Tahini Dressing

Tahini’s versatility makes it one of my favorite ingredients to play around with in the kitchen. Creamy, nutty, and naturally vegan, it works in a multitude of applications, including dressing. This versatile tahini dressing is easy to stir together and great to keep on hand to drip and drizzle over all sorts of things. 

Tahini is simply ground toasted sesame seeds (think: peanut butter, but with sesame seeds). Its nutty flavor is used in both sweet and savory recipes. When used in dressings, it provides a naturally vegan creaminess that also keeps things emulsified. 

Tahini is often served as a prepared sauce, mixed with garlic and lemon and thinned with just enough water so that it’s not gloppy. Tahini sauce typically does not contain any oil, getting its richness from the fat of the tahini.

This dressing is more akin to a vinaigrette that’s thickened and made creamy with tahini.

• Oil and vinegar: A sharp 1:1 ratio of olive oil and rice vinegar play together as the base.
• Tahini: A few spoonfuls temper the bite of the vinegar and smooth the dressing out.
• Garlic: A classic pairing with tahini.
• Maple syrup: Some brands of tahini can be more bitter than others. A spoonful or two of the sweet stuff helps balance any bitterness that can sometimes come through.
• Spices: A bit of smoked paprika and turmeric echo the earthy depth of the ground sesame seeds. 
• Water: The consistency of tahini varies a lot by brand. Some dressings may need to be thinned, but add water slowly, and taste as you go. Tahini salad dressing should be more aggressively flavored than a sauce so that it flavors whatever it’s being poured over.

This bright dressing works well with greens or as a dip for cut vegetables. Drizzle it over roasted or grilled vegetables or simple proteins like fish.