Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing is a creamy vegan addition to any salad.  This easy homemade recipe is chock full of flavor from fresh lemon, nutty tahini, sweet maple syrup and garlic and ginger. The most delicious gluten-free dressing for finishing any vegetarian dish!

Looking for other healthy salad dressing recipes? You might also enjoy Balsamic Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard Dressing, or this tasty Homemade Italian Dressing.

Tahini Salad Dressing – Easy, Creamy and Vegan

Do you ever get bored with basic salads? I know I do.

To keep salads from falling into a rut, I like to mix up my dressing choices.

Lemon tahini dressing is the perfect addition to keep your salads fresh, interesting and delicious!

This easy recipe isn’t just delicious! It’s vegan and so addictingly creamy thanks to the tahini.

What is tahini?

Tahini is a spread or dip made from hulled, roasted sesame. You’ll find it in a lot of Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s an important ingredient in hummus.

Tahini looks sort of like peanut butter. Instead of being slightly sweet like most nut butters, it has a mild earthy nuttiness.

The mild nuttiness makes the perfect background for so many different dishes and recipes including this salad dressing.

Ingredients

This creamy salad dressing only calls for a handful of ingredients. To make it you’ll need:

• Tahini. Tahini serves as the base for this flavorful topping. 3 tablespoons will provide the perfect amount of creaminess and flavor.
• Olive oil. Olive oil adds undeniable richness and fruitiness. It also provides the added fat needed for the best emulsion.
• Maple syrup. Maple syrup balances the slight bitterness from the olive oil and tahini and the tartness from the lemon. Use real maple syrup, not the fake maple syrup products on the market for the best results.
• Lemon juice and zest. Lemon juice and zest provide bright citrus flavor. When you zest the lemon, make sure to only use the yellow outer layer and not use the white inner layer of zest.
• Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar gives a little more sourness to the dressing. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can substitute rice vinegar.
• Garlic. Just one clove of crushed garlic gives this so much garlic flavor without being overpowering. Fresh garlic works better than garlic powder.
• Ginger. A little bit of grated ginger goes a long way to providing a bright pop of flavor. Again fresh is better than dry.
• Water. Just add a little water at a time to thin the dressing out to your desired consistency.

How to Make

Making homemade dressing is easier than you might think. To make this, you can do it one of two ways:

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse or blend until it is smooth.
   • If you don’t have a food processor or high speed blender, you could add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together or add them to a jar and shake them together.
2. Once the dressing is ready, add it to your favorite salad and store any remainders in air tight container in the fridge.

Mixing

There are a few different ways you can mix almost any salad dressing you make, not just this recipe. Let’s break down the most common ways to mix dressing:

• High Speed Blender. Using a high speed blender like a Nutribullet will generally give you the best results. A high speed blender creates an emulsion, or a creamy blend that results from mixing a fat with water.
• Mini Food Processor. A food processor will also create the perfect emulsion when you use it to mix.
• Whisk in a bowl. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, whisking the ingredients together will work. While the dressing will still taste delicious, be aware that it won’t be quite as smooth and creamy as mixing with a blender of processor.
• Mason jar. You can also put everything in a mason jar and secure the lid before giving it a good shake. While this method doesn’t give you as lovely of an emulsion as a blender or processor, it does have its advantages including little clean up and easy built in storage.

FAQs

How long does it last?

This dressing will keep for 1-2 weeks.

How should this dressing be stored?

Put the dressing in an airtight container or a mason jar in the fridge. Keep it covered.

How much dressing does this recipe yield?

This recipe makes about ⅔ cup.

What salads should I serve with it?

This dressing is a tasty addition to so many different salads and vegetable dishes like:

• Roasted Cauliflower
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
• Sweet Potato Broccoli Quinoa Bowls

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing is a creamy vegan addition to any salad.  This easy homemade salad dressing recipe is chock full of flavor from fresh lemon, nutty tahini, sweet maple syrup and garlic and ginger.

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Course dressing, lunch, Salad, sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword easy, healthy, homemade, sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 157 kcal

London Brazil

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. tahini
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• ½ lemon juice and zest
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• ¼ tsp. ginger minced
• 2-3 Tbsp. water to thin out dressing

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend for 20-30 seconds, or until smooth.
2. Alternatively, you can whisk together ingredients in a bowl or shake until incorporated in a mason jar.
3. Store tahini salad dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks between servings. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Recipe yields about ⅔ cup of salad dressing.

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 157 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 6mg0%

Potassium 86mg2%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin C 8mg10%

Calcium 27mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.