This lemon tahini dressing recipes is perfectly balanced with a creamy texture. This dairy free, homemade dressing is delicious drizzled over grain bowls, roasted vegetables, nourish bowls and hearty salads.
Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment that is made with ground sesame seeds to make a smooth paste. It has a beautiful, earthy and nutty flavour. This lemon tahini dressing is great to meal prep to use on salads throughout the week.
What You'll Love About This Recipe
I love making my own homemade salad dressings as they are so quick and easy and far healthier then store-bought dressings too! Most shop-bought salad dressings are high in refined sugars and artificial colours and flavours. Making your own dressing means that you are using real ingredients (no chemicals or numbers) and you can control the amount and type of sugar that goes in.
I know you're going to love this delicious salad dressing!
- this creamy sauce is dairy free and refined sugar free.
- an easy dressing that is perfect for meal prep!
- this nourishing dressing is full of healthy fats as well as lots of other nutrients.
- can be used in a variety of delicious ways from green salads to roasted vegetables to steamed green beans.
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Ingredients Substitutions and Notes
For this dairy free salad dressing recipe you will only need handful of ingredients. See a list of the simple ingredients you will need below as well as some possible substitutions.
- fresh lemon juice - it's best to strain the lemon juice to remove any pulp or seeds. Swap for lime juice or more apple cider vinegar if needed.
- hulled tahini - tahini is a common ingredient that can be found at your local grocery store. Different brands of tahini can vary greatly in texture and consistency. Some tahini's are very runny while others are thicker. I used a relatively runny tahini for this dressing. If yours is quite thick then you may need to add a little water to thin the dressing out to your desired consistency. You can use unhulled tahini if you don't have hulled on hand, the dressing will just have a browner appearance when made.
- apple cider vinegar - I always try to buy apple cider vinegar with the mother as it has greater health benefits.
- dijon mustard
- honey - use maple syrup in place of honey to create a vegan salad dressing.
- sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil - use avocado oil, linseed oil or macadamia oil.
See the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Lemon Tahini Dressing
There are a few different ways to make this tahini-based dressing, either in a bowl with a whisk, by using an immersion blender or adding all of the ingredients to a jar and shaking. Here's how I make it in a bowl.
Step 1: Add ingredients to a medium or small bowl. Add the lemon juice, tahini, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, sea salt and honey to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Pour in olive oil. Gradually pour in the olive oil while whisking. Continue whisking until the dressing starts to thicken.
That's it! This creamy dressing is very little effort for a great reward!
Variations
While I think the basic lemon tahini dressing recipe is just perfect, here are some fun variations that you can make:
- garlic - add 1 minced fresh garlic clove to the dressing before mixing.
- herb - add your favourite, finely chopped fresh herbs to the dressing once mixed (around 1 tablespoon is perfect!).
- extra lemony - add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dressing before mixing.
- oil-free dressing - swap the olive oil for a tablespoon of water instead.
Storage
This dressing makes enough for one large salad with some remaining (depending on how heavily you like to dress your salads that is). The remaining dressing can be stored in a sealed jar and kept in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Tip: if meal prepping, I like to make a double batch so it will last all week.
Health Benefits
Tahini is a highly nutritious food. It is an excellent source of calcium, making it a beneficial food for those following a dairy free diet. It is also a great source of:
- plant based protein
- copper
- selenium
- iron
- zinc
- healthy fats
Adding a salad dressing to your salad adds more than just flavour! The healthy fats actually help your body to absorb fat soluble vitamins from the salad while the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar work like digestive acids and help to break down the food more easily.
Serving Suggestions
Use this delicious and creamy lemon tahini dressing to elevate your favourite dish! This dressing is best served at room temperature. Here are some delicious foods that you can serve your tahini dressing with:
- buddha bowls or nourish bowls
- kale salad or your favorite salad
- roasted sweet potatoes and other veg
- grilled chicken or fish
- use as a dipping sauce
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Citrus juicer
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 25 ml lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini unhulled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Add the lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, tahini, apple cider vinegar and sea salt to a glass bowl and whisk to combine.25 ml lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Pinch sea salt
- Gradually pour the olive oil into the bowl while whisking until smooth and creamy.
- Alternatively, add all ingredients to a glass jar. Fix the lid on firmly and shake vigorously.
- Store the tahini dressing in a glass jar with the lid on in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Storage
Store dressing in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to 7 days.Serving Suggestions
Use this creamy tahini dressing poured over:- buddha bowls and nourish bowls
- salads
- steamed vegetables
- roasted vegetables
- grilled chicken or fish
Nutrition
If you made this recipe make to let me know how you went in the comments below and pop a star rating on the recipe.
Jacqui
So. Freaking. Yum! Turned my less-than-appealing leftover roast veggies into a delicious next-day salad.
Sarah Bell
So happy to hear that!!