You will love this delicious salad dressing! Not only is this fresh Lemon Tahini Dressing Recipe vegan and dairy free, it’s easily adaptable to be oil-free with no fuss. Tasty, creamy and a little zesty, you’ll be licking the side of the jar for more!
Happy New Year my dear friends! Have you set your goals and resolutions for this year?
I love the idea of reflecting and setting goals. In saying that, I think it’s important to do it in a mindful and self-compassionate way.
At the beginning of 2019, I did an experiment and refused to make any measurable resolutions for the year. You know the kind – loose x amount of weight, make x amount of money etc. Although I’m an advocate for goal-setting, many resolutions fail to consider the complexities of our beautifully messy lives. Last year, I met many incredible people who punished themselves for shifting away from their resolutions. This was for so many reasons. An operation, an illness, or the reality of navigating a household with a screaming toddler. Rather than celebrate the journey of healing or self-care, the emphasis was that they didn’t achieve everything they set out to.
For this reason, it’s so important to set resolutions in a mindful, flexible and loving way. Life changes and priorities evolve. What may have worked at the start of the year, may not be realistic in 12-months time. While looking forward into the new year, please remember to treat your resolutions as a goal and not as an unrealistic standard. Remember to enjoy the journey and appreciate that not everything goes as planned. The focus of our lives changes frequently.
Most resolutions focus on building healthy habits. If during the new year, you feel unwell or you’re scrambling for time and need a speedy nourishing meal – this creamy Lemon Tahini dressing recipe is for you.
Prepared in under 5-minutes, this recipe is filled with flavour and it livens almost any recipe. The benefit is there are many simple variations. It can be prepared into a thick tahini sauce perfect for falafels, or as a dip served with carrot sticks. Alternatively, you can make a thinner version that is absolutely delicious drizzled over some kale as a salad dressing. Being gluten-free and vegan, this recipe is perfect for those who have allergies or elimination diets.
While tasting this recipe, I found the main ingredient tahini surprising.
Up until now, I have been disenchanted with the flavour. I’ve found it a little too sharp and unpalatable. Trust me, after preparing this dressing not only will you believe that tahini can taste good, you’ll be licking the sides of the jar for more! 😉
Please remember that you’re perfect just the way you are! I’m looking forward to spending another year with you, thank you for your support and wishes! And most importantly, good luck mindfully setting goals! x
Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing / Sauce FAQ & Tips
Unlike the taste of tahini on its own, tahini sauce is absolutely delicious and a perfect accompaniment for many meals.
The distinct flavour is well-balanced with elements of creaminess, earthiness and tartiness from the lemon juice. Creamy and absolutely delicious, this recipe is perfect with your favourite falafel or roasted veggies recipe!
Lemon tahini dressing is easy to include into your diet and it’s a powerhouse of nutrients and minerals:
Tahini is rich in antioxidants, with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds with the potential of reducing the risk of certain conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.
Lemon juice is a fantastic course of vitamin C, thought to be beneficial for your heart health, and possibly to reduce high cholesterol levels.
Garlic contains potent medicinal properties known to boost the function of the immune system, reduce blood pressure aid in recovery from the cold. Due to the antioxidant properties, garlic is also thought reduce the risk of common brain diseases such as dementia.
Be sure to check the ingredients listing of any store purchased tahini or tahini dressing to ensure it’s aligned with your nutritional restrictions.
If preparing the recipe on your own or from scratch, tahini sauce is vegan containing no animal or dairy products.
Be sure to check the ingredients listing of any store purchased tahini or tahini dressing to ensure it’s aligned with your nutritional restrictions.
If prepared from scratch, tahini is similar to a “nut butter” only prepared from sesame seeds. If prepared in an environment free from gluten, and if there are not any additional ingredients, Tahini Sauce is gluten free.
Like most simple recipes, making the best tahini sauce from scratch requires perfect-quality ingredients and an understanding of the techniques to balance the flavours. My secret hints and tricks include:
1. Using Good Quality Tahini – Tahini can vary in texture, flavour and consistency so finding a good quality tahini is so important for this recipe. My favourites are Mayver’s Tahini or Australian Organic Unhulled Tahini from the Australian Bulk Food Store.
2. Balance the Flavours – Taste the sauce as it’s being prepared to check it’s balanced before serving. To counter any bitterness, gradually add some additional sea salt, honey or maple syrup. Stir, and repeat until it’s perfect!
3. Be careful with the Garlic – If you want a speedy alternative to reduce any sharpness created by the garlic, the key is to change how you’re preparing it. As explored by Serious Eats, the more cells which are damaged while preparing garlic (ie. sliced vs. grated) the more potent the garlic will smell and taste. After peeling the garlic, I push down on it using the flat end of my knife and roughly chop it into pieces. Once included to the tahini dressing, the pieces of garlic infuse the mixture beautifully without creating the residual hotness typically known from raw garlic. If you want to be super careful, 1/2 tsp of ground garlic should also be fine.
