Name: Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup tahini; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons); 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp dijon mustard; 1 tsp maple syrup; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water (or more as needed)

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.

Vegan tahini dressing in a jar with lemons in the background.

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.

Ingredients for the recipe in small bowls.

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!

Whisking together the ingredients in a bow.

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.

Glass jar with the tahini dressing dripping down the side.

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.

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!

Tahini dressing in a glass jar with lemon wedges on the side.

More dressings and sauces you’ll love!

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5 from 17 votes