Creamy 5-Minute Lemon Tahini Dressing

This creamy and tangy lemon tahini dressing is packed with flavor, healthy fats, and protein. With only 4 main ingredients, you can whip up a big batch of this in a matter of minutes and use it throughout the week on pretty much anything. Try it on your salads, grain bowls, or roasted veg, and enjoy!

This dressing is so good I could drink it right out of the bottle. Yup, that’s right I love it that much. Tangy, creamy, DELISH! As a Registered Dietitian, I am always teaching clients how to add more into their diet and using a delicious, nourishing salad dressing is a great way to get some healthy fats, protein, and vitamins into your belly. 

I know a lot of us were taught to skip the dressing (thanks 90s culture) but salad dressing actually adds what us nutrition geeks call the “satiety factor”. This is what keeps us not just full, but satisfied after a meal. Dressings often have nourishing fats that increase our satisfaction and slow down digestion. Adding healthy fats to your plate is an important part of building a balanced meal (Read more on that here). 

So instead of skipping the dressing, try adding this tasty, tangy lemon tahini dressing to your veggies and let ‘em soak it all in. Trust me you won’t regret it. 

What you Need for this Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing (& Substitutions)

Tahini: I’m not going to lie, I love tahini. And I’m so happy it’s the star of this sauce. Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini not only adds a creamy texture, it also adds a rich and nutty flavor to a dish. Other reasons to love on tahini… It pairs well with sweet (like in these Coconut-Lemon Energy Balls) AND savory dishes (like this Nourishing Buddha Bowl), so no matter which team you’re on, I highly recommend having a jar of it on hand. Always. 

Plus it’s packed full of yummy nutrition (more on that here)!

If you find yourself short on tahini, you can substitute it for quite a few options. Sunflower seed butter is pretty close to tahini in flavor and texture. Other nut butters like peanut butter or almond butter will work but do have a stronger taste than tahini and will alter the flavor profile a little bit. If you want that creaminess factor but don’t want a distinct nut flavor, you can also use a higher fat Greek yogurt or silken tofu. 

Lemon: Every salad dressing needs an acid, and this one features lemon. You may notice it makes an appearance in quite a few of my salad dressings (like my famous crunchy kale caesar dressing). I love the tanginess it adds, balancing out the richness of the other ingredients. 

Out of lemons? I got you! 

Substitute for vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar for this recipe) or get a bit bolder and try balsamic! An average lemon typically gives 2-3 tablespoons of juice. I would start with 1-2 tablespoons and adjust accordingly. If you want other substitution recommendations, try lime or orange juice or even Greek yogurt with a splash of vinegar. They’ll all add that tangy flavor you want. (PS – If you try one of these bolder subs, let me know how it tastes in the comments below!)

Olive Oil: The oil in this dressing is none-other than extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil adds that mouthfeel factor to your salad dressing as well as a satiety factor that makes you feel full and satisfied for longer. If you’re out of EVOO, have no fear! Substitute for avocado oil or grapeseed oil.  

Garlic: I used fresh garlic in this salad (grated with my fave kitchen tool, the microplane). You can substitute the garlic with garlic powder. Start with ½ a teaspoon and adjust from there. Want some more experimental options? Shallots or ginger would be interesting options in this dressing. 

How to Make this Salad Dressing

Nutritional Benefits

Tahini: Tahini is a great source of plant-based protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. 

Lemon: In addition to its flavor benefits (I love that tang!), lemon juice is also a rich source of vitamin C, an important vitamin that can help to support a healthy immune system. By incorporating lemon juice into your salad dressing, you can add a nutritional boost to your meal.

How to Meal Prep this Easy Tahini Lemon Dressing

This is the perfect batch prep recipe, meaning you can make a large amount of the recipe and use it throughout multiple dishes. 

Besides saving hours in the kitchen meal prepping salads, meal prepping dressings is a BIG kitchen hack in the Pleskot household. I like to make 2 or 3 options at the beginning of the week. We use them on salads, bowls or veggies. It might not seem like much but if there’s a way I can save 5-10 minutes, it’s worth it for me!

I like to make my dressings all at once because they usually use the same kitchen tools and ingredients. I usually try to make at least one vinaigrette (like this 2 minute honey lime dressing) and a creamy sauce (like this recipe or my 5 minute avocado green goddess dressing). 

I will line up the right number of mason jars (I like these for batch prep) I need on the counter and add my ingredients directly into the jar (less dishes, less clean up!). I usually double or triple the recipe, pop a lid on, and give it a shake and then store in the fridge for future use.  

So what are you waiting for? Batch prepping your salad dressings can save you time and ensure that you always have a flavorful dressing on hand. Plus, you can experiment with different flavor combinations to keep your salads interesting and exciting. Go ahead and give it a try – your taste buds (and your busy schedule) will thank you!

How to Enjoy this Delish Dressing

Batch prepped this dressing and don’t know how to use it? Here are some of my favorite meals to elevate with this tangy tahini salad dressing:

Roasted Beet and Kale Salad: This salad was made to be batch prepped AND dressed with this dressing! Seriously the kale leaves will soak up all the sauciness, making it even better than the night it was made. 

Buddha Bowl: Who doesn’t love a beautiful bowl? This buddha bowl has it all – yams, cabbage and chickpeas. I love it with this dressing because each bite has a little crunch with a little creaminess. Plus the rice drinks in the tahini flavor and *chef’s kiss*.

Nutritious Crunch Kale Caesar Salad: Take a twist on this LindsayPleskot.com classic. Together you get crunchy, creamy, tangy and a little nutty.

 10 Minute Crunchy Kale and Pomegranate Salad: This recipe calls for a balsamic vinaigrette but you can mix it up with this creamy dressing. Tahini pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the pomegranate, creating the perfect sweet and savory dish.

If you make this simple and tasty lemon tahini salad dressing, it would make my day if you would leave a comment and/or star rating below— I love hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @lindsaypleskot so I can see your versions! It makes me so happy to see these recipes come to life in your kitchens! xo

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