Easy Lemon Tahini Dressing

This easy lemon tahini dressing recipe is creamy, nutty, bright, and ready in less than 10 minutes! It’s perfect on salads, roasted vegetables, and grains.

Ingredients · Servings 4

4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup/agave if vegan)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
3 tablespoons water
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

Method · 10 min

Give the tahini a stir in its jar if it looks separated. Add the 4 tablespoons tahini to a medium bowl, along with the lemon juice, honey, garlic, cumin, and 1 tablespoon of the water. Whisk together.
Whisk in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. I like mine with 3 tablespoons water, but adjust as needed.
Taste dressing and season it with salt & pepper as needed. Whisk in additional ingredients if using. The smoked paprika gives the dressing a nice, smoky flavor, and the chives provide a burst of freshness.

Why you’ll love it

Tahini sauce is such a great way to elevate a number of dishes. It’s silky, tangy, and earthy. You can use it on all kinds of things, everything from drizzling it on your favorite leafy greens to jazzing up roasted vegetables and grain bowls or using it as a spread in pitas.

It also comes together quickly, and there’s no need for dirtying up your blender or food processor! Even if you’ve never cooked with tahini before, chances are that you’re already familiar with it since it’s a key ingredient in most hummus recipes. It’s very tasty.

What you’ll need

Tahini – it’s made from sesame seeds that are toasted and ground, giving it a warm and earthy flavor. It can usually be found in a jar in the nut butter section of most grocery stores, or try the ethnic foods aisle.

Pro tip

As with any homemade dressing, it’s easy to adjust to personal tastes after following the quantities listed below! Make it sweeter, more lemony, thin it out with more water, etc. until it’s perfect for you.

How to make tahini dressing

If the tahini has separated in its jar, give it a stir. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, honey, and ground cumin to a medium bowl along with one-third of the water. Whisk together, then slowly add more water until the desired consistency is reached. Taste, season with salt & pepper, and use the suggested add-ins below if desired.

Tools for this recipe

Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

I like to store my homemade salad dressings in these yogurt jars or mason jars.
Mince the garlic with a garlic press. No peeling needed!
I keep leftover lemon in this cute lemon saver. Yes, it’s shaped like a lemon.

How to use tahini dressing

You can slap it on practically anything. It’s great on kale salad, roasted vegetables like my Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes or these Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or even as a dip for raw vegetables.
Try it in a Buddha bowl, or customize your own grain bowl (e.g., farro with chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, other veggies, etc.)
It’s also fantastic on falafel, proteins like fish, and as a sandwich, pita, or burger spread. Try it on my Best Ground Chicken Burgers.

Substitutions and variations

If you need this to be a vegan tahini dressing, simply swap the honey out with agave syrup or maple syrup!
You can jazz it up with some optional add-ins. I suggest smoked paprika to give it a special smoky quality and/or some chopped chives for a pop of freshness and contrast.

Leftovers and storage

Store any leftovers of this tahini dressing for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Give it a good shake or stir when you’re ready to use it since it may have separated.
I don’t recommend freezing this dressing since it’s liable to change texture.