If you are trying a new recipe and need tahini, you might be a bit lost. After all, it’s not a usual ingredient for most people, and it can get difficult to find it in the store.
Where do you find tahini in the grocery store? Tahini can be found in the condiment or international foods aisle of grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, Target and Safeway.
It is either in the condiments aisle with the salad dressings, peanut butter, and oils, or it’s in the international foods aisle. This depends on your grocery store and how large the international foods section is.
Tahini is made from sesame seeds, but won’t be with the nuts. This is because it’s usually canned to stay fresh for longer periods. The international foods section is the first place to look. This is because tahini is traditionally a Middle Eastern paste most often used to make hummus.
Most grocery stores have an international aisle that is separated by nationality. Look along the Middle Eastern and Asian sections, as most ethnic foods end up near Indian food. If you have looked up and down the international aisle and haven’t found tahini, it’s time to head to condiments.
In the condiments section, check near the other nut and seed butter. From sunflower seed butter to peanut butter, there should be a wide variety. Often, tahini is located here because of its similar texture to nut butter. In some groceries, it could be in both places.
Where to buy tahini near me
If you aren’t sure which grocery chain supplies tahini, you should investigate before you go. Not all major chains have it because it’s more of a specialty item.
You don’t want to spend hours searching the store only to realize they never stocked tahini in the first place.
Walmart
The tahini Walmart aisle varies with each location, but almost every Walmart store stocks tahini. You can buy refrigerated raw tahini, which is usually sold with the hummus and baba ghanoush, or regular canned tahini.
In Walmart, tahini is located with the nut and seed butter in the condiments aisle. It is usually next to the sunflower seed butter. With Walmart, you can download the app and search by your specific location. The app will tell you exactly which aisle to look at in your local store, as well as which stores stock which brands of tahini.
Target
Not all Targets have tahini. Many super Targets do, but regular Targets, even those with a grocery section, usually don’t stock tahini. It’s a specialty item, so it’s not sold in every store. Target does have premade hummus, however.
Safeway
Safeway sells organic tahini in most of its locations. To check where is tahini in Safeway stores, go to the Safeway website and search for your location. Usually, tahini is kept with nut butter in Safeway stores. However, raw tahini is refrigerated and near the hummus and tabbouleh (usually in the deli section of the store).
Kroger
In Kroger, tahini is in the international foods aisle, with sesame seeds and other Middle Eastern staples. Usually, in the middle of the store, the international aisle can host anything from Eastern Asian food to European food. The Middle Eastern food is kept near the Indian food, and that’s where you’ll find the tahini.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s was one of the first major grocery stores to carry tahini as the main product. It’s kept refrigerated with other sauces and condiments and is completely organic. In addition to Trader Joe’s main tahini product, they have flavored tahinis with herbs and spices to create different recipes.
Specialty Stores
Of course, you can always find tahini at Middle Eastern grocery stores or oriental markets. Either of these specialty ethnic stores will have a wide variety of sauces, kinds of butter, and ingredients that you might not be able to find in a larger chain of grocery stores. If you haven’t been able to find tahini, check your local specialty store for a can.
How to buy tahini online
There are several ways to buy tahini online. Whether you need it delivered or want to do a grocery pick-up, you can order tahini from your home.
If you’re prepared to wait a few days, tahini will come to you. Here are some of the top places to order tahini online:
- Amazon
- Walmart.com (grocery pick-up or delivery)
- Soom Foods
- Thrive Market
- Instacart
- Hive Brands
While these are only a few ways to order tahini online, they are probably the fastest. If you aren’t in a huge hurry to get your recipe going and can’t find it at your local store, Amazon or Walmart could be your best online option.
What can i get instead of tahini?
Tahini is a unique ingredient and hard to replace. However, if you’re unable to find it in the store or online, you can use these ingredients as emergency substitutes.
Keep in mind that these ingredients will alter the recipe.
Sunflower Butter
If you can’t find tahini at all, the best thing to substitute it with is unflavored sunflower butter. Because the texture and thickness are the same, you will be able to use sunflower seed-based butter for most of the same recipes. However, it has a sweeter taste, so hummus and other savory meals might taste different.
Greek Yogurt
If you don’t have sunflower or any other nut butter, you can use Greek yogurt in place of tahini. It doesn’t have the same thickness, so you might need to add flour (depending on what you are making). However, greek yogurt has a similar texture and tangy flavor and can perform the same function as tahini.
Hummus
Unless you are making hummus, you can use hummus as a substitute for tahini. After all, the primary ingredients in hummus are tahini and chickpeas. With hummus, you will need a thickener such as chickpea flour or cornstarch. However, it can act the same flavor-wise in some recipes.
