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This Lemon Tahini Dressing is possibly one of my favorite salad dressings of all time. It’s rich and creamy, without using dairy or oil! Drench your salads with it, or use it as a healthy dip with veggies.
How to Make Lemon Tahini Dressing
Making this creamy tahini dressing is as easy as it gets. You don’t need a blender or any special equipment! Simply stir the tahini, lemon juice, and other ingredients together until smooth and creamy. (It does take a few minutes of stirring to combine.)
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Choosing the Right Type of Tahini
The reason this tahini dressing is oil-free is because the tahini I’m using has NO added oil. (I use Artisana tahini most often.) If you’re on an oil-free diet, be sure to check on the label on your tahini. The only ingredient should be ground sesame seeds.
If there is added oil in the tahini you have, this recipe won’t work as well because the tahini is probably much runnier in texture. Keep in mind that it’s easy to make your own oil-free tahini at home, too! Just pour hulled sesame seeds into your food processor and grind them until very smooth.
How Long Does Tahini Dressing Last?
This lemon tahini dressing should last up to a week in your fridge. I usually use it all before then! Keep in mind that the garlic flavor tends to get a little more potent as it rests in the fridge, so when I make a double batch of this dressing I don’t always double the garlic so the flavor won’t be too overpowering by the end of the week.
Can You Freeze Tahini Dressing?
This dressing freezes and thaws well! I like to freeze sauces and dressings in a ice cube tray so that they will thaw quickly and are easy to portion later.
More Healthy Tahini Recipes
If you need more ideas on how to use the rest of the tahini in your fridge, give one of these recipes a try!
- Zucchini Hummus
- Make-Ahead Vegan Lunch Bowls
- Vegan Green Goddess Dressing (Oil-Free!)
- Tahini-Dill Salad Dressing
- Cucumber Tahini Salad Dressing
How to Make Lemon Tahini Dressing (1-Minute Video):
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw tahini
- 1/4 cup water , plus more to thin
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or mason jar and whisk well to combine. Add extra water one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is as thin as you'd like it to be, and adjust any seasonings to your taste.
- This dressing will thicken up when stored in the fridge. It's great as a dip, but if you want to thin it for a salad dressing, just add another tablespoon of water and stir until pourable again. This should last up to a week in the fridge.
Video
Nutrition
For 2 tablespoons of dressing: Calories: 73, Fat: 6g, Carbohydrates: 3g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 2g
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure you use a tahini that has no other ingredients to keep this dressing oil-free. I use Artisana brand most often, and the only ingredient in that is ground sesame seeds.
- You can make your own tahini in a food processor without using added oil, by grinding hulled sesame seeds until smooth.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know what you think! And if you make a substitution, please let us know how it worked for you. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite oil-free salad dressing?
What is tahani? I have never heard of it. And also where do I find it?
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds! It’s often found in stores near the peanut butter but it’s also super simple and more cost effective to make at home! You can check out my recipe for homemade tahini here: https://detoxinista.com/tahini/
THIS IS SO GOOD! MY FAVORITE HAS BEEN YOUR KNOCK OFF BUT THIS IS BETTER! I ADDED A LITTLE EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING AT END OF MINE.😄
Made this yesterday, stored it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors come together. Yum-o! Eating it right now and loving it. Thanks, Megan!
This dressing was so tasty and easy to make. I put it on a fried portabella mushroom, cherry tomato, and green bean dish. Planning to try it on salad since there is plenty left over. I wonder how long it lasts in the fridge.
Can you add balsamic vinegar to this dressing? I feel like I need to add something else besides water to make it not so thick. I LOVE it for a dip, I’m talking about for a salad dressing.
Just made this tahini with cashews (didn’t have the raw tahini on hand) and a handfull whole sesame seeds then blended in Vitamix till smooth and frothy. SOOOOOO good, I plan to wow my husband with it tonight 😉 Will be serving with roasted shawarma spiced veggies, I can’t wait for dinner! Another delicious recipe Megan, thanks!!!
I love Tahini so I had to try this. I thought the Tahini taste was a little to strong so I added some maple syrup to this and it was just what it needed. Just poured it over a huge plate of veggies, delicious.
I really loved this! It was divine used as a dip for my sweet potato fries. Thank you! Love your recipes!
YUM!!😋 Great idea!
This is absolutely the BEST dressing ever… I have had it with two different salads and both tasted great. I used a a small chunk of red onion as i didnt have onion powder and still came out fantastic. The salad it tasted best with was a combo of red cabbage, white cabbage, lots of mint, lots of coriander, orange carrot and lots of chives. Delish with toasted almonds.
Better than Annie’s Goddess. I have been following you and making recipes that you post now for about a year. I added a little green onion. This was better than I expected. I ran out of my yogurt dill dressing I make and decided to try it. Some day I will make everything you post.