Homemade Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing Recipe

How to Make Tahini Dressing + A Simple Spinach Salad

This savory, creamy lemon tahini salad dressing is one of my all-time, long-time favorites! It’s flavorful, super simple to make, and has a lusciously thick texture. Perfect for salads, as a marinade, or serve your tahini dressing as a dip with veggies!

If you’re unfamiliar with tahini, it’s just a blended sesame seed paste. It’s typically a key ingredient in hummus recipes, and it serves as the creamy base in this tahini dressing recipe. Pair its savory, umami flavor with salty soy sauce, some bright acidity from the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, plus a hint of sweet honey, and you’ve got a festival of flavors from just a few simple ingredients!

Trust me when I tell you this lemon tahini salad dressing is delicious on just about anything. I first encountered it at the salad bar on my first meditation retreat, and it was so good I begged for the recipe. Since then, I’ve also used it as a dressing on Buddha bowls, hot or cold rice dishes, a marinade or spread on cuts of protein, and as a veggie dip!

Pretty much, this tahini dressing is my all-around, go-to sauce and spread. And thankfully, it couldn’t be easier to make. No cooking, no blender needed—simply add all of your lemon tahini salad dressing ingredients into boiling water and whisk well until integrated! You can find the full recipe below, plus a simple spinach salad with chickpeas that I like to serve with it.

Tahini Dressing Recipe

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing Ingredients

½ cup hot water
1 tsp honey
½ cup tahini
3 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup avocado oil (or light olive oil)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
⅛ tsp pepper

How to Make Tahini Dressing

First, this lemon tahini salad dressing has to start with hot water, so the ingredients will fully integrate. Personally, I just microwave water in a heat-proof measuring cup until boiling, or you can boil it in a kettle.

Next, add the honey into your hot water and whisk until it’s dissolved. Finally, add in the remaining tahini dressing ingredients and whisk well to combine, until you’ve got a smooth texture. Be patient—it can seem like it won’t come together at first, but just keep whisking and it’ll get nice and creamy.

And voila, that’s it! It’s ready to enjoy immediately, or you can transfer your lemon tahini salad dressing into a jar or bottle to store. Generally, it will last about 1 week in the fridge. Try it on a simple spinach salad like the one I’ve shared below, or get creative by pairing it with your own salads or new meals entirely!

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Video: 5 Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Tahini Salad Dressing Recipe

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing & Spinach Salad

Savory, creamy tahini dressing that’s perfect for salads, bowls, as a marinade, or as a dip with veggies!
5 stars (2 ratings)

Ingredients

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

  • ½ cup hot water
  • 1 tsp honey
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup avocado oil, or light olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • tsp pepper

Simple Spinach Salad (1 serving)

  • 1-2 cups spinach
  • ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ avocado, cubed
  • ¼ cup red onion, sliced
  • ½ cup chickpeas, cooked/canned

Instructions 

  • Add hot, boiling water to a large measuring cup. (Either from kettle or heat in microwave until boiling.)
  • Whisk honey into hot water until dissolved.
  • Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine, until smooth.
  • Serve over salad immediately, or transfer to a jar or container to store. Lasts up to a week in the fridge.
  • Yields ~ 2 cups dressing.
Serving: 2Tbsp, Calories: 79kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag us @mindovermunch — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!