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This tahini salad dressing has an unbelievably creamy texture and is the type of sauce you’ll want to drench your next salad in. It’s made with simple ingredients, like lemon juice and garlic, and can be stirred together in minutes.
The first time I made this dressing was over a decade ago, when I was on a raw-foods kick. That meant I was buying raw tahini, which, as it turns out, is drastically different from other varieties. Be sure to read my tips below on which tahini will work best for this recipe, so you won’t wind up with bitter results.
Use it as a salad topping or a dip for veggies this week!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Wow this was good!! BEST salad dressing recipe EVER and I’ve tried quite a few! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂 I can’t wait to have another salad for dinner tomorrow night!!” – Amber
Tahini Dressing Ingredients
- Tahini. I think you get the best results with raw tahini, such as Artisana brand, or with homemade tahini. It takes about 10 minutes to make in a food processor and is more affordable than buying it at the store. If you use another brand, such as Soom, the toasted sesame seed flavor will be more pronounced. (So it will taste less like Caesar dressing.)
- Lemon Juice. You’ll need approximately two lemons for this recipe. I like to start with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, but you may want to use up to 6 tablespoons total. It’s best to taste and adjust as you go. Don’t use store-bought bottled juice; fresh is best!
- Garlic. I’ve learned that the key to hiding the bitter tahini flavor is to add plenty of fresh garlic. I usually use 3 small cloves in this batch, but you can adjust this to taste.
- Onion Powder. This is another layer of flavor that masks the bitterness of the tahini.
- Salt and Pepper. I use fine sea salt, which tastes different than white table salt. I recommend a minimum amount of salt in this recipe, but you can always add an extra pinch if you want to boost the flavor.
How to Make Tahini Dressing
Step 1:
In a 14 oz. or larger jar, add the tahini, lemon juice, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Use a microplane to finely mince the garlic cloves directly into the jar.
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Stir well. The mixture should start to look relatively thick.
Step 2:
Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing reaches a creamy, drippy consistency. I usually add 4 to 5 tablespoons total, but this may vary based on the type of tahini you use.
As soon as you’re happy with the consistency, you can taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning if needed. It’s ready to use right away.
Lemon Tahini Dressing (Oil-Free!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw tahini
- 4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a 14-ounce jar or larger, add the tahini, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, minced garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. (Use a microplane to finely mince the garlic directly into the jar.) Stir well, then add the water and stir again.
- Taste the dressing and add more lemon juice, just one tablespoon at a time, if you'd like a more tart flavor. If you don't want to add more lemon juice, you may want to add another tablespoon of water to thin the consistency. Once you're happy with the flavor and texture, it's ready to serve.
- Secure the lid on the jar and store the dressing in the fridge for up to a week. It will thicken when chilled, so you may want to add another tablespoon of water to thin the consistency when you use it later.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More REcipes to Try
- Zucchini Hummus
- Make-Ahead Vegan Lunch Bowls
- Vegan Green Goddess Dressing (Oil-Free!)
- Tahini-Dill Salad Dressing
- Cucumber Tahini Salad Dressing
If you try this tahini dressing recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
This is the third time I’ve made this. I think I like it better with less garlic and more onion so I adjust it slightly. Also, I use 1 lemon, which gives me a quarter of a cup of juice (I must have large lemons!) then top that off with water to make it equal a half cup. It’s perfect! Soooooooo yummy!
Do you ever make your own tahini?
Yum, yum, yum! I loved it and its simple enough to whip up real quick. Wondered how your game out soo white but I realized that my organic Tahini is from roasted seeds. I’ll try the brand you recommend. I found it once but gasped at the price so didn’t buy it. My Whole Foods stores stopped carrying it so I will order from Amazon. Thanks for your recipes. They taste like real food. (I think you know what I mean!)
I give it 5 stars but for some reason it will only highlight 4 stars no matter how many times I tap the 5th one. Probably an Ipad glitch.
I love this dressing and so does my 11 month old! (While eating this was the only time I have ever seen her trying to lick her plate.) I also introduced a friend to it, and she loves it! I just need to work on my 3 year old 😉
I have recently been diagnosed with some liver problems and I can not have sodium. Do you have any sodium free receipes? Especially for sauces and dressings. Thanks!
Lesa, you are always welcome to leave the salt out of any of my recipes. The results will be a bit more bland, but I’m sure your taste-buds will have adapted to less sodium flavor, anyway.
Made this over the weekend, absolutely delicious. This is for veggies and dip, for the summer time! 🙂
Made this today, and even my 5-year old son enjoyed his salad! I added some extra herbs, so it would look like ranch dressing. Thanks!
This is seriously the BEST creamy dressing! Thank you for all the yummy and healthy ideas you share with us!
You should just call this dressing “liquid crack”! I will be pouring this over my salads all week. Your recipes are the BEST.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! I can’t get enough of it, either. 😉
Delicious & easy. I am going to try this with other nut/seed butters. Thanks for sharing.