Hummus With Sesame Oil

5 from 27 votes

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No tahini? No problem! Sesame oil makes a terrific substitute in this delicious 10 minute hummus recipe.

Hummus with sesame oil in a red bowl.

I ran out of tahini recently. And, of course, at the moment I realized I was out of tahini, I was making hummus, and everything else was in the food processor, all ready to blend. How do you make hummus without tahini? My friend Chris, a seriously skilled chef, was over and said, “Don’t you have sesame oil? I use that all the time.”

Really? REALLY? There were, and almost always are, a couple of open bottles of sesame oil in the fridge (it’s a total staple ingredient in our house for all kinds of Asian dishes), so that was easy. And while I’ve always thought Chris was smart, now I think he’s a genius. Both tahini and sesame oil are made from toasted sesame seeds, so this substitution immediately makes sense. And it turns out that hummus with hummus made sesame oil instead of tahini is fantastic, different, and similar at the same time.

Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or Roasted Garlic and Tomato Bread to dip. Make Greek Chicken Breasts, Turkish Cucumber Salad, and Mediterranean Couscous Salad to round out the Mediterranean feast.

Hummus Without Tahini in red serving bowl.

Hummus with Sesame Oil (NO Tahini!): Out of tahini? No problem! Sesame oil makes a terrific substitute in this delicious 10 minute hummus.

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Ingredients

  • Garlic – Chop the garlic roughly before pureeing it with the other ingredients in the food processor.
  • Chickpeas – Drain and rinse the chickpeas from the cans before puréeing them into the hummus.
  • Sesame oil – You want to buy toasted sesame oil, not raw sesame oil, which doesn’t have as pronounced a nutty flavor.
  • Lemon juice – A bit of acidic tartness brightness lifts up all of those earthy flavors.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – For silkiness and richness. Save some to drizzle on top as well!
  • Cumin – This is one of the most popular spices in tahini, and I love the somewhat bright and earthy flavor.
  • Water – Add more water if you’d like a thinner consistency. 
Woman seasoning hummus.

Variations and Substitutions

  • I’ve read that sunflower butter is a smart substitute for tahini in hummus, which makes sense (especially if there are sesame allergies in the house).
  • Skip the sesame oil for a simpler chickpea dip. Then the flavors of lemon and cumin and garlic really shine through, along with the chickpeas, of course. This isn’t really hummus, but it’s delicious.

How to Make Hummus With Sesame Oil

  1. Blend chickpeas: Place the garlic and chickpeas in the food processor and pulse a few times. 
  2. Puree remaining ingredients: Add 3 teaspoons of the sesame oil, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt and pepper. Puree, and with the motor running, add about ⅓ cup of the water. Allow the mixture to process for about two minutes. Taste and add additional sesame oil if desired, or water or olive oil if you want a looser mixture.
  3. Serve: Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you like, and sprinkle with the paprika or cayenne.
Tahini free hummus in red bowl.

FAQs

What are the differences between raw and toasted sesame oil?

Sesame oil is literally oil pressed from sesame seeds. Raw sesame oil is often used for cooking/frying in Asian cuisine. Toasted sesame oil is more potently sesame-ish than tahini (which is sesame seed paste), so start with a smaller amount than you would normally use of tahini – say 1 tablespoon, blend it up, taste, and add more if you want a more pronounced sesame flavor.

Why do you add water to hummus?

Water makes hummus light and fluffy. Add more water to thin out the texture of your hummus. Olive oil does the same, and adds flavor, but it also adds more fat and calories, so I like to find the right balance between the two.

Make Ahead and Storage

Hummus will last for up to 5 days in the fridge.

What to Serve With Hummus

Woman dipping caarrot in hummus.

More Dips and Spreads

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5 from 27 votes

Hummus Without Tahini

No tahini? No problem! Sesame oil makes a terrific substitute in this delicious 10 minute hummus recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 People

Ingredients 

  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cans 19-ounce chick peas (drained and rinsed)
  • 3 to 5 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • ½ cup water (approximately)

Instructions 

  • Place the garlic and chickpeas in the food processor and pulse a few times. Add 3 teaspoons of the sesame oil, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt and pepper.  Puree, and with the motor running, add about cup of the water. Allow the mixture to process for about two minutes, adding more water if you’d like a thinner consistency. Taste and add additional sesame oil if desired.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you like, and sprinkle with the paprika or cayenne.

Notes

  • Sesame oil is literally oil pressed from sesame seeds. You cant to buy toasted sesame oil, not raw sesame oil, which doesn’t have as pronounced a nutty flavor. Raw sesame oil is often used for cooking/frying in Asian cuisine. Toasted sesame oil is more potently sesame-ish than tahini, so start with a smaller amount than you would normally use of tahini – say 1 tablespoon, blend it up, and taste and add more if you want a more pronounced sesame flavor.
  • I’ve read that sunflower butter is a smart substitute for tahini in hummus, which makes sense (especially if there are sesame allergies in the house).
  • Skip the sesame oil for a simpler chickpea dip. Then the flavors of lemon and cumin and garlic really shine through, along with the chickpeas of course. This isn’t really hummus, but it’s delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 15mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 4mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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12 Comments

  1. I made your hummus today, SO delicious! I made lettuce wraps using the hummus mixed with tuna fish. I will also be using it to dip tortilla chips and carrots. My kids did not care for how “lemony” the hummus tasted, so next time I will cut the lemon in half. Thank you!!

  2. Wow! I just made this hummus and I can’t believe how delicious it is! I love it! I will never se any other recipe! Thank you for posting it! Yummy!

  3. This sounds soooo yummy – I just had dinner, but I want to make some now. And have it with carrot/celery strips!

    1. I made the Sesame oil Hummus exactly as directed and o was absolutely thrilled. The Hummus turned out amazingly delicious.
      Thanks so much for the recipe.

  4. I just had some at a restaurant with SO. They probably had tahini in it too but it was the best I have ever had.

  5. I’m going to try this. I have all those ingredients and I’ve always wanted to make hummus. Thanks Katie! xo