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.
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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
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- 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.
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.
How to Make Tahini Dressing
- Step 1: Add the tahini, lemon juice, sweetener, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl.
- Step 2: 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.
Dannii's Top 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 always vegan, so use a vegan mustard if you want to keep this recipe vegan.
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.
More Sauce Recipes
If you've tried this tahini dressing recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.5 oz) of Tahini
- 0.5 Lemon - juice only
- 1 tablespoon of Liquid sweetener
- 1 Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoon of Water
- 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add 40 g of Tahini, juice of 0.5 Lemon, 1 tbsp of Liquid sweetener, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 Garlic clove (crushed), 2 tbsp of Olive oil and 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper to a bowl.
- Whisk together while slowly adding 4 tbsp of Water. Continue whisking until creamy.
Recipe 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.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Sara Welch says
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 says
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.
Natalie Marie says
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 says
I've just started making my own falafel and really wanted a dipping sauce - this fit the bill perfectly!
Ned says
This dressing is incredible! I cannot wait to use it again today for my salad at lunch. Thank you!
Katherine Kyle says
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 says
Tahini dressing is one of my favourite dressing, so easy to make and packed with flavours. Bounus, it's vegan too!