Tahini: What It Is, USDA Nutrition, Uses and Safety

Tahini is a smooth paste made by grinding sesame seeds, usually hulled and lightly toasted, into a pourable butter. It is the nutty backbone of hummus, baba ganoush, halva and the lemony tahini sauce served with falafel. In USDA data, one tablespoon of the most common type has about 89 calories, 8 grams of mostly unsaturated fat, 2.6 grams of protein and roughly a quarter of the Daily Value for copper. Below is what tahini is, the USDA tahini nutrition numbers, how roasted and raw versions differ, whether tahini is healthy, and two safety topics every tahini eater should know: sesame allergy labeling and past Salmonella recalls.

Peptide Labs does not sell tahini or sesame products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What is tahini?

Tahini (also spelled tahina) is sesame seed paste. Producers usually soak the seeds, remove the hulls, roast or toast them and grind them until the oil releases and the mixture turns creamy. Middle Eastern style tahini made from hulled seeds is pale and mild; versions made from whole, unhulled or black sesame seeds are darker and more bitter. Because tahini is mostly fat, the oil separates in the jar over time, which is normal; stir it back in and follow the storage directions on the label.

Tahini is not the same as sesame oil. The oil is pressed fat with no protein or fiber, while tahini is the whole ground kernel. Our seed oil guide covers pressed oils like sesame oil, and our sibling guide to sesame seeds covers the seeds themselves, including black and white types.

Tahini nutrition per tablespoon

The table uses the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entry for tahini from roasted and toasted kernels, which USDA labels the most common type (FDC 170189), converted to USDA’s 15 gram tablespoon. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values printed on Nutrition Facts labels.

About 14% of the fat in this USDA entry is saturated; the rest is split between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, and there is no cholesterol, since tahini is a plant food. Tahini is calorie dense, so a drizzle and a few spoonfuls are very different amounts. It supplies some protein, though less per spoon than many people expect; our high protein foods guide compares richer sources.

Roasted vs raw tahini: why the numbers differ

SR Legacy lists several tahini entries, and some minerals vary widely between them. This reflects different seed samples, hulling and processing, not a rule that one kind is always richer. The table compares two entries per 100 grams.

The bottom two rows explain much of the confusion about tahini and calcium. Whole sesame seeds carry far more calcium than hulled kernels in USDA data, because much of it sits in the hull, and most tahini is made from hulled seeds. So tahini made from whole seeds can list more calcium than standard tahini, and the jar’s Nutrition Facts label is the number to trust for the product in your kitchen. These figures describe content, not how much the body absorbs. For a wider look at calcium in everyday foods, see our calcium foods guide, and for iron, our iron foods guide.

Is tahini healthy?

Tahini fits the pattern of nuts and seeds that dietary guidance encourages in place of foods higher in saturated fat, and it is a staple of the eating style described in our Mediterranean diet guide. Research on sesame specifically is less settled than its reputation suggests.

• Blood pressure meta-analysis (2025, Clinical Hypertension): six trials of 4 to 8 weeks with 465 people who had high or borderline-high blood pressure reported improvements, but the authors rated the certainty of evidence very low because of study limitations and implausibly large effects.
• Cardiometabolic meta-analysis (2026, International Journal of Medical Sciences): 10 randomized trials with 441 participants found lower blood pressure, fasting glucose and HbA1c with various sesame products. Small trials and mixed products limit what this can say about tahini.
• Lignans: sesame contains lignans such as sesamin and sesamolin, studied mostly in the lab and in supplement form; spoonfuls of tahini are not the same as concentrated extracts.

The balanced answer: tahini is a nutrient-dense, plant-based fat with useful copper, thiamin and minerals, and it can replace butter or mayonnaise-based spreads. Claims that it lowers blood pressure or controls blood sugar go beyond the evidence, and anyone managing those conditions should ask their clinician or dietitian how it fits their plan.

How to use tahini, including tahini sauce

• Tahini sauce: whisk tahini with lemon juice, water, garlic and salt. It seizes up at first, then turns smooth and pourable as you add water. Use it on falafel, roasted vegetables, grain bowls and fish.
• Dips: tahini is a core ingredient in hummus; our chickpeas guide covers the chickpea side of that dip. It also goes into baba ganoush made with roasted eggplant.
• Dressings and baking: it thickens salad dressings and adds nutty flavor to cookies and halva, a sweet sesame confection that is high in sugar.
• Swaps: try it where you might use butter on toast, or blend it with olive oil and lemon for a dressing.

Tahini safety: sesame allergy and Salmonella recalls

Sesame allergy is real and can be severe. A nationally representative 2019 survey of 78,851 people in the US estimated that 0.23% had a convincing sesame allergy; about a third of them had used epinephrine for a reaction, and most had at least one other food allergy. Under the FASTER Act, signed April 23, 2021, sesame became the ninth major food allergen, and since January 1, 2023 it must be declared on packaged foods and dietary supplements. FDA notes that some manufacturers changed recipes after the law took effect, so products that were sesame-free before may now contain small amounts. People with sesame allergy need to reread labels, ask about tahini in restaurant dishes, and work with an allergist; our elimination diet guide explains why food testing should be supervised.

Tahini is a ready-to-eat, low-moisture food, and CDC has linked several multistate Salmonella outbreaks to it:

• 2013: 16 people in 9 states, tied to tahini sesame paste from Krinos Foods imported from Turkey; the product was recalled and FDA placed the importer on import alert.
• 2018 to 2019: 8 people in 4 states, tied to tahini products made by Achdut Ltd.
• 2019: 6 people in 3 states, tied to Karawan brand tahini imported from Israel.

The risk for any single jar is low; a 2025 Swiss survey of 100 retail sesame products found no Salmonella. Still, check FDA’s recall listings if a news report mentions tahini, do not eat a recalled product, and see a clinician for diarrhea with fever or blood, especially for young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Sesame Seeds: Benefits, Nutrition and Black vs White, Chickpeas: USDA Nutrition, Protein, Fiber and Canned vs Dried, Foods High in Calcium: USDA List, Non-Dairy Sources and Absorption.