Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing (5-Minute Recipe)

Why you’ll love it

Lemon tahini salad dressing is a very easy way to make a simple everyday salad taste like a restaurant quality one.

But it isn’t ‘just’ a salad dressing. It’s also a great way to dress up vegetables, bowls, wraps and more, especially those with a Mediterreanean or Middle Eastern flair! My favorite way to eat it is drizzled all over these crispy brussel sprouts with tahini and almonds.

Here’s a quick summary of what I think you’re going to love:

• Ridiculously simple recipe. 5 minutes, and 6 very simple ingredients. It’ll take you longer to get everything out of the pantry than it will to actually make the dressing!
• Beautifully complex but balanced flavors. The dressing is rich, nutty, zesty, slightly smoky and slightly sweet all at the same time. In other words, it’s delicious!
• Keeps for about a week in the fridge. Make a batch of this, then drizzle it all over everything all week long!
• Perfect for special diets. This creamy dressing happens to be gluten free, dairy free and vegan, in case that’s important to you or your guests.

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

You only need 6 very simple ingredients (plus water!) to make this delicious tahini dressing.

• Tahini: Tahini is blended sesame seeds. So you could say it’s just the sesame seed equivalent of peanut butter. I actually really like it spread on toast with jam! You can sometimes find it in the same aisle as peanut butter, or sometimes it’s in the health food aisle. Where I live, there are often two types available – hulled and unhulled. If there’s a choice, go for unhulled for a smoother consistency and milder flavor.
• Lemon juice: As a rough guide, you’ll need around the same amount of lemon juice as tahini (around a third of a cup or 6 tablespoons, which I find is about 2 medium lemons).
• Maple syrup: A bit of sweetness is important for balancing out the bitterness of the tahini. Honey works, too.
• A small clove of crushed garlic: The garlic is raw, so you really don’t need much.
• Cumin: This is another strong flavor so once again, you don’t need much (about a large pinch!).
• Salt: Important for enhancing all the other flavors.
• Water: You’ll blend this into the tahini and lemon mixture until it’s thin enough to toss through a salad or drizzle over another dish.

How to make lemon tahini salad dressing

Lemon tahini salad dressing is so simple. It literally takes 5 minutes to make with just a bowl and a whisk.

The first thing to do is to grab a medium sized bowl or jug. Put the third of a cup of tahini into it. Then slowly blend around a third of a cup of lemon juice into the tahini. At first, it will appear to stiffen or ‘seize up’. Don’t worry, just keep whisking or stirring until the mixture becomes smooth again.

Now whisk in the other ingredients, apart from the water – maple syrup, crushed garlic, and cumin.

Lastly, slowly whisk in the water until you have a smooth, creamy dressing that you’ll be able to pour or drizzle over your salad or other dish.

Ways to use it

This dressing recipe is perfect for salads of every kind (especially those with Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair). But it’s also great for elevating many other different types of dishes. Here are some examples:

• Salads: You can try tossing the tahini lemon dressing over any favorite salad. However, I think it goes especially well with grain-based salads such as this quinoa salad with crispy chickpeas. The richness of the tahini also goes well with crunchy textures such as coleslaw. You can even try it to dress fresh baby spinach, or toss it through this shredded lettuce salad instead of the suggested dressing.
• Pasta: Try tossing the dressing through this Mediterranean pasta salad instead of pesto!
• Roasted vegetables. Tahini dressing (and a sprinkle of toasted almonds!) is mind blowingly delicious in this roasted brussel sprouts recipe. I first tried something similar at a local restaurant and was hooked from the first bite. Alternatively, try over Mediterranean vegetables, vegetable couscous, or roasted cauliflower and carrots.
• Bowls. Try this easy tuna salad bowl with the tahini dressing drizzled over the top.
• Falafel: Falafel and tahini dressing are a classic pairing. Try it with this delicious 30-minute falafel sandwich.
• Grilled meats. Try the dressing with baked chicken skewers and pita bread, chicken gyro pita, lamb pita, or any BBQ’d or grilled meat!

More easy ways to elevate dinner

The easiest ways to make a simple dinner restaurant quality!

• This 10-minute romesco sauce is a delicious roasted red pepper pesto-like sauce that goes especially well with fish.
• This 5-minute honey lime dressing adds sweetness and zest to a salad in the simplest way.
• This 10-minute lemon butter sauce elevates meat, veggies and more.
• This homemade gyro seasoning is the easiest way to flavor chicken, steak and more.