Are you ready to learn how to make our go-to lemon tahini dressing you can put on literally anything? In 5 minutes with only 5 ingredients you can enhance even the most bland dish.
What are you waiting for?
Let's get mixing!
Table of Contents
📖 About
We are sauce people. We absolutely love the way different dressings and sauces can give the same dish a new taste.
It wasn't a lie when we told you this really is our go-to dressing. Whenever we're out of dressings, this is the one we whip up first because it's so good. Plus, it's also the easiest thing ever to make.
This lemon tahini dressing is so versatile. You can put it on so many dishes, and we have! It goes perfectly on salads, buddha bowls, falafel pitas, or roasted veggies.
Depending on how much water you add, this can be turned from a dip into a dressing just like that. It's so customizable!
🍲 Key ingredients
- Tahini: we cannot stress the importance of using a creamy, yet runny tahini. It makes all the difference in recipes. We use the brand ARZ Fine Foods because it pours so well, and it has a sweet and nutty flavor. We legitimately eat it by the spoonful.
- Lemon: what would a tahini dressing be without some lemon juice? It adds a nice tartness to this recipe with a zesty finish. Citrus fruits like lemon are rich in vitamin C, so it's an ingredient we love to use daily.
- Maple Syrup: the sweetness of maple syrup really helps counteract all that tart lemon flavor in this dressing. With notes of caramel and vanilla, it's no wonder it's a Canadian delicacy, eh?
- Garlic: with its powerful, pungent taste, garlic is the perfect addition to this sauce. But, maybe that's just because we love to put it in almost everything. However, it is really beneficial to cook with garlic whenever you can since it helps fight off sickness.
- Dijon: along with the garlic, dijon adds a nice little kick to this dressing. We really love maple and dijon together, and we often use them together in other recipes too.
🔪 Instructions
This could not be a more straightforward dressing recipe. All you need to do is whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, minced garlic, Dijon, and lemon juice until you have a thick paste.
Slowly add in the water until you get your preferred consistency. We usually end up using about ¼ cup total, but you may need more or less depending on the tahini you're using.
Season with some salt at the end and add more lemon juice if you want it more tart, or more maple syrup if you want it sweeter. You get the gist.
🌡️ Storage
You can store this dressing in a mason jar or glass container in the fridge for 10-14 days. It will thicken in the fridge, so you may need to add more water as you use it.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- It's crucial to buy your tahini at a Mediterranean market to save more than half
- Use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice
- Try out some agave in place of maple syrup
🍴 Tasting notes
We always seem to be reaching for this dressing to put on anything and everything. You're going to want to do the same. It's:
- Sweet
- Versatile
- Creamy
- Garlicky
- Tart
If you try this dressing, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Equipment
- Whisk
- Medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini ($0.32)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup ($0.15)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon dijon ($0.01)
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.27)
- Sea salt to taste ($0.01)
- ¼ cup water to thin ($0.00)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together tahini, maple syrup, minced garlic, Dijon, and lemon juice until you have a thick paste.
- While continuing to whisk, slowly add in the water until the desired consistency is achieved. We use ¼ cup total, but you may need more or less depending on the tahini you're using.
- Season with sea salt to taste. Add more lemon juice if you want it tarter, or more maple syrup if you want it sweeter.
- Serve over salads, buddha bowls, roasted veggies, falafel pitas, or whatever else you can think of!
Notes
- We use a garlic press in this recipe to create a smoother dressing consistency.
- If you don't like garlic, it can be halved or omitted completely.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty sauces, check out our:
- Creamy vegan ranch for a much better version of what you buy in stores (plus no dairy).
- Creamy cilantro lime dressing if you're looking for a fresh, creamy, and addicting new sauce to put on everything.
- Zesty jalapeño nacho sauce for a spicy, cheesy sauce that will satisfy your cheese cravings sans animal products.
- Vegan Caesar dressing to make unforgettable kale Caesar salads.
- Creamy balsamic dressing if you're on the hunt for a versatile dressing to drizzle over roasted vegetables, salads, and more!
💬 FAQ
This dressing can be made in a blender, you may just have a harder time scraping it all out.
If you don't have it or don't like tahini, you can substitute it with cashew butter or sun butter. Keep in mind, your results will vary.
Moira
Perfect tartness for a nice creamy dressing for my green salads or my Buddha Bowls!!