If there’s one thing that can turn a simple bowl of lettuce into a proper meal, it’s a really good dressing. This Tahini Caesar Dressing is creamy, tangy and packed with savoury flavour, and it’s made in just 5 minutes with one small bowl and a whisk. There’s no blender, no raw egg yolk and no cooking involved!
The recipe makes about ½ cup, which is enough to dress a large salad for 4 people. It’s my go-to tahini Caesar salad dressing for crisp cos lettuce, but it’s just as good drizzled over grilled chicken, steak, roasted vegetables or grain bowls, or used as a dip for raw veggies. It’s dairy free, egg free and made from simple pantry ingredients, so you can whip it up any time.
Homemade dressings are one of the easiest ways to make a simple meal feel special. I use this caesar dressing with tahini on my Steak Caesar Salad, which is a fun twist on a classic caesar. But it would also be delicious drizzled over other recipes like my Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Salad, Warm Mediterranean Grain Bowls or Mediterranean Sheet Pan Chicken.
If you love making your own dressings for salads, you might also like my Easy Avocado Oil Salad Dressing or Wholegrain Mustard Dressing. Or for another tahini dressing, try this Lemon Tahini Dressing. For even more ideas, have a look at my roundup of 30 Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings.
Everything You Need to Make Tahini Caesar Dressing
This tahini Caesar dressing recipe uses 9 simple ingredients, and you might already have most of them in your pantry. I’ve listed everything below, including ingredient notes and possible swaps. You can find the quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- tahini – creamy tahini is what makes this dressing thick and creamy without any raw egg. I’ve used hulled tahini, which has milder flavour than unhulled tahini, which has a stronger, slightly bitter flavour. If you prefer a milder dressing, choose hulled tahini. Give the jar a good stir before measuring, as the oil can separate.
- lemon juice and apple cider vinegar – these give the dressing its tang. You’ll need just under 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, which is about 1 lemon. Fresh lemon juice tastes best. You can swap the apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Worcestershire sauce and caper brine – these two add the salty, savoury flavour you expect from a Caesar dressing. Caper brine is the liquid from a jar of capers. If you don’t have any, use a little extra lemon juice and a pinch more salt. Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies, so check the label if you’re serving vegetarians. Some brands also contain gluten, so check the label if you need it gluten free.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon adds tang and helps the dressing come together smoothly.
- honey – a little honey balances the acidity of the lemon and vinegar. You can swap it for maple syrup.
- extra virgin olive oil – olive oil adds richness and a silky texture.
- sea salt and black pepper – season the dressing to taste with a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. The Worcestershire sauce and caper brine are already salty.
Tips for Making the Best Tahini Caesar Dressing
This is a really simple tahini Caesar recipe, but there are a few tips that will help you get the perfect dressing every time. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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- don’t panic if it thickens – when you first whisk the liquid ingredients into the tahini, the mixture will thicken and can look a little stiff. That’s completely normal. Keep whisking and it will loosen as you add water.
- add the water slowly – add water one teaspoon at a time, whisking well between each addition, until the dressing is smooth and thick but runny. Tahini brands vary in thickness, so you may need more or less.
- fix a split dressing – if the dressing looks oily or has split, whisk in a teaspoon of water and it should come back together. You can also shake everything in a small jar, or blitz it with an immersion blender.
- taste before you use it – taste the dressing and adjust it to suit you. If it tastes bitter, add a little more honey. If it tastes flat, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Add salt last, as the caper brine and Worcestershire sauce are already salty.
- use it on more than just salad – this dressing is great on roasted vegetables, grain bowls, wraps and grilled meats. Thin it out with a little extra water to make it easy to drizzle.
- dress your salad just before serving – toss the lettuce in the dressing right before you serve so it stays crisp. This batch is enough for about 6 cups of chopped lettuce, which is one head of cos lettuce.
Storage
Store any leftover dressing in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. Tahini thickens as it chills, so give it a good stir or whisk in a splash of water to loosen it before using. I don’t recommend freezing it, as it can split when thawed. If you’re using the dressing on a salad, only dress what you’ll eat straight away, as dressed lettuce doesn’t keep.
Tahini Caesar Salad Dressing
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 25 ml lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini, hulled
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons liquid from capers
Instructions
- Add the lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, tahini, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, liquid from the capers and a pinch of sea salt to a small bowl.
- Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- If the dressing is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time, whisking in between teaspoons, to loosen the dressing. Once the dressing is smooth and thick but runny, it is ready to use.
Notes
- Yield: makes about ½ cup, which is enough to dress 1 head of cos lettuce (about 6 cups chopped) or to serve 4 as a salad dressing.
- Whisking: the dressing will thicken and look a little stiff when you first whisk the ingredients together. Keep whisking and add water one teaspoon at a time until it’s smooth, thick but runny. Tahini brands vary, so you may need more or less water.
- Worcestershire sauce: it usually contains anchovies, so check the label if you’re serving vegetarians. Some brands also contain gluten, so check the label if you need this gluten free.
- Dietary: the dressing is dairy free, egg free and nut free, but it does contain sesame.
- Storage: store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. The dressing thickens as it chills, so whisk in a splash of water to loosen it before using. I don’t recommend freezing it.
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