This Tahini Dressing is creamy and nutty and our go-to dressing for salads, Buddha bowls or a dip with homemade falafel. Just a few staple ingredients and it's ready in a couple of minutes.
This tahini salad dressing is like liquid gold. It's so easy to make, and has the most incredible flavour. Silky smooth, naturally nutty and fresh and zesty from the added lemon. An easy way to give a salad a lift, but there are so many other ways to use this tahini dressing recipe.
If you are looking for some more recipes with tahini, why not try our Roasted Carrot Hummus or Butter Bean Hummus?
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Why you will love it
- Quick and easy - This tahini dressing recipe takes just 5 minutes to make and it's as easy as mixing everything together in a bowl.
- Versatile - There is so much that you can do with this dressing, and it makes a great dip too.
- Adaptable - Keep this dressing as it is, or use our suggestions for additional ingredients.
- A good way to use up tahini - If you have some tahini leftovers from making hummus, then this is a good way to use it so nothing goes to waste.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tahini - Tahini is sesame seeds that are ground into a paste and it originates in the Middle East. It's what is used in hummus, but it also makes a delicious dressing. Try to use the best quality one you can. We have given instructions below for if you want to make your own.
- Lemon - This adds a lovely freshness to the lemon tahini dressing. Feel free to adjust it if you want more.
- Liquid sweetener - You can use honey or maple syrup here.
- Garlic - Always use freshly crushed if you can. You can also adjust it if you want a more garlicky dressing.
- Oil - This adds flavour and thins the dressing out. Use extra virgin olive oil. If you really love the sesame flavour, you could use sesame oil.
- Water - This thins the dressing out further. Feel free to adjust depending on how runny you want the tahini dressing.
- Mustard - This adds a lovely pop of flavour. We used Dijon, but remember that a lot of brands are not vegan, so look out for that if you are vegan.
- Salt and pepper - Generously season.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make tahini dressing - Step by step
One: Add the tahini, lemon juice, sweetener, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl.
Two: Whisk together while slowly adding the water. Continue whisking until creamy.
Ways to serve Tahini Dressing
This is SUCH a versatile dressing. If you wanted to serve it on a salad, then we recommend our Rocket Salad, Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad, Lentil Salad or Little Gem Salad.
It also makes a delicious dressing on things like Vegan Burrito Bowls or our Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables. We also love it drizzled over our Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli.
But, it is more than just a dressing as it makes an incredible dip. Why not serve it with our Oven Baked Falafel? It's also a good addition to a vegetable platter for a party.
You can use this tahini dressing recipe as a replacement for mayo in sandwiches. Although it does have a different flavour, it has that creamy consistency.
Variations
We have made this a lemon tahini dressing, so that is the main flavour that comes through alongside the sesame seeds. However, if you wanted to add some other flavours, here are some suggestions:
- Smoky - For a smoky flavour, add a little smoked paprika.
- Spicy - For a kick of spice, you could either add a splash of your favourite chilli sauce or some cayenne pepper.
- Green - If you want to give this a herby twist, then you could blend it with some fresh herbs. Use leafy herbs like coriander or parsley instead of woody ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this a really quick dressing, we used store bought tahini. But, if you wanted to make your own then it's the same process as nut butter. Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan and then put them in a food processor and blend. Stop every 30 seconds to scrape the sides down and then carry on blending until you have a smooth consistency.
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Adding fresh herbs would mean it wouldn't last as long.
No, we wouldn't recommend freezing it as the texture isn't great after defrosting.
If you use maple syrup instead of honey and make sure the mustard you are using is vegan, then this can be a vegan salad dressing.
Extra tips
• Feel free to adjust the flavours to suit your own tastes. You might like extra lemon or mustard. You can always add more of something as you taste it, but you can't remove it.
• Dijon mustard isn't vegan, so use a vegan mustard if you want to keep this recipe vegan.
More sauce recipes
If you’ve tried this tahini dressing recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.5 oz) Tahini
- 0.5 Lemon - juice only
- 1 tablespoon Liquid sweetener
- 1 Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoon Water
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Add 40 g Tahini, juice of 0.5 Lemon, 1 tablespoon Liquid sweetener, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 Garlic clove (crushed), 2 tablespoon Olive oil and 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper to a bowl.
- Whisk together while slowly adding 4 tablespoon Water. Continue whisking until creamy.
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the flavours to suit your own tastes. You might like extra lemon or mustard. You can always add more of something as you taste it, but you can't remove it.
- Dijon mustard isn't vegan, so use a vegan mustard if you want to keep this recipe vegan.
Nutritional Information
Sara Welch
This was such a quick and easy sauce to make from home and way better than the store bought version! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
Tara
I can see why this is your go-to dressing for salads. It looks so good and I love how easily it all comes together.
Dana
This sounds like it's so nicely flavored and with a great texture to boot! Can't wait to try it!
Natalie Marie
I love tahini and how simple this recipe is. I feel like I always struggle to make dressings because I feel like they need to be complicated, but this is going to be my new go to.
Sue
I've just started making my own falafel and really wanted a dipping sauce - this fit the bill perfectly!
Nikki
I really like making homemade dressings like this fabulous tahini dressing. I can't wait to try it on my salad.
Ned
This dressing is incredible! I cannot wait to use it again today for my salad at lunch. Thank you!
Katherine Kyle
So delicious! This recipe is so fast to throw together and tahini dressing goes so well with so many meals. I use it on everything! Thanks for making this so simple.
Hayley Dhanecha
Tahini dressing is one of my favourite dressing, so easy to make and packed with flavours. Bounus, it's vegan too!
Sangeetha
This tahini dressing recipe looks so delicious and versatile! I can't wait to try it on my salads and roasted veggies. Thank you for sharing!