Along with cashew butter and peanut butter, tahini is in a three-way-tie for being our favorite nut/seed butter.
WHAT IS TAHINI?
Tahini is made by grinding sesame seeds into a smooth paste. Sometimes the sesame seeds are hulled, sometimes they’re left unhulled; sometimes roasted, sometimes raw. We like to use tahini to make dressings, soft serve, snack bites, stuffed dates, and SO many other dishes. The possibilities are endless!
ORIGIN OF TAHINI
Tahini is an Arabic name for ground sesame seeds. However, its origins are thought to have been in Persia, where it was called “ardeh.” Tahini later found its way to other countries and was held as a delicacy as sesame seeds were rather expensive to procure. In some cultures, tahini was even used as currency. (source)
THE GROUND RULES
Despite being made with just one ingredient (sesame seeds), not all tahinis are equally delicious. So we decided to put different brands to the test!
We did a formal, side-by-side review of some of the most popular tahinis on the market. Our goal was to see which brands delivered on taste, texture, and stir-ability and which ones weren’t worth the hype, saving you the time and money of doing the research yourself!
- We tested 9 tahinis. Some were purchased from Amazon (for accessibility’s sake) and others were from a variety of health food stores.
- This review is not sponsored in any way. We were not given free product or compensated for any of our reviews, and we had no contact with any of these brands.
- We excluded any products containing ingredients other than sesame seeds.
- We tried to be as unbiased and objective as possible when reviewing.
- We tested each tahini by the spoonful, grading on a scale of 1-5 (1 being poor, 5 being excellent) on:
- Stir-ability
- Taste
- Texture
- Overall thoughts
- For consumer awareness, we also examined:
- Cost per ounce (US $) — subject to variability
- Hulled or unhulled
- Glass or plastic jar (and whether BPA-free)
- Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.)
- If we would repurchase
RESULTS
First place: Baron’s Organic Tahini
Second place: Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini
Third place: Okka Organic Ground Sesame Tahini
Fourth place: Whole Foods 365 Organic Tahini
Fifth place: Trader Joe’s Organic Tahini
Sixth place: Pepperwood Organic Whole Seed Sesame Tahini
Seventh place: Al Arz 100% Pure Sesame Tahini
Eighth place: Haddar by Baracke Tahini
Ninth place: Joyva Sesame Tahini
THE REVIEW
#1: Baron’s Organic Tahini
Stir-ability: 4.75 – Only a little oil on top. Stirs really easily with almost no effort and appears runny and creamy.
Taste: 4.25 – Nutty and kind of reminiscent of cashew butter. Naturally mild sweetness and not too bitter.
Texture: 5 – About as creamy and smooth as it gets.
Overall thoughts: 4.25 – We love how easy it is to stir and how creamy it is, and the flavor was pretty delicious.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.47
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, non-GMO, heirloom-quality seeds
Overall score: 18.25/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#2: Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini
Stir-ability: 4 – Has a ~1 inch visible layer of oil on top, however, the tahini on the bottom is creamy and soft and takes only a little effort to stir.
Taste: 5 – Not too bitter. Really buttery. Tastes exactly as you’d hope tahini would taste.
Texture: 4.25 – A little more effort to stir and a little grittiness remains, but overall quite smooth.
Overall thoughts: 4.5 – Taste is near perfect, but some others had a slightly creamier texture.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.72
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Single-sourced origin
Overall score: 17.75/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#3: Okka Organic Ground Sesame Tahini
Stir-ability: 4.75 – Only a little layer of oil on top. Stirs easily and appears very creamy and runny.
Taste: 3.75 – Salty although no added salt in ingredients. Not too bitter and really pleasant overall.
Texture: 5 – Buttery smooth.
Overall thoughts: 4 – Everything was perfect, except that the flavor tasted a little saltier than we were hoping for (despite being unsalted).
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.61
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO
Overall score: 17.5/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#4: Whole Foods 365 Organic Tahini
Stir-ability: 3.5 – Oil was separated on top from seed butter portion on the bottom. Not incredibly difficult to stir, but you have to work at it for a good minute to get it to combine.
Taste: 4.5 – Noticeable, enjoyable nuttyness. Not too bitter and really pleasant.
Texture: 4.5 – Really creamy and smooth. Only complaint would be it is a little on the runny side.
