Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing

This simple lemon herb tahini dressing is so delicious and dreamy creamy! It includes only 4 ingredients (tahini, lemon, herbs, garlic, + water/salt) and comes together in minutes. Perfect oil-free sauce to meal prep ahead and serve over buddha bowls, pizza, roasted vegetables, salads, pasta, tacos, etc. Naturally vegan and dairy-free.

Tahini-based dressings are so amazing and a must-know if you are trying to eat more whole foods. 

Tahini sauces are ultra creamy and rich, packed with a deep nutty flavor and rich in nutrients, such as protein, healthy fats and vitamins. Plus, using tahini to prepare sauces makes them heavenly creamy while keeping them naturally vegan, dairy-free and refined oil-free. 

And you can make wonders using tahini, such as this vegan couscous salad made with tahini pesto sauce or this popular balsamic tahini dressing. I even make a delicious sweet salted caramel sauce using tahini!

This time, I was looking for a fresh, vibrant and tangy garnishing sauce to serve over a savory meal. I made this simple lemon herb tahini dressing, which was a huge success and took only 5 minutes to whip up. So easy and this sauce has so much flavor, I had to share!

It simply includes tahini, lemon juice, garlic and a whole lot of fresh herbs. Add salt to taste and a splash of water until it reaches the desired consistency. That's it! The richness of the tahini is perfectly balanced by the generous amount of bright tangy lemon juice and fresh herbs, so good.

Using a food processor makes this recipe quicker and fuss-free since the fresh herbs and garlic are chopped in seconds. It also helps create an almost whipped and light texture to this creamy sauce.

This tahini herb sauce is so versatile: you can use it as a green salad dressing, to drizzle over pizza, to toss in pasta salads, to garnish tacos or grain bowls and much much more. This sauce is so addictive!

Hope you give it a try! ❤️

Why you should try this recipe

• Super quick and easy recipe
• Highly customizable
• Uses only wholesome and simple ingredients
• Rich and creamy texture
• Great for meal prep
• Very flavorful sauce, thanks to the lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs
• Versatile ways to serve it and pairs well with a variety of dishes
• Naturally vegan (plant-based), gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free

Ingredients you will need

(See below in the recipe card for the measurements)

• Tahini paste: also called sesame paste or sesame seed butter, tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment that is made by grinding toasted sesame seeds. It is very earthy and very creamy. You can find tahini in any grocery store. Different brands of tahini have different textures, and I find tahini that are thinner or have a pourable consistency to work best for making sauces. I used the tahini from the brand 365. 
• Fresh herbs: you can use any herbs that you like, but I find the combination of fresh parsley with fresh cilantro to be perfect in this sauce. Mint or dill would also work and bring a different flavor profile to your recipe.
• Garlic: I used 1 clove of fresh garlic, which gave just the right amount of flavor. The garlic used is raw, so you don't need much to add a nice punch of flavor, but feel free to use 2 garlic cloves for an even stronger flavor.
• Lemon juice: I added the fresh lemon juice of whole lemon for this sauce, although you can start with only half if you prefer. Bottle lemon juice is not recommended to make this recipe. You can also add some lemon zest for a zestier sauce.
• Water + salt

How to make a lemon herb tahini dressing

(See below in the recipe card for the full recipe)

Process

Add the garlic to a food processor and pulse/process until broken down.

Then, add the fresh herbs and process again until finely chopped.

Add the lemon juice, salt and tahini and process briefly just to combine the ingredients. 

Then, keep processing while adding some cold water through the feeding tube, a fine stream at a time. I recommend starting with about ⅓ of a cup.

Adjust texture

Stir in the food processor using a spatula (the tahini tends to stick to the bottom). Then add more water slowly until it reaches just the right consistency. Taste and also adjust flavor.

Helpful tips

• In this recipe, I recommend pulsing/processing in steps to ensure that the sauce will have a great smooth texture: first goes the garlic, then the herbs, followed by the tahini and lemon and finish up with the water.
• Tahini might seize or look pretty thick after you add it to the food processor, this is ok. Once you incorporate the cold water, it will all come together. Make sure to use a spatula to stir and scrape the walls/bottom once in a while to help incorporate the sticky tahini into the sauce.
• Depending on the brand, the tahini you have might be more or less pourable or thin. Simply adjust the consistency of your herb sauce by adding more water if needed.
• Process as much as you need to make the sauce either completely smooth or chunky by keeping some pieces of herb still intact.

Serving suggestions

This simple tahini sauce is so versatile! Here are a few ways you can serve it:

• Dipping sauce: dip in some fresh vegetables, such as raw carrots or cucumber, and pita bread. You can include this yummy vegan sauce part of a vegan platter with more finger foods.
• Grain bowl sauce: this recipe makes for the perfect sauce to generously drizzle over buddha bowl. Try pairing it with brown rice, leafy greens, roasted tofu or chickpeas, broccoli and chopped almonds for an easy and nutritious lunch. This sauce would be a treat over this Greek tofu buddha bowl!
• Salad: this sauce is amazing to jazz up a simple green salad! Try pairing with raw veggies such as cucumber, cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers. Also great over quinoa salad or a simple pasta salad.
• Pasta: like this tahini pasta sauce, try it over cooked warm pasta with roasted veggies for a quick meal.
• Roasted vegetables: try this sauce over harissa potatoes or simple roasted zucchini or eggplant.
• Sandwich spread: tahini is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine, and this tahini herb sauce would be great in this falafel gyro sandwich or falafel buddha bowl. 

As seen in the pictures, we served this lemon tahini dressing over baked sweet potatoes stuffed with kale and spiced chickpeas. It was such a great way to serve it!

Variations

This recipe is so versatile, you can play around with the ingredients depending on what you are looking for. Here are a few ideas:

• Fresh herbs: I love the combo of parsley and cilantro for this sauce, but you can also use fresh basil, fresh dill, fresh mint or chives, they would all work well! I think the idea here is to mix and match at least 2 different kinds to get a bold and complex flavor.
• Spices: feel free to add a pinch of turmeric powder, ground cumin or paprika for more flavor.
• Spicy: I love making a tahini spicy sauce since the naturally high-fat tahini works well with a little heat. Try adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes! 
• Lighter: if you would like to make this sauce lighter or lower in fat, then you can swap a part of the tahini for a dollop of vegan plain yogurt (such as cashew yogurt or coconut yogurt). 
• More addition: you can experiment with a little Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast if you like these flavors. Feel free to add a tiny amount of maple syrup if you like yours a little sweeter or if your sauce somehow has a bitter taste you would like to minimize (tahini can make sauces bitter sometimes). Also, add a green onion for a mild oniony flavor.

Storage tips

This sauce stores so well! Simply transfer the leftovers into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Give it a good whisk before using.

The sauce might get more solid or thick while resting in the fridge, so if this happens, you can add a splash of water to help loosen up the texture.

FAQs

Can I make it without a food processor?

You don't absolutely need a food processor to make this sauce. You can either use a blender to make it, which will likely make the sauce greener and completely smooth, or simply chop everything by hand as small as you can, then combine.

Can I make it using dried herbs?

I don't recommend it: for the best fresh flavor, you need fresh herbs!

Similar recipes to try

• Cashew basil pesto
• Cilantro lime tahini dressing
• Avocado green goddess dressing
• Vegan tzatziki sauce
• Basil balsamic dressing
• Walnut vegan pesto
• No Tahini baba ganoush
• Creamy cashew herb sauce

I hope you like this lemon herb tahini dressing recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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