How to Use Tahini for Creamy Salad Dressings [Dairy Free]

Learn how to use Tahini to make a creamy salad dressing that can be made without dairy and without oil. Includes recipes for a basic Tahini salad dressing, a Strawberry Tahini dressing, and a Peach Tahini dressing.

My wife describes this dressing as having "a deep bold nutty flavor with a nice creamy texture. It is very satisfying, even for a ranch lover like me! I ate the entire salad with no trouble, when I usually pick at any salad that's not smothered in ranch dressing."

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My wife loves ranch dressing.

It is her go-to dressing for any type of salad. The problem is, I don't like Ranch. I am more of a vinaigrette kind of person.

My wife really likes a dressing to have a creamy element.

An idea came to me one day, why don't I use Tahini in a salad dressing? I am sure I didn't invent the idea, but I thought it up before I saw someone else do it, so that's counts for something, right?

We had bought some Tahini to make hummus, but we don't make that much hummus. Thus it's important for us to come up with other ways to use Tahini.

Jump to:

• 👅 What Does It Taste Like?
• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📖 Variations
• 📋 Instructions
• 🥬 What to Serve It On
• 🥗 More Salad Dressings
• Creamy Tahini Salad Dressing

👅 What Does It Taste Like?

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It has a strong, assertive flavor, like peanut butter. When it is paired with the milder chick peas in hummus, they balance each other out nicely.

When adding tahini to dressing you need to consider that. If you have a recipe you want to add it to, go slowly add first, even a tablespoon at a time. A small amount can really enhance a dressing.

Something else to consider is that Tahini contains fat. It's a great choice if you do not want to include oil in your dressing. The recipe below is made without oil (although in my fruit versions I add some oil in).

Tahini is great for thickening a salad dressing - giving it body. I see the same thing done with mustard in some dressing recipes. Again if you are going to try it, start slow.

If you want tahini to be the main flavor of your dressing, let me share with you how I make it.

📖 RELATED - Learn About the Different Types of Sesame Seeds

🛒 Ingredients

Salad dressings don't need to be too complex. Some good simple ingredients is what you need. Here are the ones I used for this recipe.

• Tahini 
• Low sodium soy sauce
• Honey
• Rice wine vinegar
• Large lemon
• Garlic clove
• Cold water
• Kosher salt

Here is my creative process as I was developing the Tahini salad dressing recipe you will find at the end of this post.

My first decision was to pick which vinegar to use. I decided on a rice wine vinegar. It has a mild flavor that would add a kick without overdoing it. I think a balsamic would be too strong. Apple cider vinegar would be a fine choice as well.

Next I chose soy sauce. I thought it complemented the other "Asian" ingredients well and it would be my source of salt.

A single clove of raw garlic would provide a pleasant heat.

I felt the dressing would need some sweetness but not in the form of sugar. A more natural option like honey would be an ideal choice. Maple syrup would work as well.

Adding some lemon juice from a fresh lemon would keep the flavors and color bright.

It all goes for a spin in the food processor and the dressing came out perfect tasting the first time, which I was thrilled about. I just needed to add a bit of water to thin it out and make it pourable.

📖 Variations

I recently decided to add some fresh fruit to the dressing to give extra flavor. Strawberries and peaches both make a wonderful addition.

Trying roasting the fruit before hand to bring out even more flavor and sweetness. Roasting them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes should do the trick.

Strawberry

When I add strawberries to the dressing, I made some changes to the recipe.

1. Reduce the Tahini to 2 tablespoons
2. Omit the garlic and soy sauce
3. Add in ½ cup of a neutral tasting oil

I reduce the Tahini so the fruit flavor doesn't get overwhelmed. Same with omitting the soy sauce. And honestly the garlic didn't appeal to me with the fruit flavor - so no garlic was peeled for this version.

Since I took out some Tahini, I needed to add some fat back in, which is why I added ½ cup of oil. It's best to drizzle the oil in while the machine runs so that it can incorporate well and so you can monitor the oil you add and adjust if needed.

If you are aiming to avoid adding oil, just forget using it in the fruit version and keep the Tahini amount as in the original recipe.

The strawberries I used were ones that we picked ourselves at a local u-pick farm. The flavor of picked-yourself strawberries always beats what the grocery store offers.

🍓 RELATED - Best Time of Year to Buy Strawberries

Peach

For the peach I basically did as with the strawberry tahini dressing. One large peach is enough for the dressing. You can use 2 if your peaches are small. Nectarines would work just as well.

The peaches were sent to me by Pearson Farm. They are from Georgia and were part of a Summer Classic series highlighting 4 classic varieties that Person grows. A new variety is shipped each week. It's super fun, tasting them all.

🍑 RELATED - When are Peaches in Season?

📋 Instructions

Let me take you step by step in how I make Tahini dressing. For this example, I am going to show you how I made my Peach version. If you aren't using fruit, you can skip down to step 3.

Remove the pit from the peach and cut it into quarters. No need to peel it.

Puree the peach in a food processor until smooth.

Add in the Tahini, honey, vinegar, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.

💡 Tip - Make sure you stir the Tahini up well before adding. Like natural peanut butter it does separate.

Slowly drizzle in the oil while the machine is running, stopping to check to see if you have the right consistency. Depend on how juicy your peach is you may need to add a little more oil or you can add a little water if it's too thick.

Store it in the fridge. It usually keeps well for a week or two. This recipe makes enough for about 4 people depending on how much dressing they like or if it's a main course or side salad.

Recipe is easy to double or triple if you need more.

🥬 What to Serve It On

A kale salad works really well as the strong flavor of the kale is balanced with the dressing. Spinach is a great choice as well. Really any salad greens will work.

Dipping Sauce

This dressing could easily double as a dipping sauce for veggies. An upgrade from ranch for sure. If you are going to use it as such you can may want it thicker, so adding any water wouldn't be necessary.

🥗 More Salad Dressings

• How to Make Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
• Avocado Salad Dressing
• How to Make Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing
• How to Make Blue Cheese
• 3 Ingredient Peach Vinaigrette