few splashes of olive oil. Give it a few stirs and see if that does the trick. If it doesn't help, I don't recommend using it or your pasta will be clumpy.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Tahini sauce is delicious on so many things! Make a double batch and use it on roasted vegetables, falafel, or drizzle it over a grain bowl or salad.
This tahini sauce is made using tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
To make tahini thicker, cook pasta a few minutes longer or add less pasta water to your sauce.
In general, tahini has a long shelf life. However, tahini that is not stored properly with a lid could go rancid. Give it a taste to find out. Much more rarely, mold can develop around the rim of the container (again, it's very rare). If you see any mold, throw out your tahini.
Tahini sauce is quite healthy - it's full of healthy fats, high in protein, and includes a variety of nutrients, like iron, calcium, potassium, and B vitamins.
🍝 More Noodle Recipes
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Creamy Tahini Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound rotini, rigatoni, or fusilli pasta
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 cup pasta water
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until tomatoes have burst, shrunk down a bit, and start to look jammy. Add minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for an additional minute.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Before draining, remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Slowly stream in the reserved cup of pasta water and whisk until smooth.
- Add cooked pasta and tahini sauce to pan with cherry tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon or large spatula to toss and combine over medium-low heat, until sauce thickens and clings to the noodles, about 2-4 minutes. (The sauce will thicken as it cools, so the thinner the sauce, the better.)
- Serve garnished with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes (if using). Season to taste with additional salt if necessary.
Notes
- How to store: Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: I don't recommend freezing the cooked pasta. However, you can make a double batch of the tahini pasta sauce and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months (in a freezer-safe container).
- Save pasta water. Make sure you save 1 cup of pasta water before draining pasta. This has a lot of flavor and will help to make your sauce extra creamy. The sauce will be very thin but will thicken as it cools.
- Double your sauce. Make a double batch of tahini sauce and use it on roasted carrots and green beans, falafel, or drizzle it over a grain bowl or salad.
- Tahini tips: Tahini should be thick and creamy. If you get to the bottom of your tahini jar and it's hard, it might be salvageable by adding a few splashes of olive oil. Give it a few stirs and see if that does the trick. If it doesn't help, I don't recommend using it or your pasta will be clumpy.
Sandy
I love all things tahini and this did not disappoint! I'm glad you mentioned that the sauce thickens as it cools or I wouldn't have added the pasta water. Awesome recipe!
MaryAnne
Thanks so much, Sandy! And yes, thinning the pasta sauce is key. Thanks for leaving a comment! 😍