Tahini
Proteins- AGE
- 6 months +
- COMMON ALLERGEN
- Sesame
- CHOKING RISK
- High — prep is the fix
- IRON
- Not iron-rich
- GOOD FOR
- Healthy fats · Calcium · Protein
When can babies have tahini?
From 6 months (corrected age), in the age-right form below.
- Sesame seeds are a notable plant source of calcium
- Healthy unsaturated fats plus some plant protein
How do I serve it at each age?
Safe form at 6–8 months
One teaspoon of well-stirred smooth tahini whisked with 2–3 teaspoons of warm water, breast milk, or formula until it ribbons off the spoon, mixed into a familiar puree or a spoonful of smooth hummus.
Pass/fail test: Lift the spoon: the mixture should fall in a steady, drizzly ribbon like runny yogurt. If it clings or strings, whisk in more warm liquid.
Why this form: A young infant cannot clear a sticky paste from the roof of the mouth, so the sesame protein has to arrive fully thinned — or pre-diluted inside a smooth hummus — for the exposure to be safe.
How to prepare
- Stir the jar thoroughly first — tahini separates, and the settled paste at the bottom is far thicker than the oil on top.
- Whisk 1 teaspoon with 2–3 teaspoons of warm water, breast milk, or formula until it drizzles freely.
- Mix into a familiar food (oatmeal, vegetable puree, plain yogurt) — never another new food, so a reaction can be traced to sesame.
- First time: serve early in the day, a small amount, and watch for 2 hours.
Common mistakes
- Scooping unthinned paste from the bottom of an unstirred jar — the densest, stickiest form of the food.
- Assuming hummus 'doesn't count' as a sesame introduction — most hummus contains tahini and is a genuine first exposure.
- Introducing sesame at dinner, leaving any delayed reaction to surface overnight.
How much?
One teaspoon, whisked thin with warm liquid into a familiar puree — small, fully thinned, and traceable.
About twice a week once tolerated, to maintain sesame tolerance.
Amounts are starting points, not targets — watch the baby, not the numbers.
How do I get the texture right?
- The working ratio: 1 teaspoon tahini to 2–3 teaspoons warm liquid gives a safe drizzle; tahini thickens strangely at first, then loosens — keep whisking past the seized stage.
- Always stir the jar top to bottom before measuring; separated tahini ranges from oil-thin at the top to mortar-thick at the bottom.
- Smooth hummus is the easiest sesame vehicle: the tahini arrives pre-diluted, and it doubles as practice with a preloaded spoon or dipper.
- Tahini whisked into plain yogurt with mashed banana makes a fast, familiar base for repeat sesame exposures.
Is tahini a choking hazard?
High choking risk — prep matters
Straight tahini is a thick, clinging paste that can coat and plug an infant's airway the same way a glob of nut butter can. Mitigate by always thinning it to a drizzle, spreading it paper-thin, or delivering it inside smooth hummus — never a spoonful of the plain paste.
Is tahini a common allergen?
Common allergen: Sesame
Yes — introduce it early in the day, alongside familiar foods, and watch for 2 hours. See the Sesame introduction program →
Anything to watch for?
Store-bought hummus can be surprisingly salty — a smooth homemade batch keeps the sesame serve low-sodium.