Keto Tahini, Tamari Mushrooms

⏲ ~29 min total · prep 14 · cook 15 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 12 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 tbsp tahini, well stirred
• 1 1/2 tbsp tamari
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1-2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced scallion

Instructions

1. Whisk the tahini, tamari, grated garlic, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of water into a pourable glaze — it will seize and look broken at first, then loosen; add water a teaspoon at a time until it ribbons off the whisk.
2. Heat the avocado oil in a 10-inch skillet over high heat until it shimmers.
3. Add the mushrooms in one layer and leave them alone for 3 minutes — moving them early costs you the sear.
4. Toss once and cook 3 more minutes, until the edges crisp and the pan goes nearly dry.
5. Pull the pan off the heat, pour the glaze over, and toss for about 30 seconds until every piece is glossy and the sauce cooks down to a thin sheen on the pan bottom.
6. Pile into a warm bowl, scatter the sesame seeds and scallion over, and eat hot — the glaze thickens as it sits.

Why this recipe works

• Three minutes of patience The mushrooms sear untouched over high heat, and that stillness is where the crisp edges come from. Stir early and they release water and stew in it instead.
• A glaze, not a sauce Tahini loosened with water and tamari cooks down in thirty seconds to a thin sheen. Every piece comes out glossy without pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
• Off the heat before glazing The pan leaves the burner before the tahini goes in. Sesame sauces scorch fast, and a scorched pan ruins the batch in a minute.

Tips for making this recipe well

Quarter, don't slice

Quartered creminis stand up to high heat and give you more seared edge per mushroom. Slices curl, weep, and turn limp before they ever brown.

Whisk the glaze first

It will seize and look broken, then loosen with water a teaspoon at a time until it ribbons off the whisk. Have it ready before the pan heats, because the cooking part takes six minutes total.

Read the pan, not the clock

When the edges crisp and the pan goes nearly dry, the mushrooms are ready. A wet pan means the water is still cooking off.

Serve in a warm bowl

The glaze thickens as it sits, and a cold bowl speeds that up. Thirty seconds under the broiler for the empty bowls is enough.

Tamari versus soy sauce

Tamari brings a deeper, wheat-free salt to the glaze. Soy sauce works in the same amount if that's what's in the fridge door.

Serving suggestions

Pile them hot into a warm bowl and scatter the sesame seeds and scallion over right before they reach the table. At 1.4g net carbs, this is the side dish you make on a Tuesday with no planning. It sits next to a seared steak as well as it does a plate of scrambled eggs. Eat this one hot, straight from the bowl with a spoon, because the glaze waits for nobody.

Storage and meal prep

This is a cook-and-eat dish, at its best within the hour. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge, though the glaze keeps thickening and the mushrooms soften. Reheat fast in a hot skillet with a splash of water to loosen the tahini. Freezing isn't worth it here; thawed mushrooms turn slack and watery, and no amount of glaze fixes that.

Variations worth trying

• Turn up the heat Whisk a teaspoon of chile crisp or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the glaze. It clings the same way.
• Make it a plate Double the batch and pile it over wilted spinach or cauliflower rice for a proper vegetarian dinner.
• Mixed mushrooms Swap a third of the creminis for shiitakes or oyster mushrooms. Keep the high heat and the untouched three minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my tahini glaze look broken and clumpy?

That's what tahini does the moment liquid arrives. Keep whisking and add water a teaspoon at a time; it loosens into a smooth, pourable glaze inside a minute.

Can I use white button mushrooms?

You can, though creminis hold their shape better under high heat. Buttons work if you quarter them and trust the dry-pan cue rather than the clock.

Why leave the mushrooms alone?

A mushroom is mostly water, and moving it early releases that water before it can sear. Three untouched minutes builds the browned edges that make the dish.

Can I make the glaze ahead?

Yes, whisk it up to a day ahead and refrigerate. It tightens in the cold, so re-whisk with a teaspoon of water before it meets the pan.

Is this a main or a side?

As written it's a side for two or a generous snack for one. Double it and serve it over greens, and it carries dinner on its own.

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