My go to 5 minute salad dressing! This lemon tahini dressing recipe is easy to make, vegan and guaranteed to make any vegetable taste delicious! It’s ready in just 5 minutes and perfect to meal prep.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the key to eating your vegetables is to have a delicious sauce or dressing to go with it.
Salads can be so delicious as long as the dressing is just right! I love this simple lemon garlic tahini dressing on kale salads, quinoa salads, chickpeas salads etc. because it’s so creamy so great with heartier ingredients.
It takes just a few minutes to mix together and stores really well in the fridge so you have no excuse for letting that box of greens go to waste this week!
Key Ingredients
Tahini: Tahini is to sesame seeds as peanut butter is to peanuts. Suddenly feel like I’m taking the SAT’s again lol. But tahini is essentially sesame seed paste.
It’s commonly found in hummus, but I also love it for salad dressings! It’s creamy, has a nutty flavor with a hint of bitterness. But don’t worry, the other flavors balance out the bitterness really well!
Lemon Juice: You’ll need a generous amount of lemon juice for this recipe to ensure the best flavor. About two large lemons will do the trick! If you like it really lemony, you can add a bit of lemon zest as well!
Garlic: I often just use pre-minced garlic from the grocery store because it’s easy, but fresh garlic definitely gives the best flavor.
Dijon Mustard: For a little tang that pairs really well with the lemon juice.
Maple Syrup or Honey: We need to balance out the bitterness from the tahini and sour from the lemon with just a splash of sweetener.
Salt & Water: I like a generous amount of salt in this tahini dressing, but you can always add more or less to taste. The water is just there to thin out the dressing so it’s not super thick.
How to make tahini dressing
Finely mince the garlic and add to a bowl or jar with all ingredients. Start with just 1/4 cup of water.
Shake to combine or whisk together really well. Add the extra two tablespoons of water as needed to thin. If you want it to be more like a dip, use less water, but for a dressing, just add more!
Taste and adjust flavors as desired. Serve with your favorite salad & enjoy!
Does it keep?
Once prepared, this recipe will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. The lemon juice acts as a natural preservative, so it stores really well!
I like to give it a good stir before serving so it gets nice and creamy, since the ingredients can separate a bit as it sits.
I have not tried freezing it, but I imagine it would work ok! Just keep it in a freezer safe container and let thaw in the fridge overnight.
Variations
While this vegan tahini dressing is of course perfect as a salad dressing (no surprise there), I also really like it as a dip for veggies.
Make it a dip! You can easily decrease the amount of water you use so it stays thicker and acts more like a dip than a dressing. It’s perfect with sliced carrots, cucumber, peppers or your favorite crackers.
Add herbs. While I love the flavor as is, you can easily spruce it up by adding some fresh or dried herbs like dill, parsley, cilantro or rosemary.
You can also add some spices like paprika, cumin, onion powder etc.
Make it spicy! I also love a little spice every now and then, so a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper is delicious! This recipe is very customizable, so feel free to get creative!
More dressings and sauces you’ll love!
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Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice about 2 large lemons
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp water or more as needed
Instructions
- Finely mince the garlic and add to a bowl or jar with all ingredients. Start with just 1/4 cup of water.
- Shake to combine or whisk together really well. Add the extra two tablespoons of water as needed to thin.
- You may need to use a few more tablespoons, depending on your tahini.
- Taste and adjust flavors as desired. Tahini can be bitter, so you may want a touch more maple syrup to taste. Serve with your favorite salad & enjoy!
lynda says
I just made this and I have to say I am absolutely amazed how nice it is. I’m always looking out for an all purpous dressing, dipping sauce and this one hits the spot. I would highly recommend it.
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Linda! So glad you enjoyed it.
Max says
Delicious! I tried it again without the Dijon and maple syrup, then added soy sauce in replacement of salt and added apple cider vinigar in replace of some water, plus more garlic because I just love garlic, it was amazing for my grain Bowls and on kale!
Claire Cary says
Love those subs! So glad you enjoyed it.
Michelle LeVar says
Good recipe. A little sharp so added 1/2 t. sugar and started with just 3T. water instead of 1/4 c. (4 T. water) so I could thicken the dressing for a thicker or thinner dressing as desired. For a little ‘pop’ added a two finger pinch of cayenne powder.
Jackie says
Fantastic dressing! Thank you for sharing
Sarah S says
this dressing was sooo good!!! i added a touch of extra maple syrup. i’m obsessed!
Hughes says
First time making this participle type of Buddha bowl. Bummed out that I didn’t try it sooner. I was a skeptic of the flavor combo, but it was perfect! Will be a repeat offender this Fall/Winter. 😅
Brenda says
Can you use sesame oil instead of tahini in this recipe?
Claire Cary says
No, this recipe is for a tahini dressing, so you definitely need the tahini!
Lana Richardson says
Tried your kale recipe, yum, thanks Lana
Chelsea says
This recipe is amazing! Will be on repeat in my kitchen. Quick question – should you store this on the counter or in the fridge?
Claire Cary says
Definitely in the fridge!
Ashley says
How long can this stay in the fridge?
I’ve been making this weekly to out over chicken with quinoa salad. Absolutely amazing!
Claire Cary says
Should keep for 1-2 weeks!
Susan says
I can tell I love it already. Thank you!
Shadia says
This is amazing! Do you personally think this recipe works better with maple syrup or natural honey? Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Either would be great! Honey is a bit thicker so you may need more water to thin it out, but either is fine!
Lee says
This is so delicious! I’ve tried other recipes and they were a bit bitter. I think the mustard and the maple syrup is what makes this a winner!
Claire Cary says
Yes! A little bit of sweetness really helps balance out the flavor. So glad you liked it!
Marie says
Oh my, so good. Couldn’t stop tasting what was left in my magic bullet.
Claire Cary says
That’s how you know it’s good!