Step aside peanut butter cookies (not too far, we still love you!), there’s a new treat in town: tahini cookies! They’re addictively delicious and SO easy they practically make themselves (just 1 bowl, 7 ingredients, and about 20 minutes required).
These cookies are perfectly nutty, the ideal balance of salty and sweet, plus vegan and gluten-free (but no one will know)! Let’s do this!
Origin of Tahini Cookies
Tahini is an Arabic name for ground sesame seeds and it’s a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine.
In our search for the origin of tahini cookies, we learned that the treat is popular in Israel and a version called tahin kurabiyesi is popular in Turkey. While we’ve never been so lucky to try either version, we’re kind of obsessed with tahini (and cookies!), so we couldn’t help but make a treat that combined the two.
The following is our inspired take on tahini cookies made gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, and butter- and oil-free. They have a tender center and crispy exterior vs. the more shortbread-like style of Turkish and Israeli tahini cookies.
How to Make Tahini Cookies
These cookies begin with whisking tahini and maple syrup into a smooth mixture. Hot tip? Not all brands of tahini are created equal! We find it easier to work with tahini that’s smooth and drippy vs. thick and pasty. We did a review comparing brands of tahini to help you find one that’s easy to work with.
Once you’ve got a smooth mixture, it’s time to add in the flours, salt, and baking soda. Almond flour gives these cookies a light crumb, while tapioca starch gives them structure.
After mixing in the flours, you’ll get cookie dough!
Roll it into balls, dip them in sesame seeds, flatten slightly, and bake until golden!
Can you say cutest cookies ever!?
We hope you LOVE these tahini cookies! They’re:
Salty
Sweet
Crispy on the edges
Tender in the inside
Super simple
& SO delicious!
Enjoy these delicious treats with a cup of coffee, chai, or hot chocolate. They’re perfect for afternoon snacks, cookie parties, or any time you’re craving a more sophisticated alternative to peanut butter cookies!
More Recipes for Tahini Lovers
- Tahini Stir-Fry Sauce
- Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing
- Tahini Chocolate Banana Soft Serve
- Tahini-Stuffed Dates (aka Tahini Bombs!)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Tahini Cookies (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini, unsalted and smooth (see our tahini review for our favorite brands)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add tahini and maple syrup and use a whisk to thoroughly combine. Next add the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, and salt to the tahini mixture. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix well.
- Place the sesame seeds into a small bowl and set it nearby. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to scoop the dough, then roll them into near perfect balls before gently rolling each ball in the sesame seeds and placing them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Gently press down on the balls to flatten slightly. Recipe as written should make ~20 cookies and they won’t spread much, so they should all fit on a standard size baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Enjoy at room temperature for best texture.
Video
Notes
*For freezing dough: Complete steps 2 & 3, then place your unbaked cookies into an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to bake, place frozen cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.
*You can substitute 1 ¼ cups DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend or 1 cup traditional all-purpose flour for both almond flour and tapioca starch, but if you do, you should use baking powder instead of baking soda and reduce the salt by half! The texture is not quite the same and the cookies are not as flavorful, but they do work!
*Loosely adapted from Food & Wine’s Honey Tahini Cookies.
Caitlyn says
I can’t get enough of this recipe! I love this website’s feature to scale down recipes, gotta make small batches of this because I’ll definitely eat them all! I’ve made them at least 5 times now and would love to play around with some variations.
Someone here suggested a cinnamon and a lemon version, both if which sound great. I’ve added a little vanilla extract to one of my batches and spread a bit of date caramel on top, may try these with cardamom next time. Maybe even some rose water, mmm!
I’ve also made these with peanut butter instead of tahini and they came out wonderfully! Will have to try an almond butter variation. Thank you so much for sharing this simple and wonderful recipe.
Okay, WOAH, your flavor variations sound SO good! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Caitlyn! xoxo
Judi says
These cookies are delicious!, very easy to make, and with just enough crunch. I’ve made tahini cookies without the tapioca starch, and they weren’t crunchy at all, so these were a welcome change.
We’re so glad you enjoyed these ones, Judi! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Chloe says
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
What can I use in place of tapioca flour? I have almond flour and oat flour- will that work?
Hi Chloe, we think oat flour will turn out more dense, but a couple other readers did report success using it in place of the tapioca flour. Other options that might work better would be corn starch, arrowroot, or (GF) all purpose flour. Let us know if you try it!
Michelle says
These are THE BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER MADE. I can’t get enough of them! I ate nearly half in one day. Thank you for the most delicious recipe. It has the perfect texture and the perfect taste. Wow!
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it, Michelle! xoxo
Rachelle Adam says
I absolutely love this healthy oil-free recipe. I want to share that I added about one third of a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and got
‘lemon tahini cookie”. Not only does the lemon juice create an unique tahini cookie but it also makes the dough very pliable and easy to roll out and shape.
And another option – adding cinnamon to the original recipe.
So out of your wonderful recipe for tahini cookies I also made cinnamon tahini cookies and lemon tahini cookies.
This is also a great recipe for Passover next week, since it only uses almond flour and tapioca. Thanks so much.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Rachelle! xo
Anna says
Hi! I would like to make these cookies for a friend who’s allergic to nuts.
Would coconut flour work alongside the tapioca starch? Thank you :)
Hi Anna, it might work but we haven’t tried it. Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond, though, so we’d suggest starting with half the amount and adding more as needed. Let us know how it goes!
Lauren says
Hi! I don’t have almond flour or tapioca starch, do you think it would work to just use regular flour in their place? Thanks :)
Hi Lauren! You can use 1 cup traditional all-purpose flour for both almond flour and tapioca starch, but if you do, you should use baking powder instead of baking soda and reduce the salt by half! The texture is not quite the same and the cookies are not as flavorful, but they do work!
Zahra says
Hello !
Can I use almond meal instead of almond flour in this recipe ?
Thank you !
Hi Zahra, almond meal might work, but they will have a different flavor and might come out a bit drier!
Nicole says
A perfect cookie! Easy, light and delicious. I’ll be making these again, experimenting with flavor varieties like different nut butters, etc.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Nicole! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Nancy A Willis says
Wow. These cookies very so easy to make and I really loved them. They tasted great. I had to cook in two batches. First group I only pressed down lightly as indicated in the recipe instructions. Second batch I flattened more. Second batch was very crispy and first batch was more chewy. I loved them both but liked the chewy batch more. I added a little maple sugar (not syrup) to the sesame seed mix that we were to roll the dough in. That was my only variation. 5 stars for flavor and ease of making. Only problem is not eating them all at once. Yum.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Nancy. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Kim says
These were super easy and very delicious! Wonderfully sesame-y and just the right sweetness. For me, it took 1/3c sesame seeds to roll the 1tbsp cookie dough balls in. I also only placed the slightly flattened cookies an inch or even slightly less than an inch apart and while they spread, it wasn’t much and none of them touched! Close but didn’t quite touch.
I’ll definitely be making these again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kim! Thanks so much for sharing! xo