Tahini Dressing

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This Tahini Dressing is luxuriously thick and creamy without any mayo or cream! It’s delightfully flavored with a hint of lemon and touch of honey. Drizzle this dressing on your favorite salad for a delightful accent.

While you can buy just about any salad dressing in the store, I’ve never been able to find where to buy Tahini Dressing, so all the more reason to make your own!

Overhead image of Tahini Dressing

Lemon Tahini Dressing Recipe

We love a good creamy dressing (who doesn’t?!), but it’s rare to find a creamy dressing without… well…. cream, milk, or mayo. Even this fabulous, herb-packed Green Goddess Dressing requires mayo to get the classic creaminess. 

But with tahini you really do get an ultra thick and creamy dressing without the milk, mayo, or cream. Tahini thickens the dressing beautifully while simultaneously offering loads of health benefits-score! And nothing pairs quite as perfectly with tahini than lemon–the two were meant to be together (like in this stellar Hummus recipe!) 

QUICK TIP

What Does Tahini Taste Like?

If you aren’t familiar, tahini paste is a sesame paste sold in most mainstream grocery stores. Think of tahini as peanut butter– only it’s made with ground sesame seeds instead of peanuts. While it might look like peanut or almond butter, it doesn’t taste at all similar! It’s got a strong earthy, nutty flavor with some bitterness. It’s not my favorite on its own, but so good when paired with the right ingredients.

Overhead image of a dressed salad with Tahini Dressing

What Can You Mix With Tahini?

Mix it with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper to create a fantastic Tahini Dressing!

Most tahini pastes will separate quite a bit, so be sure to shake the jar or mix the container really well before measuring for this recipe. Also, be sure to use hulled tahini (not unhulled or whole seed, which are bitter). 

What Is Tahini Dressing Made Of?

This dressing combines tahini, oil, Dijon, honey, lemon juice and  zest, plus seasoning. Below is a breakdown with more details of the Tahini Dressing ingredients. 

  • Tahini paste. Not all tahini pastes are made equal — get a good one! My personal favorite is Soom ® Foods Sesame Tahini Paste (affiliate links, but not sponsored). 
  • Olive oil. We recommend extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
  • Dijon mustard. We love Grey Poupon® Dijon best here.
  • Honey. The small  amount of honey adds a very subtle sweetness. For a sweeter dressing, add additional honey– slowly, and to taste.
  • Lemons. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t pack the same flavor as fresh, and lemon is one of the main flavors here. We love zesting the lemon with a microplane and then juicing with this citrus juicer
  • Salt and pepper. No dressing is complete without salt and pepper, and this Tahini Dressing is no exception! Add to taste preference, remembering that an extra pinch can be the difference between a good and a stellar dressing!

QUICK TIP

Looking to make this Tahini Dressing vegan? Replace the honey with pure maple syrup.

Process shots of salad dressing-- image of the salad being tossed together with the dressing

QUICK TIP

How To Make Tahini Dressing

You won’t believe how simple this dressing is to make — all you need is a jar with a lid or a small bowl and whisk. Simply combine all the ingredients into a jar and shake until combined and emulsified (or combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined and emulsified). It’s really that easy!

Process shots-- images of all the ingredients being mixed together in a jar

What To Put Tahini Dressing On

Overhead image of Tahini Dressing ready to be enjoyed

STORAGE

Store for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Shake or stir well before using.

Heads up: Leftover dressing may separate and solidify a bit (because olive oil solidifies at cold temperatures). Simply let the dressing stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and then vigorously shake (or stir) to re-combine. Then it’s ready to use again!

More Homemade Dressing Recipes:

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Tahini Dressing

5 from 1 vote
This Tahini Dressing is luxuriously thick and creamy without any mayo or cream! It's delightfully flavored with a hint of lemon and touch of honey. Drizzle on your favorite salad!
Print Recipe

Tahini Dressing

5 from 1 vote
This Tahini Dressing is luxuriously thick and creamy without any mayo or cream! It's delightfully flavored with a hint of lemon and touch of honey. Drizzle on your favorite salad!
Course condiment, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Tahini Dressing, Tahini Dressing recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 1/4 cup dressing
Chelsea Lords
Calories 168kcal
Cost $3.12

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons good tahini (Note 1)
  • 1 large lemon (2 tbsp juice and 1/2 tsp zest)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon each: Dijon mustard and honey
  • Fine sea salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons water, as needed to thin

Instructions

  • DRESSING: In a wide-mouth mason jar or small bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients. Season to taste; I add a heaping 1/4 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp pepper. Whisk or shake to combine and then thin with water; I add 2 tablespoons. Taste and adjust any flavors to personal preference.
  • STORAGE: Stir, in case some settles at the bottom, and then store in the fridge until ready to use. Shake/stir again before using. Heads up: Leftover dressing may separate and solidify a bit (because olive oil solidifies at cold temperatures). Simply let the dressing stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and then vigorously shake (or stir) to re-combine. Then it’s ready to use again!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Tahini: Most tahini pastes will separate quite a bit, so be sure to shake the jar or stir really well before measuring for this recipe. Also, be sure to use hulled tahini (not unhulled or whole seed, which are bitter). Not all tahini pastes are made equal -- get a good one! My personal favorite is Soom Foods Sesame Tahini Paste (affiliate links, but not sponsored). 
Note 2: Salad: Here's the salad recipe featured in these photos: 
  • 4 cups massaged kale (Follow preparation directions in this Grapefruit Salad recipe.)
  • 1/2 of 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup banana pepper rings, drained & diced
  • 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained & diced
  • 1 small avocado, diced
  • Optional: feta cheese (to taste), handful of toasted pine nuts
Toss 2/3 of dressing with massaged kale. Add salad ingredients then toss with more dressing (as much as you'd like--we use it all) and toss again. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4serving | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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