This Shawarma Sauce is a delicious white garlic sauce that you'll want to spoon on everything. It's made with yogurt, fresh garlic, tahini, and lemon juice. The combination is creamy, delicious, and packed with flavor.
This tahini yogurt sauce takes only 3 minutes to make. So, it's easy to make ahead for weekday meals. This sauce is delicious on shawarma, of course! But, you can also use it as a flavorful dip or dressing for most other weeknight dinners.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy: This one bowl recipe has only 5 ingredients. And, takes only 3 minutes to make!
- Delicious: This yummy shawarma sauce packs a punch of flavor. It's made with creamy yogurt, fresh garlic, tahini, and lemon juice.
- Versatile: Use this tahini yogurt sauce on pretty much anything! It's great on shawarma, sandwiches, grain bowls, or as a dip.
- Meal prep friendly: This sauce keeps well in the fridge. So, make a double batch and use it to jazz up simple weekday lunches and dinners.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
This creamy shawarma sauce recipe has only 5 ingredients (plus salt). Here's what you need:
- Greek Yogurt: Our neighborhood shawarma shop uses mayonnaise for their sauce. But, we prefer plain Greek yogurt as a healthier, higher protein swap. Full-fat yogurt has better texture and flavor than reduced-fat, but both work. If you're vegan, choose the most neutral-tasting Greek yogurt alternative.
- Mayonnaise: A small spoonful of mayo makes a big impact. This way, you get the best of both worlds. Mayo balances out the tanginess from the Greek yogurt, while adding a bit of oil and salt. Choose a vegan mayo if you'd like.
- Tahini: Tahini is a condiment made from toasted sesame seeds. In the grocery store, it's usually stocked near other Middle Eastern ingredients or nut butters.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds brightness to this creamy sauce.
- Garlic: In recipe tests, we preferred finely grated raw garlic over garlic powder. It gives the shawarma sauce its punchy, garlicky flavor. But, you could substitute garlic powder for a milder effect.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Looking for other Greek yogurt recipes? Make Greek Yogurt Onion Dip, Curry Lentil Salad, Roasted Beet Salad with Labneh, or Zucchini Fritters.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
There's only 2 steps to make this creamy yogurt and tahini sauce. And, it's ready in just 3 minutes! Here's how to make this recipe:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Use full fat yogurt for best results: This recipe is already "lightened up" by using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise for the base. So, we recommend using a full-fat Greek yogurt. Full-fat dairy tends to have better texture and taste than low-fat.
- Grate the garlic: Shawarma sauces are known to be garlicky. Grate the fresh garlic with a microplane so it more evenly mixes into the sauce. Alternatively, mince the garlic very finely with a knife. Avoid big chunks.
- Swap garlic powder for milder flavor: If you're not a fan of raw garlic, swap it with garlic powder instead.
- Add fresh herbs if you'd like: You could easily add finely chopped dill, mint, or parsley to this sauce.
- Thin with water, if desired: This recipe yields a thick, spoonable sauce. But, if you want a runnier dressing, you can thin it with a bit of cold water. Just stir in a bit of water at a time until it's the consistency you like.
- Meal prep extras: This shawarma sauce is delicious with so much more than just shawarma! See "Serving Suggestions" below for ideas on how to use it throughout the week.
Serving suggestions
This creamy shawarma sauce obviously pairs well with shawarma. But, it's delicious with other dishes too. Here are other ways to serve shawarma sauce:
- Sandwiches: Spread it on toasted buns for roasted veggie sandwiches.
- Dip: Use it as a dip for pita chips, grilled bread, fresh veggies, or even pizza crust!
- Potatoes: This garlicky white sauce is delicious with potatoes—especially Smashed Fingerling Potatoes and home fries.
- Roasted veggies: You can drizzle this sauce over roasted veggies, like air fryer brocollini or butternut squash.
- Tzatziki alternative: Out of cucumber and/or dill for tzatziki? Make shawarma sauce instead! It pairs well with spanakopita, falafel, and other dishes usually served with tzatziki.
- Sour cream alternative: Use this shawarma sauce instead of topping quesadillas, nachos or chili with sour cream. It's creamy like sour cream, but adds a lot more flavor.
Recipe FAQs
This shawarma sauce is best used within 4 days. Cover and keep in the fridge.
All you need to do is use a vegan Greek yogurt and vegan mayo.
Tahini is a classic ingredient in shawarma sauce. We love the nutty, savory flavor that tahini adds. But if you're out of tahini, you can still make this recipe without it. The final sauce sauce will be a bit less flavorful—but still delicious.
Shawarma sauce is incredibly versatile. Use this shawarma sauce on any dish that pairs well with a creamy, garlicky sauce.
For example: sandwiches, wraps, roasted veggies, grain bowls, as a dip (for pita, fresh veggies, or pizza crust), falafel, tacos, and so much more!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review below!
📖 Recipe
Shawarma Sauce (Tahini Yogurt Sauce)
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (see note 1)
- 1 clove garlic (finely grated or minced, see note 2)
- 4 teaspoons tahini
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Fine sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Mix: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 clove garlic, 4 teaspoons tahini, and 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Add salt to taste.
Notes
- Vegan option: Choose a vegan plain Greek yogurt and a vegan mayonnaise.
- Garlic: In recipe tests, we preferred fresh garlic over garlic powder. Grate the fresh garlic with a microplane (rasp grater) if you can. This will ensure the garlic gets evenly mixed throughout the sauce. Otherwise, mince as fine as possible with a knife. If you want a milder garlic flavor, swap the fresh garlic with garlic powder. Add garlic powder in small increments to taste.
- Storage tips: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Serving suggestions: Use this Shawarma Sauce for shawarma, falafel, potatoes, grilled veggies, as a dip (for pizza crust, pita chips, fresh veggies), or as a dressing. This recipe makes a spoonable sauce, but if you want it to be runnier, you can thin it with a bit of water.
- Yield: Makes 10 tablespoons of sauce. Nutritional estimates assume 2 tablespoons per serving, but use as much or as little as you'd like!
Trista says
Loved this! I used a small garlic clove and it was plenty garlicky.
bri says
Hi Trista! Glad you enjoyed this shawarma sauce!