5 Reasons To Eat Tahini + The Best Ways To Add To Your Diet

Nuts about nut butter? You're going to love tahini. Made of ground sesame seeds, tahini offers a richer, more savory flavor profile than your standard peanut butter. And it's way more versatile. It's just as good drizzled over greens as it is starring in a cookie recipe. Full of healthy fats, plant-based protein, and boasting benefits from heart health to glowing skin, tahini might just replace your favorite nut and seed butters.  

Not so sure about this whole sesame-seed-butter business? Well, if you've ever had hummus, then you've had tahini. Besides chickpeas, tahini is one of the main ingredients of hummus. Popular in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, you can also find it in babaganoush, an eggplant-based dip. Don't get us wrong, though, tahini is so much more than a behind-the-scenes ingredient. It shines as a salad dressing, swirled into blondies, or simply spread on toast. Sweet or savory, tahini does it all. You can even buy chocolate tahini spreads.

Sesame seeds, the primary component of tahini, are known for their heart-healthy benefits. Specifically, they can help lower cholesterol. High cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, is a major risk factor for heart disease. In one study, patients with high cholesterol who ate 40 grams (about 4.5 tablespoons) of sesame seeds a day for two months saw significant improvements in total cholesterol2 and LDL cholesterol levels.

It's becoming increasingly clear that inflammation is at the root of most chronic diseases. But, just as a poor diet can cause inflammation, a good diet can fight it. Integrative doctor Amy Shah, M.D., explains, "Food is the best lever for change in your inflammatory state. Eating more antioxidant- and polyphenol-rich foods can fight free radicals, which can calm inflammation." That's where tahini comes in. 

Don't let the high-fat content of tahini scare you—it's all healthy fats. While the jury is still out on saturated fat, the kind of fat found in tahini—unsaturated fat—has long been regarded as "good fat." That's because it supports brain function, heart health6, and satiety.

You probably associate calcium with milk and strong bones. As Jessica Cording, R.D., CDN, explains, "Calcium is a mineral that's important for building and maintaining strong bones and for carrying out a large number of body processes such as cell signaling involved in muscle and nerve function and helping blood vessels transport blood through the body." 

Looking to get glowing skin? Look no further than tahini. The nutrient composition of tahini makes it particularly well-suited for supporting skin health. All those good fats in tahini boost the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A and vitamin E, both of which are important for preventing visible signs of aging9. Plus, tahini contains zinc, a building block of the all-important-for-glowing-skin collagen. Collagen is what keeps our skin elastic and supple. 

Tahini is also a source of plant-based iron. Maintaining proper iron levels, a concern for many vegans and vegetarians, is important for hair, skin, and nail strength.

Tahini is like the cool older cousin of your favorite nut butters. With a more subtle nutty flavor, it can be eaten straight from the jar, mixed with chickpeas for a classic homemade hummus, or poured into batter for a sweet treat. Try mixing it with basil, onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar for a versatile green tahini sauce you can drizzle on roasted veggies all week. Or combine it with cacao and honey for a sweet morning spread. You can even use it to spice up your usual sandwich routine, swapping PB&J for T&J.