Name: Lemon Tahini Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/2 cup tahini; 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2 large or 3 small lemons); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 tablespoon honey or sugar; 1 garlic clove, grated; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 to 1 tablespoon water

This easy lemon tahini dressing is creamy and bright! It’s endlessly versatile for using on salads, bowl meals, sandwiches, and more.

Need a simple, creamy sauce for your greens? This super-versatile one can be whipped up with just a few ingredients: try this Lemon Tahini Dressing! A good tahini dressing is a must have for every home cook, in our opinion. Six ingredients come together into a lusciously creamy, zingy sauce that has endless uses. Drizzle it on salads and bowl meals, slather on sandwiches, or use as a dip for roasted veggies. This is our favorite household sauce and it takes just 5 minutes to throw together!

Ingredients in lemon tahini dressing

This lemon tahini dressing recipe uses pantry and refrigerator ingredients to make one killer, creamy sauce. In fact, we’re amazed every time we whisk it together! Tahini makes magic when it comes to a rich and creamy texture, which is often hard to find with vegan sauces. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

Tahini
Fresh lemon juice (no bottled substitutes!)
Olive oil
Honey or sugar
Garlic
Salt

More about tahini

Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment that’s a paste made of toasted sesame seeds. It’s common in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, like Lebanese, Greek, Turkish, and more. This ingredient is extremely versatile and is a total pantry staple! It’s a main ingredient in hummus, and works well in sauces and even desserts. Here are a few things to know about tahini:

Where to find it? You can find tahini in your local grocery store, many times in the international aisle. It is sometimes also located near the peanut butter and other nut butters.
Try a squeeze bottle! Tahini is notoriously hard to measure out, but some brands have convenient squeeze bottles now that make thing easy.
Refrigerate or keep at room temp. You can store tahini either at room temperature or refrigerated; we like to refrigerate it to keep it fresher even longer. Keep in mind it does get thicker when chilled.

Tips on making lemon tahini dressing

This lemon tahini dressing is fast and easy to whip up: it’s simply a matter of whisking! Here are a few notes on the process:

Don’t use bottled lemon juice. This type of lemon tastes artificial. Only use juice from real lemons: you’ll need 2 large or 3 small here.
Use only enough water to bring the sauce together. This will vary based on the tahini brand, so it may be different every time.
Balance the acidity with sweetness. You can leave out the sugar or honey if desired, but the acidity does beg for balance with a little sweet.

Storage info

Once you’ve whipped up this dressing, it lasts quite a while. Store homemade lemon tahini dressing for up to 2 weeks refrigerated (though it likely lasts even longer). Bring to room temperature before serving, since the dressing becomes thicker when chilled.

How to use it

Need ideas for how to use this dressing? Likely you’ve already got a specific use in mind. But here are a few more creative uses for using up leftovers! Here’s how to use lemon tahini dressing:

Salads like Kale Salad, Romaine Salad or Tossed Salad
Bowl meals like a Power Bowl, Falafel Bowl, Salmon Bowl or Grain Bowl
Vegetables like Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Carrots
Sandwiches like Chickpea Salad Sandwich or Falafel Sandwich

More tahini recipes

Need ways to use up that tahini jar? Here are a few of our favorite tahini recipes:

Try Easy Tahini Sauce
Go for Homemade Hummus
Opt for sweet with Tahini No Bake Cookies
Go spicy with a zingy Chipotle Sauce

This lemon tahini dressing recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.