Better to use a Vitamix blender or just any blender. I've not gotten the best purées from Cuisiart - including the mini version.

Are your sesame seeds toasted? They will make better tahini if toasted first. You can add a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil, if the mixture gets too thick in your blender.

If you just want to put the seeds in and whir, the mini probably isn't strong enough, but in right sized quantities, it might beat the seeds up enough to make finishing by hand easier to contemplate.

Are you thinking about one of these?

Meh, hard to recommend. They do ok if used gently. I have one at the beach home. Yes, it will do the deed. Pulse 3-5 seconds, rest, pulse 3-5 seconds. It will kill the motor if running 2-3 minutes full throttle. Pulsing on and off it does work.

I like mine but do not put in nut butters or thick things. Tahini is fluid so it will do that fine and so many other quick mince it does great.

Yes, do slow, slow, low and slow toast your seeds first. Golden brown. On your stove top.

Home here I have a commercial blender with a nut butter small blender jar.

Early covid, (march), I ordered sesame seed from Bob's red mill. Six one pound bags not wanting to be caught without...so I'm doing the same...I use seed for many recipes beyond tahini.

Sorry, I didn't realize there was another kind/size of mini Cuisinart! I have a mini-prep. I don't have a Vitamix, but do have the mini-prep cuisinart, a blender, and a larger food processor, but I think it's too large for this application.

I had searched on-line for recipes and tips and did plan to toast the seeds first on the stovetop, as recommended. Most sites recommended using 3-4 tbs olive oil per cup of seeds. I thought that sounded like a lot. One site said that a mini cuisinart was the perfect thing to use, but my gut told me that might be an exaggeration, so I wanted to check here. :)

Thanks, everyone!!!

Cuisinart has at least 2 models that they call "mini-prep." Sleevendog's DLC-1 with the levers and and my DLC-2 with the flat push buttons are both called mini-prep. It is the model number that distinguishes them. There is also a mini-prep plus that holds 4 cups.

Give it a whirl and see! :-)