Overall thoughts: 4.5 – Taste is really nice, overall easy to stir, and it has a nice creamy texture.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.40
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO
Overall score: 17/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#5: Trader Joe’s Organic Tahini
Stir-ability: 4 – A little oil on top, but it seems to stir without much effort at all. Can visually see a bit of subtle grittiness when stirring.
Taste: 4.5 – Mild and pleasant overall. Not too bitter and tastes high quality and fresh.
Texture: 3.75 – It leaves a slight gritty residue when swirled around the mouth.
Overall thoughts: 4.25 – Seems fresh, high-quality, really pleasant tasting. Only complaint is we wish it was a little more smooth and creamy.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.35
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO
Overall score: 16.5/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#6: Pepperwood Organic Whole Seed Sesame Tahini
Stir-ability: 4 – A little separation of oil on top and seed butter on bottom, but it is very runny and quite easy to stir.
Taste: 4.25 – Not too bitter on the front end, but has a bitter finish, despite being nutty and pleasant overall.
Texture: 4.25 – A little grittiness, but overall quite smooth.
Overall thoughts: 4 – Nice flavor, but could be a little less bitter and more creamy.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.57
Hulled or unhulled: Unhulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO
Overall score: 16.5/20
Would we repurchase? Yes
#7: Al Arz 100% Pure Sesame Tahini
Stir-ability: 4 – A minimal layer of oil on top, but the tahini on the bottom is quite soft. It takes a little effort to stir, but overall smooth.
Taste: 3.75 – Salty, slightly tart, and not too bitter. Tastes salted even though no salt has been added.
Texture: 4.75 – Super buttery, but a little on the oily side.
Overall thoughts: 3.75 – Everything was pretty great, but the flavor tasted a little off.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.59
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): N/A
Overall score: 16.25/20
Would we repurchase? No
#8: Haddar by Baracke Tahini
Stir-ability: 2 – Visible layer of oil on top. Tahini underneath is stiff. It requires a lot of effort to stir and is equally clumpy and oily. Would take a lot of stirring to get it homogenous.
Taste: 4.25 – Flavor is really good — nutty, not too bitter, very smooth.
Texture: 3 – It takes so much work to stir that it ends up being clumpy and oily.
Overall thoughts: 3 – Really good flavor, really bad texture.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.53
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): N/A
Overall score: 12.25/20
Would we repurchase? No
#9: Joyva Sesame Tahini
Stir-ability: 1.5 – Thick layer of oil on top and the nut butter separates to the bottom. Stirring is work and it would take a lot of stirring to get it to fully combine.
Taste: 2 – Bitter and tastes like there is salt added.
Texture: 2 – Because you can’t get it to stir, there will be some oily and chunky bits and it doesn’t feel good on the palate.
Overall thoughts: 2 – So difficult to stir and the texture and flavor are off.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.85
Hulled or unhulled: Hulled
Jar material: Metal
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): N/A
Overall score: 7.5/20
Would we repurchase? No
We hope you enjoyed this review! Want more like it?
Suzan T says
I have found, in the case of joyva, the older it is, the more separation there is. Would like to know if all or some of your tested candidates were from roasted sesame seeds.
Hi Suzan, we believe they were all from roasted sesame seeds!
Molly Underwood says
Personally I wouldn’t buy any oil based product in a plastic jar. The main reason being that since oil is a solvent it will leach out the chemicals in the plastic. BPOA free just means they have eliminated the ingredient that was banned. Be assured there are many more chemicals that haven’t yet been banned that they have substituted in the plastic manufacture.
The second reason is why I try not to buy anything in plastic…there’s enough plastic in our oceans, refuse dumps and our bloodstreams. Recyleable is a moot point. That’s just a word to make people and manufacturers feel okay about the overconsumption of plastics. It’s better to Refuse, Reuse, and Repurpose.
Thanks for listening.
Nina says
Hi, i’m a forever fan, and this post is giving me a first-ever reason to write… I think you may have missed out on the all time best in taste, quality, texture etc including all the factors you evaluated…. IMHO.
Mighty Sesame Tahini, happens to be organic, no-stir, in a squeezable plastic bottle (the only detractor on my list) but handy to dispense, and deelish-to-the-last-drop! This is one tahini that is never ever the least bit bitter
We will have to try it! Thank you for the support, Nina!
Giselle says
Hi what alternatives have you come across for those with allergies to sesame seed and cashews, to have this delightful looking recipe be similar in taste?
Do you have any nut free/ tree nut free recipes I can check out?
