Tahini Noodles are a deliciously quick and easy meal. In this simple recipe, your favorite pasta is tossed together with vegetables and savory tahini sauce. It can be served warm or cold, and it's terrific for either lunch or dinner. This dish comes together in less than half an hour, making it ideal for busy weeknights. It's vegan with a gluten-free option.

Tahini Noodles
Years ago I had come across a recipe for tahini noodles, and I made them many times. They were quite tasty, but somehow they fell out of our meal rotation. It’s been so long now, that I can’t remember where I found the recipe. Recently I've had a hankering for tahini and noodles, so I decided to recreate the dish.

This type of meal is usually served in the hot summer months, but I like it just about any time of the year. It's kind of like an amped up version of sesame noodles, which is usually a dish consisting of noodles tossed in a soy sauce based sauce along with scallions.

What is Tahini?
Tahini is a paste that’s made from ground sesame seeds. It can be bitter straight of out the jar, but when mixed with other ingredients, it magically transforms into a lush and creamy paste. I use it regularly to make salad dressing, but it can be used in many different ways. I also like to add it to smoothies and even pair it with chocolate.
In most grocery stores, tahini can be found near the peanut butter. Some grocery stores also keep it in the ethnic food area.
Because different brands of tahini can vary in texture, you may need to add more liquid that I’ve specified in the recipe. If you find the sauce is too thick, add more water, a teaspoon at a time.

How to Make Tahini Noodles
This recipe is super easy to make!
First you cook the noodles according to the package instructions. If your noodles are to be cooked in a pot on the stovetop, you can cook the broccoli along with them by adding the broccoli to the pot a minute or two before the noodles are done.

If you're using rice noodles that just need to be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes, you can steam your broccoli in a separate pot. To do this, I add about an inch of water to a large pot and place a steamer basket inside of it. I fill the basket with the broccoli florets, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The broccoli softens and turns bright green.

Once your noodles and broccoli have been cooked, you mix up the tahini, lemon juice, water, tamari, mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and red pepper flakes to make the sauce. You can do this by placing all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisking briskly, your can throw them all into a blender. I like to use the twister cup of my Blendtec.

Next you toss everything together, making sure you coat the noodles and vegetables well with the tahini mixture.
Finally you serve your noodles topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

How to Customize Your Tahini Noodles
You can easily alter this recipe to your liking or to accommodate ingredients that you have on hand.
- Thinly sliced red peppers can be used instead of carrots – or in addition to them.
- You can add edamame to the dish
- If you're not a fan of broccoli, you can use green beans instead.
- You can use parsley instead of scallions to garnish your noodles.
- Add more red pepper flakes if you want to add more heat to your dish.
- If you follow a gluten-free diet, be sure to use gluten-free noodles. I like to use Thai rice noodles.
- You can use zucchini or carrot noodles, if you want to up your vegetable intake!

Serve your noodles warm or cold. This dish is really refreshing served cold on hot summer days. It travels well, so it's perfect for lunch at the office. And since it comes together quickly, it's great for busy weeknights.



Tahini Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce package noodles (spaghetti, linguine, rice noodles, etc.)
- 1 bunch broccoli chopped into small, bite-sized florets (about 5 cups)
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 carrots shredded or julienned (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage savoy, napa, or green cannonball
- 2 scallions sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according the package instructions. If your noodles are to be cooked in a pot on the stovetop, you can cook the broccoli along with them by adding the broccoli to the pot a minute or two before the noodles are done.
- If you’re using rice noodles that just need to be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes, you can steam your broccoli in a separate pot. To do this, I add about an inch of water to a large pot and place a steamer basket inside of it. I fill the basket with the broccoli florets, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The broccoli softens and turns bright green.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Mix together the tahini, water, lemon juice, tamari, mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and red pepper flakes to make the sauce. You can do this by placing all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisking briskly, your can throw them all into a blender. If the mixture seems too thick, add more water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Place the noodles and broccoli in large bowl and gently toss in carrots and cabbage. Add the tahini sauce, and gently mix to coat everything.
- Top the dish with scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve warm or at room temperate. It can also be refrigerated and served cold.

More tahini recipes you might enjoy include:

More noodle recipes you might enjoy include:
- Peanut Carrot Noodles
- Shirataki Noodle Stir-Fry
- Coconut Curry Noodles
- Thai Tofu Noodles
- Sesame Noodles

Becky Striepe
Ooh this looks awesome! I think Dave and Darrol are going to love this recipe.
Dianne
Thank you, Becky! I hope they enjoy it!
Cadry
This sounds fabulous! I usually make cold noodle dishes with peanut sauce, but I can imagine that tahini would be delicious. Pinning!
Sarah
Jonathan is allergic to nuts so we go through massive amounts of tahini! These noodles look awesome!
Dianne
Thank you, Cadry! Enjoy!
Dianne
Thanks, Sarah! I hope you get a chance to try them!
Jenn
I have made tahini noodles several times too. I use the Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles recipe from Vegan Yum Yum. This looks quite different so I'm guessing that wasn't the same one you saw years ago. Either way, anything with tahini is a win!
Dianne
I agree that tahini with everything is a win! It is possible that the original recipe was from Vegan Yum Yum. I used to read that blog and I have her book, but I had kind of forgotten about it!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
What a great way to use tahini! I love noodle dishes of all kinds!
Dianne
Thank you, Sophia!
The Vegan 8
What a gorgeous dish! I love tahini and I love noodles, so pairing them together is always a good choice. It looks and sounds so delicious, comforting and filling. Great recipe!
Dianne
Thank you, Brandi!
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
I love tahini with everything. It's just a magical ingredient for so many recipes. This dish looks so savory and delicious! Sounds so nutritious, too ! 🙂
Ginny McMeans
I love his recipes and I can't wait to make it. Sounds delicious!
Dianne
Thank you, Ginny! I hope you enjoy it.
Dianne
I love it with everything, too!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I just bought this tahini at Trader Joe's! I will definitely be making these noodles.
Dianne
Enjoy!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
What a great idea. I would never have thought to eat tahini with noodles. They sound lovely!
Dianne
Thank you, Mel!
Vegan Heaven
Yummy! I love tahini and this looks so delicious! 🙂
Dianne
Thank you, Sina!