Sunshine Dressing

This sunshine dressing is so fresh, bright and full of flavors. It combines tahini, orange juice, garlic and ginger and comes together within minutes. Perfect for green salads, roasted vegetables, buddha bowls and much more. 100% vegan and naturally gluten-free.

Bring more brightness into your day with this delicious sunshine dressing!

It is super simple to make and very versatile.: all you have to do is whisk together some tahini, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt, turmeric and the secret ingredient... freshly squeezed orange juice!

It pretty much is a tahini-orange-ginger dressing that is full of flavors yet super light at the same time.

The combo of orange-tahini is absolutely amazing and such a healthy way to make a creamy sauce that's fully vegan and dairy-free.

I have to say that I use orange juice to make dressings and sauces all the time: it adds a nice sweetness naturally and a zesty flavor that's not as powerful and tangy as compared to lemon juice.

I actually already have a tahini orange dressing featured in this rainbow salad bowl and also this Asian orange sauce that's been on the blog since the start (and still very popular). But this time, I included ginger and turmeric for a boost of nutrient and a nice warm flavor.

And the best part of this recipe is the endless ways you can use it! Green salads, buddha/grain bowls, warm roasted vegetables, baked potatoes and pasta salads: they can all be served with this sauce for a bright and flavorful meal. You can make it ahead and keep in the fridge until you need it.

Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️

Highlights of this recipe

• Quick and easy
• Healthy and rich in nutrients, such as healthy fats and antioxidants
• Mostly naturally sweetened with freshly squeezed orange juice
• Versatile ways to serve it
• Amazing for meal-prep
• Easy to customize
• Fits many diets, such as vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

Ingredients you'll need

• Tahini: look for a tahini that only contains sesame seeds (with maybe a little salt, but no added oil). Also, this sauce is best when using a pourable tahini (if too thick, you will have to adjust consistency).
• Orange juice: I highly recommend to squeeze the juice from an orange instead of using store-bought orange juice. The flavor will be so much better!
• Apple cider vinegar: or use white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. Lemon juice works too. Adjust the amount for a more or less tangy flavor.
• Garlic: I included a small clove just to bring a subtly garlicky flavor. If you want a stronger taste , then add 2 cloves. The flavor also will intensify over time, just something to keep in mind.
• Ginger: so good paired with the orange juice! Use freshly grated ginger and avoid powder, if possible.
• Maple syrup: this sweetener works well in dressings, but agave or even a little granulated sugar should work too.
• Turmeric: optional, but it adds a very mild earthy flavor and also boosts the nutrient and yellow color of the dressing.

How to make a sunshine dressing

This dressing literally takes minutes to make, no cooking no resting required. Perfect for meal-prep, but also easy to whip up last minute!

Combine

Simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until creamy and smooth.

Adjust

Then, taste and adjust flavor to your taste: if your oranges aren't that sweet, then add more maple syrup and if you prefer a more tangy vinaigrette, then add more vinegar.

You can also adjust consistency to your preference, especially if your tahini is thicker, then you might need to add a little water to loosen up the texture.

You can chill for later or use right away. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• Tahini takes some time to fully dissolve in a liquid, meaning that it might look. clumpy for a while. So, just keep whisking until completely smooth and uniform.
• The flavor will intensify over time, so feel-free to make it ahead or even the day before.
• If you are looking for a super smooth dressing without any small pieces of garlic and ginger, then feel-free to blend the dressing instead. In that case, you will need a small blender for the small amount of sauce.

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Serving suggestions

I love how versatile this dressing is. It makes for a perfect green salad creamy vinaigrette, but use it also to make:

• Buddha bowls or grain bowls: goes great over warm rice with veggies and lettuce. Try pairing with this greek tofu bowl or drizzle over a tempeh noodle bowl.
• Roasted vegetables: as seen in the pictures, I served over roasted zucchini and carrots, which was so delicious. It would also be amazing over roasted potato and broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, etc.
• Sandwiches: use as a spread for sandwiches or burgers too. Combine this sauce with whole wheat bread, roasted tofu, lettuce and pickled veggies (such as those balsamic marinated red onion).
• Dipping sauce: use leftovers as a dipping sauce for sweet potato fries or regular French fries.
• Bean salad: combine with cooked lentils or chickpeas and include crunchy celery, chopped carrots, diced red onion and finely chopped fresh herbs.
• Marinade: use it to flavor some cube tofu over night and then bake in the oven until golden brown.
• Noodles: try combining some soba noodles with fresh mint, cubed oranges, sliced cucumber and edamame. Then, toss the ingredients with some of this sunshine dressing for a super healthy plant-based lunch.

Variations

You can tweak the recipe to your preference playing around with the amount of sweetener, vinegar and ginger/garlic to your taste.

For a herby sauce, then feel-free to include a handful of fresh herbs, especially parsley, cilantro and dill.

Sometimes I'll also add a pinch of nutritional yeast (+ swap the vinegar for lemon juice) to add more cheesy and umami flavors.

Also, if you don't have an orange, then you can swap for grapefruit or even lemon juice, although you will need to adjust sweetness and I would omit the vinegar altogether.

FAQ's

Similar recipes to try

• Vegan honey mustard dressing
• Creamy cajun salad dressing
• Creamy balsamic tahini dressing
• Vegan Italian dressing
• Almond butter dressing
• Vegan avocado ranch dressing
• Creamy pesto sauce
• Basil balsamic vinaigrette

I hope you like this sunshine 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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