Creamy tahini dressing has a beautiful, silky texture.

It is a great all-purpose sauce that works just as well on salads as it does grain bowls or vegan wraps. It’s also amazing drizzled on falafel.

When you’re chopping a big salad or making a batch of falafel, you want the dressing or sauce to be the easy part.

You want something that comes together quickly. Doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. And doesn’t involve much in the way of gadgetry.

That’s when I make a batch of vegan tahini dressing.

This homemade tahini dressing recipe is almost as quick as a bottled dressing. It comes together in a minute or two.

In this post:

Jump to:

Why readers love this recipe
Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Make it your own
How to use vegan tahini dressing
Storage instructions
More salad dressings
📖 Recipe

Why readers love this recipe

“I was slow to try this, as although I use tahini, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan favorite flavor. All that has changed. This is an amazing dressing!!! And she is right, it is perfect for everything.” – Glenda

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

It uses just four ingredients:

Tahini
Lemon juice
Water
Salt

You really can’t get much simpler than that!

There’s no added oil or sugar. No blender is involved, which means clean up is a breeze.

In fact, I usually make it right in the storage container. After using it, I can pop on a lid and store it for future salads & bowls.

Tahini

If you’ve never tried tahini, think of it as peanut butter but with sesame seeds.

It’s a must in Middle Eastern dishes like hummus and baba ganoush.

I also like using tahini whenever I prepare jackfruit recipes, because of its sticky, nutty quality that makes dishes more cohesive in flavor and texture.

Tahini even adds thick body to udon noodle soup or ramen noodles.

Since tahini is the dominant flavor of this dressing, be sure that you enjoy your specific brand.

My favorite tahini brands are Soom and Seed + Mill.

They’re nice and runny with a nutty taste that isn’t bitter. It’s also convenient that they don’t require a lot of stirring the way some brands do.

Find tahini in natural grocery stores near other nut & seed butters. Or look for it in the center aisles by Middle Eastern ingredients like boxed falafel mix. You can also find it in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online.

When you first open a jar of tahini, be sure to stir it well. The natural oils often separate & float to the top of the jar. If you don’t stir well, the oil may settle higher, leaving the bottom part of the jar very dry.

Tahini lasts for months in the refrigerator. So you don’t have to worry about using it quickly.

Lemon juice

As always, fresh is best when it comes to lemon juice. I always have lemons in the refrigerator for dressings or squeezing into sparkling water.

Bottled just can’t compete with the bright flavor of fresh.

Depending on how you plan to use the dressing, you can increase or decrease the amount of lemon juice.

If you’re using it on a mild flavored green like romaine, you can go lighter on the lemon. If you want it to stand out on something bitter like kale, go a little bolder.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

In a small to medium sized bowl, combine the following with a spoon or whisk:

Tahini
Water
Lemon juice
Salt

At first, the tahini will seize up and look thick. That’s normal.

Add more water & keep stirring until it has the consistency of a thick ranch dressing. You want it to be creamy but pourable.

Taste and add more lemon juice or salt, if needed.

Make it your own

Overhead salad topped with tahini dressing, fork, and napkin.

You can easily personalize this vegan tahini dressing to suit your tastes or mood by tweaking the ingredients.

Add maple syrup for sweetness
Add minced garlic or Dijon mustard for bite
Add tamari or miso for salt and umami
Add sesame oil for nuttiness
Add apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for tang
Add nutritional yeast flakes for cheesiness
Add cayenne or chili flakes for heat
Add chopped fresh herbs like cilantro, dill, or parsley for freshness
Add seasonings like pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, or garam masala for variety

How to use vegan tahini dressing

Vegan wrap with chick'n strips on plate by salad.

Tahini sauce is wonderful on salads, bowls, wraps, and air fryer falafel (or oven baked).

Drizzle it on any of the following dishes:

Storage instructions

Leftover tahini dressing will keep in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator for 5 days.

It will thicken as it cools. So when you’re ready to use it again, add a splash of water and/or lemon juice and stir until it reaches your preferred viscosity.

If needed, add another pinch of salt.

More salad dressings

Keep the leafy greens going with these other salad dressing recipes you’re sure to love.

Tahini dressing being poured onto leafy green salad.

If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

📖 Recipe

Creamy lemon tahini dressing being poured onto salad.

Easy tahini dressing

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 7 votes

This simple tahini dressing or sauce is great on salads, bowls, or falafel. It comes together in a minute or two. And it requires just four ingredients!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 2

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Vegan

Keyword: easy salad dressing, falafel sauce

Ingredients

▢ 3 Tablespoons tahini
▢ 2 to 3 Tablespoons water plus more as needed
▢ 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
▢ Pinch of salt

Instructions

▢
In a small or medium sized bowl, combine tahini, 2 Tablespoons of water, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt with a spoon or whisk.
▢
At first the tahini will seize up and look very thick. That's normal.
Stir in another Tablespoon of water until it has the consistency of a thick ranch dressing. (Add more water, if needed, by a small splash at a time.)
▢
Taste and add the final teaspoon of lemon juice, if you'd prefer it to be more sour, plus more salt, if desired.

Notes

The viscosity of tahini varies by brand & by how well it was stirred when first opened. If you didn’t stir it well when you first opened it, there may be a layer of oil on top and dried out seed butter at the bottom of the jar. Depending on all of these factors, the amount of water you’ll need in the dressing will vary.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about five days.

The sauce will thicken as it cools. When you’re ready to use it, add another splash of water and/or lemon juice, and stir until the texture and consistency is just right. Add another pinch of salt, if needed.

Subscribe to Cadry’s KitchenSign up today! JOIN BY CLICKING HERE

Nutrition

Content, recipe, and photos updated February 21, 2022. Originally posted March 15, 2017.

Comments

5 from 7 votes (1 rating without comment)

Easy tahini dressing (vegan)

Why readers love this recipe