Peanut Butter Tahini Substitute - How to Use Peanut Butter Instead of Tahini
Learn how to use peanut butter as a tahini substitute in hummus, dressings, sauces, and baking. Get proper ratios, cooking tips, and when peanut butter works best as a tahini alternative.
Quick Answer
Peanut butter is an excellent tahini substitute using a 1:1 ratio. It provides similar creamy texture and nutty flavor that works well in hummus, dressings, sauces, and baking. Use natural peanut butter without added sugar for best results.
Best Substitutes
Natural Peanut Butter
1:1Natural peanut butter is the best tahini substitute as it provides similar creamy texture and nutty flavor. It's easily accessible and works well in most applications where tahini is used.
Best for:
Best choice - no added sugar or salt, similar texture and flavor
Regular Peanut Butter
1:1Regular peanut butter works as a tahini substitute but may be sweeter due to added sugar. It provides similar texture and flavor, though you may need to adjust other ingredients in your recipe.
Best for:
Works well but may be sweeter. Adjust other ingredients accordingly
Crunchy Peanut Butter
1:1Crunchy peanut butter can work as a tahini substitute and adds interesting texture. For creamy applications like hummus, blend until smooth. For baking, the crunch can add pleasant texture.
Best for:
Adds texture. Blend until smooth for creamy applications
Peanut Butter + Sesame Oil
3/4 cup peanut butter + 1 tbsp sesame oil = 1 cup tahiniCombine peanut butter with a small amount of sesame oil to add sesame flavor and make it more similar to tahini. This creates a closer substitute to authentic tahini taste.
Best for:
Adds sesame flavor to peanut butter for more authentic taste
Peanut Butter + Water
1 cup peanut butter + 2-3 tbsp water = 1 cup tahiniThin peanut butter with water to achieve tahini-like consistency for sauces and dressings. Add water gradually until you reach the desired thickness for your application.
Best for:
Thins peanut butter to tahini consistency for sauces and dressings
Cooking Tips
- 💡Use natural peanut butter without added sugar or salt for best results
- 💡For creamy applications like hummus, blend peanut butter until smooth
- 💡Adjust sweetness in recipes when using regular peanut butter
- 💡Add a small amount of sesame oil to peanut butter for more authentic flavor
- 💡Thin peanut butter with water for sauce and dressing applications
- 💡Peanut butter works best in recipes where the nutty flavor complements other ingredients
- 💡For baking, peanut butter provides similar texture and binding properties as tahini
- 💡Store peanut butter at room temperature for easy mixing and spreading
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
Learn how to use peanut butter as a tahini substitute in hummus, dressings, and baking. Get proper ratios, cooking tips, and when peanut butter works best as a tahini alternative.