Thanx again,
Happy Holidays
Giselle.
Hi Giselle, Happy holidays to you as well! We think you may have meant to comment on a different recipe? Let us know which one and we’d be happy to answer specific to that recipe! Generally, sunflower seed butter would be the next best option. Hope that helps!
Omar says
Thank you so much
Sheila says
Speaking as a nutritionist, I appreciate these tahini ratings in terms of taste, texture, etc., but regarding nutrient density, Pepperwood Organic tahini (the only one using unhulled sesame seeds) is head and shoulders above the rest of the brands on the list. It is superior in nutrient content, especially with regard to calcium and other macro- and micro- minerals, because the seeds are unhulled – hulling the seeds removes significant levels of nutrients. Not that tahini made with hulled sesame seeds is unhealthy; it’s simply significantly less nutrient-dense.
Omar says
Thank you for this valuable information
Wissam says
What do you think of the Kevala Organic Tahini https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kevala/page/CA770F44-55F7-42F1-B3FF-F0B537D763CF ?
I am surprised this brand was not on your list.
Hi, we haven’t tried that one!
Dalatias says
This article was really helpful. But how disappointing that the top 4 brands are all packaged in *plastic*. Ugh. Contrary to your experience, I have found Trader Joe’s tahini almost impossible to stir: I end up with oil and a lump glob of ground sesame seeds that I try to pound into a cream consistency.
I think I will look for the Pepperwood tahni. It seems like a good compromise. Unfortunately, it is currently unavailable on Amazon. :-(
Wynnette says
Thank you for this appraisal of your sampling of tahini. I’m so tired of getting a tasteless, gritty or hard to stir bottle. This takes care of that!!!
We’re glad it’s helpful, Wynnette!
Rosemary says
You must try Tohum tahini! I will never switch!
Thank you for the suggestion, Rosemary!
Lisa W says
Thanks for this!
I’ve tried many of these and your reviews are spot on.
I ordered the Barons – haven’t had that one yet. Soom’s is good but too expensive.
I like that Baron’s is made in U.S.
We’re so glad it was helpful, Lisa! Thank you for sharing!
Roselynn says
ONce Again tahini wasn’t rated. I’d be curious where it would fall on your list. I love tahini and like tryouts different ones though Trader Joe’s is my go to – when they have it They’ve been out for months
Hi Roselynn, We know it to be one of our least favorites in the past – we’ve tried it and didn’t care for the flavor and found it difficult to stir.
Michelle says
The BEST tahini is the one I get from an Israeli market near me in NJ. It is called Har Bracha. Even though Baracke & Al-Arz are Israeli, they just don’t compare to Har Bracha. And the American ones here are not great at all. I have tried them including Soom. I do not understand what the rave is about Soon. If you can get to an Israeli market & they have Har Bracha please buy it
Edwards says
Wrong. The best Tahini is Max Tahini, sprouted, organic, unhulled, raw.
I do not know if you actually get paid to post this, but it is a very average selection.
Sagi says
#7 are considered to be great Tahini. I think ( correct me if I am wrong) that they may have been old. Since there are no preservatives, as they age, the oil separates more and the bottom becomes hard. It happens to all tahini.
All Tahini should have some oil separation but fresh ones should be easily stirred. Unhulled has more nutrition but also more bitterness.
Thanks for the suggestion, Sagi. It’s a possibility, but the oil wasn’t separated much on #7.
Rita Blackburn says
What is your opinion on Peloponnese brand Greek tahini?
Hi Rita, we haven’t tried that brand so we’re not sure, sorry!
David says
About Glass vs Plastic packaging. PET (very CLEAR and hard plastic), PP polypropylene (semi transparent to white softer plastic), and the various PE food grade plastics (translucent to almost clear depending on grades like HDPE and LDPE) ARE ALL FREE of harmful additives and do not leach dangerous chemicals into your food.
Glass is also a very inert and non reactive container material BUT BUT BUT the sealing lids on glass containers (all glass container have a sealing lid made of painted metal or a food grade plastic lid for non-canned foods. Look inside the lid and you will see a thin layer of very soft plastic resin. The lid sealing ring has a high proportion of plasticizers added to make the lid seal tight to the glass.
