How to Make Tahini Dressing

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Cutting board with ingredients for our tutorial on How to Make Tahini Dressing

Ready to learn my go-to dressing that’s perfect for salads, bowls, falafel, and more?

Allow me to introduce my 3-ingredient tahini dressing that’s so delicious it’s like liquid gold. I always have some on hand!

Whisking together ingredients for homemade Tahini Dressing

What is Tahini?

Tahini is made by grinding sesame seeds into a smooth paste. Sometimes the sesame seeds are hulled, sometimes they’re left unhulled; sometimes roasted, sometimes raw. Our favorite way to use tahini? THIS tahini dressing!

Origin of Tahini

Tahini is an Arabic name for ground sesame seeds. However, its origins are thought to have been in Persia, where it was called “ardeh.” Tahini later found its way to other parts of the world and was held as a delicacy as sesame seeds were rather expensive to procure. In some cultures, tahini was even used as currency. (source) We hope you LOVE this easy dressing that’s perfect for salads, falafel, roasted veggies, and more!

Homemade Tahini Dressing dripping from a whisk into a mixing bowl

How to Make Tahini Dressing

A creamy, rich sauce of tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, and maple syrup! Add garlic or salt for extra flavor. The perfect dressing or sauce for salads, falafel, sandwiches, and more!
Author Minimalist Baker
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How to Make Tahini Dressing #minimalistbaker #recipes #dressing #healthy #glutenfree #recipe
4.85 from 110 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 (3-Tbsp servings)
Course Dressing, Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Middle Eastern-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 5 Days

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds – I love Alexis brand! For other brands, see our tahini review)
  • 1 medium lemon, juiced (1 medium lemon yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml)
  • 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub agave – or honey if not vegan)
  • 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced // optional)
  • Water (to thin // ~3-6 Tbsp or 45-90 ml as original recipe is written)

Instructions

  • To a medium mixing bowl, add tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup. If adding salt and garlic, add now (optional).
  • Whisk to combine. Then slowly add water until creamy and pourable. The mixture may seize up and thicken at first, but continue adding water a little at a time and whisking until creamy and smooth.
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon juice for acidity, salt for saltiness, or maple syrup for sweetness.
  • Enjoy fresh, or store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days (sometimes longer). This is delicious on things like SaladsFalafelFrittersBuddha Bowls, and more!

Video

Notes

*Recipe makes ~3/4 cup dressing.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without salt or garlic.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 three-tablespoon serving Calories: 133 Carbohydrates: 8.1 g Protein: 3.6 g Fat: 10.8 g Saturated Fat: 1.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 24 mg Fiber: 2.3 g Sugar: 2.7 g

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  1. Susan says

    I made this and now, it’s my go to dressing! I’ve made other tahini dressings, but they do not compare! It’s the hint of sweetness from the maple syrup. Really delicious. I put this on chicken and brussel sprouts mixed into greens. Delicious!

  2. Coulinjo says

    It is delicious with 1/2 tsp of rice bran syrup (that was the only sweetener I had on hand and it just took the edge off the bitterness of the tahini). I made it in my mini blender so it also looks amazing! Thank you for posting🙂

  3. Chris says

    I used three large cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar. no sweetener. Perfect!

  4. Patricia says

    I made this recipe with all the stated ingredients. It’s the best tahinni sauce I have every made. So easy, so smooth, so delicious. 10/10
    Thank you

  5. Michael W. says

    This is delicious as a salad dressing, and it also makes a great dip for apples and other fruit. I used only one tablespoon of maple syrup (I’m supposed to avoid complex carbohydrates), and I found it to be quite sweet enough. Thank you for the recipe!

  6. Lynn says

    1 TBSP of raw honey was way way way way way too sweet! I even tried doubling the recipe and it was still too sweet! (Unfortunately I didn’t have any maple syrup.) What are disappointment and what a waste of ingredients!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoy it, Joanna. That’s a great idea to throw it in the bullet. Thank you for sharing! xo

  7. Lisa says

    This was absolutely delicious, I didn’t have lemons so I had to substitute apple cider vinegar but it came out great. I will be making this on a regular basis. Thank you for introducing me to a way to use tahini other than hummus.

  8. Learning to count says

    I ma be wrong here, but that is not a 3 ingredient dressing.
    1- tahini
    2-lemon
    3-garlic
    4-maple syrup
    5-salt
    And if you want to count the h20,
    6- water

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Garlic and salt are both optional and we don’t include water in the ingredient count.

  9. Lucy S. says

    I made this and poured it over a baked sweet pita with cooked kale, quinoa, & black beans. SO delicious!

  10. Heidi A. says

    Oh man! Now I am obsessed! This dressing makes plain Romaine sing! And it is wonderful with all my favorite salad items, artichoke hearts, pepita’s, avocado, pickled beets. Please do try it 💗

  11. Jeanie Griggs says

    How much does ⅓ cup of tahini weigh? Would much rather see recipes written with weights — way easier!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jeanie, it’s 80 grams tahini. Just above the listed ingredients it says “US Customary – Metric”, if you click “Metric” it shows you the weight for each ingredient in a recipe. Hope this helps!