My New Favorite Grocery Find Is Perfect for Chocolate- and Vanilla-Lovers

Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and the former social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Her first book, a food and farming memoir titled The Call of the Farm, was published in 2014. Her second book, a romance novel set in Scotland, will be published in February 2023.
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published Mar 5, 2022
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I Tried Soom Tahini
Credit: Rochelle Bilow

I’m a tahini superfan. I’m convinced the sesame seed paste is a perfect food. The combination of its bitter flavor, silky-smooth texture, and versatility is a major win in my book. Here in the States, tahini is most commonly found in hummus, but its origins in the Middle East and Africa come with a long tradition of sweet recipes and preparations, too. That’s why I’m madly in love with a new-to-me tahini product that hits all the right dessert-y notes.

Soom Tahini is an ultra-smooth brand of sesame paste that tastes unlike any other commonly found tahini. The secret, its founders say, is in the type of sesame seeds used; they source their seeds directly from Ethiopia. I previously tried their original tahini and loved it, so when I learned that they made both a vanilla bean and chocolate variety, I was aaaaall over it. 

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

I had a feeling I’d be a fan of this tahini, but I was not expecting to use it as much as I did. What I assumed would be a fun dessert item turned out to be a breakfast booster, smoothie ingredient, and out-of-the-jar snack. 

The chocolate tahini is rich and indulgent, with a thicker texture than Soom’s original tahini; call it scoopable, rather than pourable. In my opinion, it makes for the perfect spread — like a grown-up Nutella — or dipping sauce. Almost every afternoon in the past week, I’ve slathered it on dried mango for a protein-boosted sugar fix. The secret, I’m betting from a quick read of the ingredients label (tahini, powdered cane sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean specks) is in the powdered sugar for a velvety texture with absolutely zero grit.

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

Chocolate is great, but Soom’s vanilla tahini is really where it’s at. You can really taste the combination of bitter and sweet, and the flavor of the sesame shines through. Plus, it’s made with real vanilla beans (you can see the specks!), so it has a luxe flavor. It’s a surprisingly delicious ice cream topper and yogurt mix-in — I like it with Siggi’s Mixed Berries — but it’s become the MVP of my morning oatmeal bowl. The flavor contains just the right amount of sugar to taste satisfying without sending me into a crash an hour later. And it’s so smooth that it hardly requires any stirring. That alone should impress you!

You can buy the tahini a la carte, but I recommend springing for a two-pack of the chocolate and vanilla, which retails for $16.99. I’m planning on keeping my cupboards stocked with both varieties from now on: A girl’s got to have options.

How would you use sweet tahini?

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