AND THAT TINY SEALING RING is the source of the very harmful plasticizer called bis-phenol A or BPA for short. This is the reason that baby food in glass jars is high in BPA as are many other foods sold in glass jars with metal sealed lids like tomato sauce. Oily foods will extract the BPA chemicals from the lid if the food is stored on it’s side or upside down. This is why they tell you to scrape the food off the lid and throw it away to reduce the amount of BPA you ingestt from canned foods.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, David.
Rich Burrill, CPA says
real review! and comments great!
never imagined transparent plastic is healthier for me, if not planet/ Thanks David!!!
If easy, any one has sources on any of this?
David says
Rich,
I am not familiar with the latest Enviro Tox lit but did read extensively on the older BPA Controversy. In general, tox and geno-tox studies are super expensive and take a lot of resources and time to complete. Mostly, they dose small animals like mice and rats with up to thousand times the human exposure limits of the chemical in question and do it quickly to make sure they can see a result. Because PP, LDPE and HDPE plastics are so pure (except for dyes and pigments), they don’t have an additive that can be studied, like say BPA platicizers etc. So doing a study on the raw resin beads doesn’t make much sense. Dyes and pigments do come under scrutiny, like a recent contoversy for titanium dioxide white pigments, used in toothpaste, foods and many other edible items.
Jason says
Pepperwood, Soom, and Baron’s are all the same tahini, same Ethiopian seeds processed in the same Israeli factory I’ve personally confirmed this with two of the companies. These brands as well as many others are made by Achdut Ltd of Israel.
The only difference is the packaging…..
Elle says
Out of curiosity, which two? I usually buy Soom, but Pepperwood is my backup and a bit cheaper.
Abby in Ohio says
Thank you for both your cashew butter and tahini reviews! So helpful.
So glad you find the reviews helpful, Abby! Thanks for sharing!
Rachel says
Which is hilarious considering Pepperwood ranked #6 and was runny where Baron’s was smooth.
Robby Lasman says
Hello Dana,
As much as it seems like an unbiased review I must comment on 2 major problems with this review:
1. You comparing organic tahini to non organic tahini which is not right because organic sesame has totally different taste then non organic.
2. Each sample should be taken from similar production dates: fresher tahini is less separated and much more liquefied.
Thanks for sharing, Robby! We’ll keep that in mind for the future.
Rachel says
GREAT POINT!
Carol says
Yes, agreed. The Trader Joe’s Tahini is rarely fresh. It is always thick and difficult to stir. I no longer purchase it as it’s also a bit bitter. I prefer the tahini I purchase at the middle eastern market.
Andrea says
Do you have information on whether any of these are raw?
Hi Andrea, we don’t, but we think all of these are roasted.
jess says
You really gotta try Ziyad tahini! Not hard to stir at all, won’t separate after mixing, and really smooth! Can have some rough dry patches where the spoon doesn’t reach (and therefore won’t get stirred in with the oil) but those are honestly my favorite part! Also, it comes only in glass jars.
Amira Fawzy says
Agreed! My favorite as well.
Beth says
Thank you for this! Incredibly helpful and I so appreciate that you told us if the jar was plastic or glass. Love your recipes and information.
We’re so glad you find it helpful, Beth! Thanks for the feedback!
Heidi Lapray says
Hi Mini B,
Thanks for the Tahini review. I wanted to tell you about our favorite Tahini -Tarazi Tahini. We live on Maui & buy it by the 12jar case because once Mana was out for a month. We tried every other tahini on the island during that time & have never found a better Tahini. We get the non-GMO non-organic glass jar version because their quality & standard are very high & that’s what we have here. Bonus is the price at Mana was $5.85 a jar a couple of years ago & is now up to $6.35! Score !! Let me know what you think.
Aloha🌺
Heidi
Marlyse says
Great review, but do you realize the oil separation is only a matter of how much time has passed between production and consumption? ALL tahinis will separate, given enough time. If you had all production dates identical, then I would withdraw my comment.
Yes, totally. We just want to give people an idea of what our experience was. Also, we’ve found that some separate much more than others and are very difficult to stir.
Anita Schecter says
Very interesting. I grew up eating tahini so definitely have strong opinions. Agree that Soom is excellent and Joyva is bitter. It’s what I ate as a child but there was far less selection then. I’ll add that my current favorite is Roland’s tahini. Smooth, no additives, creamy with no bitterness. Sold on Amazon and in local stores near me in NY.
Thanks for sharing, Anita!
Nicki says
This is really helpful! Thanks! I knew Trader Joe’s tasted a lot better than Joyva, just from experience, but now I can just skip to the top of the list. Thanks for doing all the work!
