This creamy, easy-to-make lemon garlic tahini dressing is the new homemade sauce recipe that you’ll love having in stashed in your fridge! Bright and nutty, it’s the perfect addition to salads, grain bowls, roasted vegetables, or a simple cooked protein. Fresh, grated garlic, lemon juice, and high-quality olive oil make it stand out in the BEST way.
The best homemade tahini dressing
While I have previously shared recipes that include tahini sauce as a component (like these Mediterranean Chicken Bowls, Roasted Veggie Protein Bowls with Turmeric Tahini, or this Kale Apple Pomegranate Salad), I have yet to share my stand-alone tahini dressing recipe – until now!
It deserves its own post because it is genuinely one of the most versatile, easy-to-make sauces that suits so many types of meals and elevates any simple flavor profile to the next level of DELICIOUS!
It is the most wonderful addition to so many types of meals & salads as a wholesome dressing or condiment, and works beautifully with roasted vegetables and grilled chicken, drizzled onto your favorite savory bowl recipe, or as a dipping sauce for fresh-cut vegetables and pita bread!
(& speaking of tahini in dip recipes – if this idea piques your interest, you HAVE to try our Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Dip!).
A bit about making this recipe
There’s some kind of magical alchemy that happens when you whisk the grated garlic, lemon juice, and water into tahini. It gets thinner (of course), but also creamier, thicker in some way, and almost fluffy!? It’s such an enchanting transformation.
The exact amount of water you’ll need to find the perfect consistency of the dressing depends primarily on the thickness of the tahini that you use at the beginning of the recipe.
The thickness of jarred tahini can vary considerably from brand to brand. My favorite brand (which I use in this recipe) is Tarazi. A local Mediterranean store in the Seattle area called Goodies sells it, but it’s also available on Amazon, and likely in many other Mediterranean stores.
The recipe is forgiving enough to be able to adjust as you go – using more water if needed, or adding a bit of extra tahini if the dressing gets too thin. I’ll cover this in more detail later in the post!
And by adding the lemon juice and salt to the grated garlic before you add the tahini & other ingredients, you will slightly soften the garlic’s fresh bite, making it less overpowering.
Why we’re obsessed!
- Ready in just 5 minutes. A restaurant-quality sauce that is not only delicious but also ready in a totally manageable amount of time for any day of the week?! That’s always going to be a yes from me.
- Made with simple, wholesome ingredients. The basic ingredient list means this dressing is pantry/budget friendly homemade alternative to store-bought dressings.
- Bright and creamy. Perfectly balanced in flavor, the nutty creaminess of the tahini is offset by the bright acidity of lemon juice for a delightful sauce you’ll put on repeat to enjoy with all kinds of meals!
How to make this stunning tahini dressing
Serving suggestions
You can serve this versatile sauce with such a large variety of dishes!
We love it with a simple green salad, with a heartier kale salad like this Apple Pomegranate Salad, as dressing for a cabbage slaw, or as a dressing for a tomato cucumber salad with thinly sliced red onion and fresh herbs like pictured below!
It’s also SO good as a dip for fresh cut veggies, pita, or roasted vegetables.
If you enjoyed this dairy-free dressing we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Incredibly Creamy 5-Minute Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This creamy, easy-to-make lemon garlic tahini dressing is the new homemade sauce recipe that you’ll love having in stashed in your fridge! Bright and nutty, it’s the perfect addition to salads, grain bowls, roasted vegetables, or a simple cooked protein. Fresh, grated garlic, lemon juice, and high-quality olive oil make it stand out in the BEST way.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add the garlic, lemon juice, and salt to a medium sized bowl and stir to combine. Allow it to sit for a minute or so to take away some of the bite of the raw garlic.
- Add tahini, olive oil, honey, and water and whisk together until smooth, creamy, and pale in color.
- Add more water a little at a time if needed until desired consistency is reached. Tahini can vary quite a bit in thickness, so you may need to add less or more than the recipe calls for. If your dressing ends up too thin, add a little more tahini a bit at a time and whisk to combine until thickened to your liking. Alternatively, dressing can be mixed together in a blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt, honey, and more lemon juice if desired.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use, or serve immediately as a dressing for your favorite salad, with roasted vegetables, grilled protein, or a dipping sauce for veggies, crackers, pita, etc, and enjoy!
Notes
You can make this dressing in advance and should last in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. It will thicken once it’s chilled. If desired, bring it to room temperature before serving or thin it with a little more water before using.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Whisked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
dona says
excellent dressing
ty