Not only is tahini sauce simple to prepare, it’s adaptable to so many recipes. Some vegan and vegetarian tahini dressing recipe ideas include:
– Herbed kale and quinoa salad.
– Baked pea and mint falafels.
– Roast cauliflower Salad with chickpeas.
– Tahini & lemon Sauce for vegetables like broccoli, asparagus or roasted squash.
– Creamy potato salad.
– Wholewheat or gluten free pasta with tahini sauce stirred through.
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp organic tahini
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- cold filtered water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp organic honey or maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove (optional) peeled and roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the organic tahini and gradually stir through the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil (optional) until well combined. While stirring, gradually add the cold filtered water by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency. For a sauce, I included 6 tablespoons, for the dressing, I included 10.
- Stir through the garlic, sea salt and organic honey or maple syrup, tasting as you go. Adjust the salt and honey/maple syrup to suit your taste and to ensure the flavours are well balanced.
- Serve by drizzling over your favourite salad or cooked veggies! Bon Appètit! 🙂
Notes
HAVE YOU PREPARED THIS RECIPE?
Let me know in the comments section below, or by tagging #CuratedLifeKitchen on Instagram! I love to see what you have created! 🙂
Hey There, I’m Kylie. My passion is plant-based recipes and I want to help you create something gorgeous!
I believe in taking a slow approach to food – to eat locally, seasonally and consciously.
When I’m not taking photos, you can find me wandering the coastal paths of South-East Australia.
Megan Kerry says
Yummy!!! I love how simple your tahini dressing is! Simple is always best 🙂 Great addition with the maple syrup to add a little contrast to the lemon. Can’t wait to try your vegan salad dressing out!
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful words Megan! I would love to hear how the recipe goes! 🙂 x
Kathy Kenny Ngo says
I’m sure this would be a hit with lemon fans. My brothers love lemon dressing so this would be a hit with them.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
I hope your brothers love the recipe! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Maartje van Sandwijk says
Yum. I will definitely make this and serve it with a delicious green salad! 🙂
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
What a perfect idea Maartje, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Joy Della Vita says
Just recently I have had a salad in a “oriental” restaurant but forgot to ask the waitress for the main ingredients in the dressing… have been browsing the web for literal hours until I have found your recipe… it definitely sounds like this is the one I’ve been searching for! aaah, can’t wait to try your instructions tomorrow 🙂 🙂
Lisa fucci says
That looks delicious! I’m gonna have to put this on my must try list!!!
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
It totally was mouth-watering! I would love to hear how it turns out Lisa!
Alexis says
Oh I love this recipe! I’m definitely going to add this to our next Mediterranean dinner night.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Thats such a great idea – this salad dressing would go perfectly with mediterranean cuisine!
Rose Ann Sales says
Thanks for sharing the recipe and it’s so nice that you’ve mentioned each ingredient’s benefit, and they are all healthy! There’s no reason not try this.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the nutritional benefits. It makes you think about all the healthy goodies we put into our diet!
Angel says
This sounds super yummy and like something I should definitely try out very soon. The recipe doesn’t seem so bad either.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
The recipe is super easy! I would love to hear how the recipe goes! 🙂
Crickette says
Amazing!!! This looks delicious for veggies! I will try this recipe!
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
It’s amazing with roasted veggies or asparagus! Let me know how the recipe turns out!
Geraline Batarra says
Thanks for sharing such a healthy recipe, I’m going to add this to my weekly diet.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
My absolute pleasure! Best wishes! I hope the recipe transforms from a “diet” to a much loved habit! 🙂
Danielle says
This looks so yummy. I can’t wait to try it for myself.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
It is completely delicious! I hope you love it as much as I do! 🙂 x
Garf says
Sounds good to me. I want this dip with my favorite chips for the game day.
Rachel says
I’ve always struggled with making tahini dressing, so I’ll have to give this a shot.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Tahini dressing can be a bit challenging, hopefully my suggestions helped you? I would love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Dana Brillante-Peller says
This dressing sounds amazing. I love that it lasts more than two days. Some homemade dressings don’t last too long in the fridge
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
I know, right? It can be so annoying! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Vanessa says
I always loved finding new recipes. Thank you for sharing this, I have to try this at home and my fam would love this for sure
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
I’m so glad you found this recipe! I would love to hear how it turns out. 🙂
Marlynn says
This sounds so yummy! I’m going to have to make this with some veggies this week!
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Awesome! I would love to hear how the recipe turns out!
Bespoke Traveler says
I find lately that the idea of keeping some key words in mind rather than having specific goals is much easier for me. For 2020, those phrases are “finding delight,” “perspective,” and “allow for dreamtime.” You are always so good at reminding me how important ingredients and taste are to achieving a holistic life.
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Wow, thank you so much for your comment, you’ve made my day! I love the idea on having key words, perspective is defiantly one I will revisit and consider. Good luck in the new year! xx