Simple vegan, gluten free lemon tahini dressing that is perfect for salads, dips, or even to drizzle over marinated grilled chicken! this simple sauce is one of our favorite meal prep items because it has just a few ingredients and comes together quickly.
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It's a new vegan recipe, kids!
This weekend we went to the beach for 4 days to watch Jay's little sister get married. It was super fun and involved drinking our faces off all day every day and eating heavy food.
And cake.
So, I need to share with you something that involves healthy ingredients and that could go on raw veggies.
This dressing. It reminds me of home. My parents were eating hummus and using tahini dressing before it was cool to do so, so I kind of....grew up eating this? Weird, but true. Pinky swear.
I love how simple this lemon tahini dressing is, and it comes together in one minute flat if you use a food processor.
So, fridge.
Ingredients
For this, you need salt, garlic, lemon, tahini, water, and olive oil. The water is to thin out the dressing without adding a sh*t-ton of oil, which takes away from the flavor of the tahini/lemon combo and can make the dressing feel heavy and slick without adding anything good to the flavor.
PS, if you have some leftover lemons, make some lemon garlic butter pasta and watch it get gobbled up!
Step by Step Instructions
First, you throw everything into a food processor. (ps the food processor I use goes in the dishwasher!)
Then, you process it. Boop.
Taste the dressing, and add more of whatever you think it needs! If the lemon juice is a little too tart, add a pinch of sugar and a tiny bit of extra salt if there is any bitterness (some tahini brands are more bitter than others).
I like this to be a consistency between a thicker creamy dressing like ranch and a thin vinaigrette. Medium-thick. You can reduce or increase the amount of water based on your preference.
This is GOOD. The flavor is great, and it's a nice change to the regular vinaigrettes I keep on hand.
Serving Suggestions
I love this lemon tahini dressing on grain bowls, our favorite kale salad, or over chicken or fish. I often make it a little thicker to be used as a veggie dip, AND it can be used with chick peas for the fastest hummus you've ever made in your life.
For this kale salad, I squished up some kale with a little olive oil and salt, let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften just slightly, then drizzled lemon tahini dressing all over for a quick salad.
Try this soon. You'll love it!
Recipe
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- juice of 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons tahini be sure you buy tahini, not sauce or dressing
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons water plus a bit more
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender (or you can just whisk together after finely chopping the garlic). Process until smooth, then taste. Add a bit more water for a thinner consistency, and some more salt or a pinch of sugar if needed.
- Store in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for several days.
Notes
this recipe was originally posted in 2013 and was updated in 2020 with new instructions and simplified measurements. there are some affiliate links in this post.
I made this tonight to go on a salad and falafel and it was absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. Sometimes tahini dressings are gloppy and thick, but this was perfect with no extra water beyond the 2 tbsp. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! It's one of my favorites.