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Tahini Dressing

March 30, 2023

It’s an earthy, creamy dressing that adds a depth of flavor to everything it touches. Make this easy tahini dressing to add to salads and vegetables, both cooked and raw!

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homemade tahini dressing in a jar with a spoon made with  tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar,, sesame oil, honey & spices
Photography by Gayle McLeod

A Tahini Dressing Recipe For Every Day

We’re here to express our fondness for one of our favorite pantry staples–TAHINI. It imparts a subtle earthiness everywhere it shows up, and this dairy-free tahini dressing is no exception. Balanced with a touch of apple cider vinegar and honey; and a flavor that has been heightened with ginger, garlic, and a kiss of sesame oil, this easy tahini dressing is a solid dressing to add to your homemade dressings wheelhouse.

tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, sesame oil, honey, ginger powder, garlic & water in prep bowls

Ingredients For Homemade Tahini Dressing

  • Tahini. It has become easier to find tahini at the grocery store, and Joyva brand is pretty widely available. For a smaller brand, we love Soom, which is a small batch brand that was created by sisters.

  • Extra-virgin olive oil will add a nice bright and citrusy note to your tahini dressing.

  • Raw apple cider vinegar for a touch of acidity. Lemon juice will also do the job here.

  • Sesame oil helps amp up the sesame flavor of the tahini, but if you don’t have any on hand, extra-virgin olive oil will work in a pinch.

  • Garlic, we all know what this is for.

  • Ginger powder for a little warmth.

  • Honey! This is important, because tahini in its raw form can lean a little sharp, and the honey helps balance it.

  • Sea salt, to highlight all of the flavors!

olive oil, tahini, apple cider vinegar, salt, sesame oil, honey, ginger powder, garlic & water in a blender

How To Make Tahini Dressing

Any way you slice it, this dressing is so easy to make. You can measure out everything in advance, or to make your life super easy, just measure everything directly to your blender, making this a one step dressing:

  1. Add the water, tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, sesame oil, honey, ginger powder, and garlic to the base of a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. If this creamy tahini dressing is too thick, you can thin it by slowly adding water until it reaches the desired consistency.


A little note on tahini dressing: if you’re using it directly from the fridge, give it a moment to come to room temperature. It will be quite thick when it is cold, and loosens nicely when it warms a bit.

homemade tahini dressing in a blender made with  tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic & spices

How Do You Use Tahini Dressing?

This is a pour-over-everything, scoop-every-last-drop kind of dressing. You could go for the straightforward route and find one of our favorite salads in the 30 Best Salad Recipes roundup, and sub in this tahini dressing. You could also add a little dipping bowl to your next Grand Aioli extravaganza. Your next batch of Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Beets, or Roasted Fennel would also be great with a nice douse of tahini dressing. We’re fans of tahini dressing on grain bowls, and you could build your own with our Farro Recipe, or substitute it in our Buddha Bowl recipe.

What Does Tahini Dressing Taste Like?

Tahini is made from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds. It has a similar texture to many nut butters which are made in a similar fashion, and just like almond butter and peanut butter show up in anything from sauce to brownies, tahini is equally as versatile. It’s also the base for many dips, like hummus. Our dressing with tahini is a great way to use this tasty ingredient, and the warming ginger balances out the earthy flavors of the sesame oil, garlic, and tahini. We add a hint of acid by adding a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. A teaspoon of honey helps tame the bitterness of the tahini, and if you’re looking to make a vegan tahini dressing, you could easily substitute maple syrup where we call for honey.

homemade tahini dressing in a jar with a spoon made with  tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar,, sesame oil, honey & spices

Tools You’ll Need

Your Homemade Pantry Journey Starts Here!

We love to help you build your repertoire of easy homemade sauces and dressings as you explore the world beyond store-bought! Here’s a few more great recipes to keep you going:

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Tahini Dressing

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  0 min
  • Calories:  203

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

Method

  1. To the base of a blender or food processor, add the tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, sesame oil, honey, ginger powder, garlic, and ¼ cup water. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 203
  • Protein 1 g
  • Carbohydrates 3 g
  • Total Fat 22 g
  • Dietary Fiber 0 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 200 mg
  • Total Sugars 1 g

Tahini Dressing

Questions & Reviews

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  • Alexandria

    5 stars for all things tahini!

    I've used it in my caesar dressing for years, replacing mayo.

    A great 'tool' to have in the kitchen, you can use it for all sorts of wonderful things!

    Agreed! We LOVE Tahini!

  • Jenn

    This dressing is so easy to make and so delicious. Love it on kale, drizzled on a pita sandwich or I even just dip roasted veggies in it. Will be making it all the time!

    Thanks Jenn, so happy you love it!