🍬 Tahini Halva with Pistachios
Tahini halva is a dense, crumbly sweet made from sesame paste and sugar, here studded with green pistachios. It melts on the tongue with a nutty, slightly savory sesame flavor and a fibrous, flaky texture. It is eaten in small pieces at breakfast with bread, with tea, or as a quick sweet snack.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g tahini
- 300 g sugar
- 100 ml water
- 60 g shelled pistachios
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
Method
- Line a small loaf tin with baking paper and scatter half the pistachios in it.
- Warm the tahini gently in a bowl.
- Boil the sugar and water to 118 °C (soft-ball stage).
- Pour the syrup into the tahini and stir vigorously for 1–2 minutes until it thickens and pulls away.
- Fold in the remaining pistachios, press into the tin and let it set for several hours before slicing.
How to make it lighter
- Halva is very energy-dense — weigh a 20–30 g piece instead of cutting by eye.
- Pair a small piece with fruit or tea rather than eating it on its own in quantity.
- Buy or make thin slices and keep the block out of sight between servings.
History
Sesame halva has been made for centuries across the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Balkans. Today it is sold in large blocks in markets from Syria and Lebanon to Turkey and Greece, plain or flavored with pistachios.
Count it in one photo
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →