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This Tahini Dill Dressing is quick and easy to prepare, and makes for an addictive salad topping or dip. I could eat it straight off the spoon!
Why You Need to Try this Dressing
I can’t take credit for this brilliant flavor combination; it was inspired by a visit to Swingers diner back when I lived in Los Angeles. There, they serve an amazing Mediterranean platter, complete with falafel, hummus, and a Greek salad topped with a tahini-dill dressing.
I attempted to recreate this salad dressing several times at home with no luck, until I came across a similar recipe in one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, Veganomicon. The recipe you’ll find below is adapted from the one in this book, and I hope you’ll agree that it’s downright addictive.
What is Tahini Dressing Made Of?
Like my popular Lemon Tahini Dressing, the base of this dressing is simply tahini, lemon juice, and water. No oil is required!
Here’s what makes this dressing taste so good:
- Raw tahini
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Salt
- Fresh dill
I use raw tahini, or homemade tahini, in this recipe, because it has a mild flavor that isn’t as bitter as other roasted varieties. The key to making tahini taste less-bitter is by using hulled sesame seeds, so make sure you buy hulled ones if you plan on making your own at home. (It takes less than 10 minutes!)
I think using fresh dill is key in this recipe, but you can try using a teaspoon of dried dill if that’s what you have on hand.
You could also try using fresh parsley or cilantro, to change it up!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw tahini
- 1/4 cup water , plus more as needed to thin
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1 large handful fresh dill , finely chopped (stems removed)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the tahini, water, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Use a small whisk to stir it all together until it is creamy. Taste and add another tablespoon of lemon juice if a more tart flavor is desired. (You can also add up to another 1/4 teaspoon of salt, to help make the flavor pop.)
- Stir in the fresh dill, and let the dressing rest for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up a week.
- The dressing will thicken quite a bit once it has been in the fridge, so you may want to thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of water the next time you serve it.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info above is for roughly 2 tablespoons of dressing. All nutrition calculations are a general estimate; please check your own ingredients to get the most accurate results.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to use tahini? My other favorite tahini recipes include hummus, Broccoli Salad, and Creamy Cucumber Tahini Dressing.
This is my favorite salad dressing right now. I’ve made it at least 4 times. It makes my salads taste decadent! Like I am eating lunch at the Four Seasons.
It does thicken in the fridge, but that is great because it makes it last longer since I add about an ounce of water and shake it really well before using each time.
The fresh taste of this salad dressing is what I have been desperately searching for in a no oil salad dressing.
love these recipes
Delicious! I made it with cilantro that I had on hand.
Easy and freaking delicious
I added all the other ingredients in the full amount before realizing I only had about half the amount of tahini needed, oops! Due to my error it was watery but still tasty. I served it over socca and roasted mushrooms and would recommend that combo!
Hi Megan,
I have been making this recipe of yours for a long time now and until today I didn’t realize that I was suppose to mix and not blend it all together … still tastes amazing (grin)
Stay healthy and thanks for all that you do for us … Claire
This dressing is phenomenal!! I had a little left over dill in the fridge and googled “tahini dill dressing” to find recipes to help me use the herb in my meal. I had 1/8 cup of fresh dill, so I adjusted the rest of the ingredients (1/8 cup tightly packed fresh dill, 1 Tbsp tahini, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, 1+ Tbsp water, no apple cider vinegar), and I pulsed as well as I could with a small immersion blender in a little glass custard cup. It was hard not to eat it all with a spoon 🙂 I put it on top of purple sweet potatoes, and it was a winning combo! So fresh! Thanks for letting us know how long the dressing can last in the fridge – that’s a detail other bloggers forget to mention, and it’s super helpful for those of us cooking just for 1 person. I’ll be making this again!
Just started reading your blog and love it! Tahini is AMAZING in dressings.. it adds great creamy texture in a healthy way!
I’ve made this before and it turned out great, but I made it today and I think I wasn’t selective enough w/ getting the dill fronds from the thicker stems before I blended it, because it’s really bitter. Sorta tastes like dirt. Bitter dirt. My friend made it once w/ dried dill, and that turned out great, too. Next time: no stems, just fronds. 🙁
Yum! I made this last night with rave reviews from my husband, and my 2.5 year old literally drank it up! I encouraged her to eat it the right way and then she mixed it into her plain yogurt and ate it all with her spoon. Thanks!