Can You Freeze Tahini?
Quick Answer
You can freeze tahini indefinitely. To do this effectively, follow these steps:
- Pre-freeze tahini portion sizes on a baking sheet in the freezer.
- Transfer frozen portions to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Read on for more detail
Tahini is probably most well known for itโs earthy, nutty flavor contribution to hummus, but itโs much more versatile than you may currently know.
There are few sauces that measure up to the deep, rich flavor of a great tahini sauce, and itโs a great alternative to nut butter as a spread for your toast, just to name a few.
If youโre now encouraged to go out and buy yourself a huge container of tahini, please do so with the full confidence that anything you donโt use immediately can be stored long-term and with little trouble.
Can you freeze tahini? You can freeze tahini and keep it indefinitely. You will want to pre-freeze it overnight before freezing them for good in smaller portion sizes for easy thawing. Itโs relatively sensitive to temperature fluctuations, but freezing tahini is a great way to maintain the quality in the long-term without risking it going bad.
This article will walk you through all the best practices for freezing tahini effectively, along with some other interesting and important tahini facts.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, usually hulled and raw, though you can find unhulled and/or roasted options as well.
The hulled, raw version of tahini is light and creamy. Unhulled tahini has a more bitter flavor because itโs made from the whole seed. The bitterness makes it less popular, though more nutritious, since a lot of the fiber and other minerals are found within the seed hull.
Raw sesame seeds are quite neutral in flavor, offering nothing more than a slightly seedy, unobtrusive taste. As the seeds are roasted, the flavor deepens into an intensely nutty, smoky flavor. Itโs more obvious in recipes and is less popular for this reason.
Itโs very common in Middle Eastern cuisine, as well as in Mediterranean and North African foods. Itโs a condiment youโd find on tables as frequently as youโd see butter or margarine in North America.
Does Tahini Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes, it is a good idea to keep your tahini in a cold location once itโs been opened to prevent the oils from going rancid. As with all seeds and nuts, that can happen over time.
If your tahini is refrigerated, it will keep for many months, though if you freeze it carefully, it will keep almost indefinitely.
Freezing Tahini
If youโre relatively new to using tahini in your recipes, a 16 oz jar might seem a bit intimidating, especially when you only need a couple of tablespoons to make a full batch of hummus.
Freezing tahini is the perfect solution, especially if you first partition it into single-serving sizes. We donโt recommend freezing the entire container of tahini, whether itโs in glass or plastic, because itโs when you want to use some, youโll have to thaw the entire container.
As mentioned previously, tahini is sensitive to temperature fluctuations, so the more stable you can keep it, the longer it will last for you. By freezing it in individual portion sizes you wonโt have to thaw your entire batch of tahini just to get what you need for a single recipe.
Creating Individual Portions Sizes for Freezing Tahini
If you have one or a few specific recipes that you use tahini for, separate your tahini into portions that are suited to those recipes. For example, if your favorite hummus recipe calls for ยผ cup of tahini, freeze the tahini in ยผ cup portions.
Tahini is thick and sticks together well. So you’ll want to follow these steps when freezing it:
- First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out portion sizes into small balls and space them evenly across your baking sheet.
- Put it into your freezer uncovered and leave until thoroughly frozen. 1โ2 hours should be sufficient, but you can leave overnight as well.
- When your tahini balls are completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or Tupperware container. Do your best to remove as much air as possible.
Ice cube trays can also work really well to freeze individual portion sizes. Theyโll typically hold about 2 tablespoons inside each cube space.
For this method, it’s even easier to freeze small tahini portions:
- Before you add your tahini, line the entire tray with plastic wrap, with extra hanging off each side and extra pulled up in the center.
- This way, once the cube holes are filled, you can simply slice the plastic wrap and create tiny tahini bundles perfect for freezing.
- As long as theyโre individually wrapped, you donโt have to freeze them first but can just add all the individual bundles into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or Tupperware container.
The extra wrapping will add even more protection, preserving the tahini indefinitely as long as they stay completely frozen.
