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Home » Recipes » Sauces and Spreads

By Kaleigh McMordie - April 30, 2021

The Best 5 Ingredient Tahini Dressing

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jar of tahini dressing with a black spoon in it with text overlay.

Just five simple ingredients come together to create the most addicting, delicious tahini dressing that's perfect for salads, sandwiches, wraps, bowls and more! (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

jar of tahini dressing with a black spoon in it.

If you know about tahini, you already know that this dressing is up your alley. If you don't yet know about tahini, RUN, don't walk, to the store and grab yourself a jar. you'll need it in your pantry at all times to make this delicious, easy tahini dressing that takes even the simplest dishes from good to drool-worthy!

What is Tahini?

Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds. So basically, peanut butter but from sesame seeds. It's a common ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes and has a nutty, somewhat earthy taste. I love tahini because it's versatile enough to use in both sweet and savory applications, and it's nut-free!

Why You Need This Dressing In Your Life

This delicious tahini dressing requires just a knife and a whisk to transform five simple ingredients into a creamy, dreamy dressing that has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, nutty and acidic. You can put it on almost anything for an instant upgrade that is both vegan and gluten-free!

What's In The Best Tahini Dressing?

overhea view of ingredients needed to make tahini dressing.

Five simple ingredients:

  • Tahini - I use plain, unsalted tahini. You can usually find it either with the nut butter or on an aisle for specialty cuisines.
  • Maple syrup - The sweetness is a really nice enhancement of the nutty, earthy flavor of tahini.
  • Garlic - One glove (fresh, not pre-peeled) is enough for a nice savory flavor without being overpowering.
  • Lemon Juice - Just enough acid for balance, not enough to stand out as being lemony.
  • Salt- Perfect with the tahini and maple syrup. I like kosher salt or coarsely ground sea salt.

How To Make Tahini Dressing

four image collage showing steps for making tahini dressing.
  1. Finely chop, grate, or press your garlic. I like to grate it with a microplane zester because it's fast and the zester isn't a pain to clean.
  2. Whisk together all the ingredients in a jar. It will seize up. Just keep whisking and...
  3. Add enough warm water to thin the the dressing to your desired consistency, whether that's spreadable or pourable.
overhead view of a jar of tahini dressing with a black spoon in it.

How To Store Leftover Dressing

Store tahini dressing in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for up to a week.

What To Put Tahini Dressing On

maple chili roasted chickpea grain bowl with roasted sweet potatoes, arugula, avocado and tahini dressing in a white bowl with another bowl and a bottle of maple syrup in the background.

Everything. Literally. But here are some specific ideas:

  • Drizzle on grain bowls, like my Maple Chili Chickpea Grain Bowl, Spring Greens Quinoa Bowl, or Rainbow Buddha Bowl.
  • Dress your favorite salad, like my Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Kale Salad or Roasted Eggplant and Kale Quinoa Salad.
  • Use as a dip for roasted sweet potato wedges, falafel, or fresh veggies.
  • Drizzle on roasted vegetables, like cauliflower, carrots or beets.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Print

The Best 5 Ingredient Tahini Dressing

jar of tahini dressing with a black spoon in it.
Print Recipe

Just five simple ingredients come together to create the most addicting, delicious tahini dressing that's perfect for salads, sandwiches, wraps, bowls and more! (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

  • Author: Kaleigh
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: dressing
  • Method: no cook
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Scale
  • ⅓ cup tahini
  • juice from 1 lemon (about 1-2 tbsp)
  • 1 small clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
  • 4 tsp pure maple syrup
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp warm water (more or less to taste)

Instructions

  1. Finely mince, grate, or press the garlic. 
  2. In a jar, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic and salt.  It will seize up. This is normal.
  3. Add warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your perfect consistency.
  4. Drizzle, dip and and pour on everything!

Notes

Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator in a sealed container up to 1 week.

Keywords: easy tahini dressing, the best tahini dressing, maple tahini dressing

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About Kaleigh McMordie

Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian in Abilene, Texas, as well as a member of the Baby Led Weaning Dietitians Network. Kaleigh can be found at kaleighmcmordie.com.

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