Thanks for sharing, Nicki!
Jen says
Unfortunately I’ll have to stick with bitter tahini as plastics are not an option environmentally speaking or because of the risk of breast cancer and oil stored in plastic. This is a bummer and one which I wish these companies would recognize. But thank you for the ratings!
Thanks for the feedback, Jen! I’d say Joyva and Trader Joe’s (or homemade) would be your best options!
Andrea says
I use Artisana. It’s organic, raw & comes in glass!
Karen says
Thanks, Jen, for the reminder. Here’s a link explaining guidelines re plastic and food:
https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/plastic
David says
Karen,
The Breast Cancer Society does mention the cancer risk of BPA but doesn’t state that BPA is found mostly in bottle sealing lids and not found in type 2, 4 and 5 plastics at all. Those are HDPE, LDPE and PP plastics. So a glass jar of tahina can be a much bigger source of BPA than an all plastic jar made of type 2, 4 or 5 plastic.
I store my unopened plastic containers upside down to keep the oils from separating. Once opened, store them upright to avoid leaking oils.
Cans are currently 95% BPA free but no way to tell which can has BPA in it. The industry has rapidly distanced itself from BPA in cans.
Karen says
Very good points. I’m generally not worried about storing things – the main worries seem to come from heating. Am definitely in the ‘store upside down’ camp when dealing with separation of oils. AND stirring or if needed, using the food processor. Slightly messy, but I get to lick up all the spills ;-)
Darris Nelson says
I do appreciate your information on plastic vs. glass. We mostly assume that glass is better for the environment and health so VERY much appreciate your detailed research and information David!
Judy says
I agree with you. Although, Woodstock unsalted organic Tahini is thick, you only have to sit it in hot water, run it through a food processor or electric chopper, pour back into it’s original GLASS jar and enjoy till it’s gone💙😊. It separates, all tahinis do because it’s a natural thing not a dated thing. Bitter is better bc you do the seasoning or eat it in its organic state🥰.
Peace and love.
Thanks for sharing, Judy!
Valerie says
Thanks for the reviews :). Wish the top brands would use glass instead of plastic jars.
Thanks for the feedback, Valerie! We provided that information in the review, but ultimately scored them based on flavor, texture, and freshness. Our top picks for no plastic would be Joyva, Trader’s, or homemade!
Valerie says
I know. I didn’t mean it to criticize you, but the companies that use the plastic jars. I appreciate your effort to provide us with unbiased reviews and I’m glad you included that information as well. Thank you!
Darris Nelson says
I do appreciate your information on plastic vs. glass. Thanks so much for this review Dana!
sherri says
Hi
I love that you accomplished this rating, unfortunately I don’t live in the states – so none of these products are available.
I love tahini, but I’ve yet to find one that isn’t bitter…I’ll keep searching?
Lisa says
Great thorough review!
I like the Soom Tahini in the squeeze bottle. I’ve had both, it seems to separate less.
Yes! We love the Soom one as well!
Bobbie Jean says
My Favorite is Wild Harvest Organic Tahini. Free From Synthetic Colors, Artificial Flavors and Artificial Preservatives. Their organic beans and organic Apple Cider Vinegar are good also.
Dee / Green Smoothie Gourmet says
Really helpful review Dana! I didn’t even know Whole Foods 365 had a tahini! Will go try that one out! Is there a reason you didn’t test Once Again brand? Thank you! Dee
We know it to be one of our least favorites in the past – we’ve tried it and didn’t care for the flavor and found it difficult to stir.
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet says
Really? That’s surprising, it’s my favorite!
Teresa says
Every time I buy TJs tahini it is oily on top and rock hard underneath. Maybe I have just got unlucky. I’ll try your top 2. Thanks!
Hi Teresa! Must be getting an older product from trader’s. We’ve always found ours to be fresh.
Bee says
This is a helpful list and I’m excited to try out your top pick! I bought a jar from Trader Joe’s recently— and it was insanely bitter :(
Hope you enjoy our top picks!
Jillian says
Thanks for taking the time to test these! I’ve had a few and found soom to be the best but I’ll have to give #1 a shot.
Also, tip on initial stirring: I dump all clumpy Tahini or nut butters into my vitamin and mix on low for 30 secs, then pour back into the bottle. Completely smooth and stays mostly combined until I’ve used it all :)
Smart! Thanks for sharing, Jillian!