Defrosting Frozen Tahini
Defrosting tahini is as easy as it could possibly be.
Remove as much as you need from the freezer and place it in a small bowl. Cover with a plate or towel and leave it on your counter to thaw. It will probably take 10 โ 15 minutes to defrost completely, but you can stir occasionally to speed up the process.
Once your tahini is completely thawed, youโll want to give it a good mix with a fork or whisk to bring it back to its original consistency. You can then add it to your recipe or use it in any way youโd like.
If you donโt you everything youโve defrosted, transfer it to a container that seals air-tight and keep it in your fridge. Itโs not a good idea to re-freeze anything, let alone tahini, but it will last for a week or more in your fridge.
Alternative Methods for Storing Tahini
More often than not, youโll see people storing tahini in their fridge. It will last a very long time this way, especially if it stays well sealed and you donโt cross-contaminate with other spreads or outside ingredients.
One of the benefits of storing tahini in your fridge is that the oil wonโt separate when itโs cool like it does if kept at room temperature. Before putting it in your fridge for the first time, give it a really good stir to make sure the oil is well distributed.
When youโre ready to use it, take out as much as you need and return the main container to the fridge as quickly as possible to keep it the oil from rising back to the surface.
Tahini Benefits
Tahini is made from sesame seeds, so the benefits are the same as you would enjoy from eating the seeds themselves raw or roasted.
The most notable benefit is the high-fat content. In a 15 gram serving, youโll get about 8 grams of fat, most of them of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated variety.
This type of fat has been shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory powers that decrease your risk of developing nearly all chronic diseases, including heart disease.
Tahini is also a good source of antioxidants and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
The specific type of antioxidants in sesame seeds have been noted to have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, providing very targeted nutrition to your brain that might help protect you against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsonโs and Alzheimerโs.
In some alternative medicinal techniques, tahini is even used as an anti-bacterial agent.
Nutritional Data for Tahini
Per 1 tablespoon (15g) raw, stone-ground sesame seed tahini | ||
Calories | 85.5 | |
| Grams | Daily Value |
Carbohydrates | 3.9 |
|
Fiber | 1.4 |
|
Fat | 7.2 |
|
Saturated | 1.0 |
|
Monounsaturated | 2.7 |
|
Polyunsaturated | 3.2 |
|
Protein | 2.7 |
|
Thiamin (B1) |
| 13% |
Riboflavin (B2) |
| 5% |
Folate (B9) |
| 4% |
Calcium |
| 6% |
Phosphorus |
| 11% |
Copper |
| 12% |
Manganese |
| 11% |
Related Questions
What are the best vegan tahini recipes?
A lot of recipes that tahini stars in are naturally vegan. Some of the most popular, hummus, and baba ganoush are plant-based dips or spreads. You can also make dressings for salads or roasted vegetables, or sauces to drench your mashed potatoes in or add to a wrap.
Tahini is also featured in falafel, which is another traditionally vegan meal. Tahini is also a delicious ingredient for a variety of baked goods, though youโll have to adapt your recipes as needed to ensure theyโre vegan-friendly.
Where is tahini in a grocery store?
Thereโs nothing more frustrating than planning a recipe and not being able to find the key ingredients. Tahini can be found in most grocery stores if you know where to look.
Start in the aisles with oils and condiments. If you donโt find it there, check the ethnic or international foods aisle. If you still canโt find it, look for an aisle or section that has trendy, all-natural, or health foods.
You should be able to find it in one of these locations but, if all else fails, ask a staff member or make use of any Prime memberships and order your tahini on Amazon.
Whatโs a good tahini substitute?
If you donโt have tahini waiting in your freezer and youโre ready to whip up a batch of your signature hummus or baba ganoush, you can make your own tahini as long as you have some sesame seeds.
Add some seeds to your food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may want to incorporate a touch of olive oil or another neutral-flavored oil to help smooth it out.
You can also use sesame paste, sesame oil, or even a nut or seed butter if you’re in dire need.
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