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These Tahini Cookies are soft, chewy, and deeply flavorful with rich sesame notes and dark chocolate chunks.
Made with simple ingredients and no eggs or dairy, they’re easy to customize – gluten-free and lower-sugar options included.
If you love peanut butter cookies, you’ll love the nutty depth tahini brings.
Table of Contents
What Is Tahini?
Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s commonly used in hummus, sauces, and Middle Eastern desserts.
In cookies, it creates:
- Natural richness without butter
- A soft, chewy texture
- A subtle nutty flavor
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- No eggs
- No dairy
- Easy one-bowl recipe
- No chilling required
- Gluten-free option
- Naturally rich and satisfying
They’re perfect year-round, but especially cozy during the holidays.
Ingredients For Tahini Cookies
- ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 cup flour (oat, gluten-free blend, spelt, or all-purpose)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup brown sugar or low-carb brown sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup tahini (well stirred)
- 3–4 tbsp non-dairy milk (adjust as needed)
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (optional)
Important Ingredient Notes
Flour Options
- All-purpose flour = softer cookies
- Oat flour = slightly denser, more wholesome texture
- Gluten-free blend = works well
- Spelt flour = nutty and tender
You may need slightly less milk when using all-purpose flour.
How to Make Tahini Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add tahini, vanilla, and milk. Stir until a soft dough forms.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (helps hydrate the flour).
- Fold in chocolate chips or nuts if using.
- Roll into 10 balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Slightly flatten each ball.
- Bake 9–10 minutes.
- Let cool 15–20 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring.
They will look soft when they come out — that’s normal. They firm up as they cool.
Texture & Flavor
These cookies are:
- Soft in the center
- Slightly crisp at the edges
- Rich and nutty
- Not overly sweet
Tahini gives them depth that feels more sophisticated than standard peanut butter cookies.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
They also freeze well for up to 2 months.
FAQs
Yes. Use oat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
If using gluten-free flour, the cookies may need 1 extra tablespoon of milk to achieve the right dough consistency.
This usually happens if:
Too much flour was added
The tahini was very thick and not well stirred
The cookies were overbaked
The dough should be soft and slightly sticky before baking. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
Yes – just make sure it’s well stirred before measuring. Natural tahini separates easily, so mix it until smooth and creamy first.
Yes. You can:
Use a low-carb brown sweetener
Reduce sugar slightly (by 1-2 tablespoons)
Keep in mind that reducing sugar will slightly affect texture and chewiness.
They have a similar nutty richness, but tahini gives a deeper, slightly more earthy flavor. They’re less sweet and more complex than classic peanut butter cookies.
Yes.
Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
More cookie recipes:
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- These Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies from Perchance To Cook are chewy, soft, melt-in-your mouth dairy-free cookies made with olive oil instead of butter.
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Low Carb Sugar Cookies
- These Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies from Running To The Kitchen are soft, chewy and full of peanut butter flavor.
Tahini Cookies (+ Chocolate Chips)
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour of choice
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup brown sugar or low-carb sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 –4 tbsp milk
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, optional
- ¼ cup chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Add tahini, vanilla, and milk.
- Rest dough 5 minutes.
- Roll into balls and slightly flatten.
- Bake 9–10 minutes.
- Cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Stir tahini well before measuring.
- Do not overbake – cookies firm up as they cool.
- Adjust milk slightly depending on flour used.
- Can be made gluten-free or lower-sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy new year, Mira. I just made this today, came out pretty good!