This lemon tahini dressing is easy way to jazz up your salad. This dressing is a little sweet, nutty, savory, and the creamy texture works well with your favorite crunchy salads.
This dressing is a perfect way to liven up your weekly meal prep and dinner routine. This flavorful tahini dressing with lemon is a sure way to provide a burst of flavor to your green salads.
Dressings are important parts of many dishes. Dishes such as salads, falafel, bowls, and many more are not complete without an appropriate dressing.
What is Tahini?
Tahini refers to ground sesame seeds. This powder is made into a dip or an accompaniment to other dishes.
In its best state, it has a peanut butter texture and an oily surface.
From its name, it is easy to see that Tahini has an Arabic origin. Some of the earliest references to Tahini date back to the 13th century when it was used to refer to sesame paste.
Its earliest form was roasted sesame seed with originated from Persia and was known by the name ardeh.
From Persia, it found its way to Israel. This was where it became rare and expensive and only the royals and the aristocrats could afford it. In some places, tahini was used as a means of exchange, as a currency.
According to the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, tahini comes with many natural nutrients and medicinal value.
As a result, the ancient Greeks uses it as food and medicine at the time. The ground seeds were also used in Indian traditional medicine to improve the health and nourishment of the body.
During the second world war, Turkish pilots were thought to be bigger and smarter than other pilots in the war.
Scientists found out that tahini was an integral part of their diet and it contributed to their superior qualities and abilities.
Tahini made its way to the United States in the 1940s and its debut was in health food stores.
Now, the sesame seed is a major part of different cuisine around the world such as Middle Eastern, Japanese, Chinese, African, and Korean cuisines.
Lemon Tahini Dressing Ingredients
This is one of the ways through which you can make productive use of the extra tahini that you have at hand. It is also the most popular of all the tahini dressing options available.
It requires that you make the basic tahini dressing and add lemon zest and juice to it.
You can also use the dressing of the different herbs and it is best suited for Middle Eastern cuisine.
For the lemon tahini dressing, the ingredients you need include tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ground black pepper, and salt.
This means that you can make the dressing from the comfort of your home, without spending that much.
The full recipe with the exact measurements is listed in the recipe card below.
Tahini – As mentioned above, tahini is from ground sesame seeds, and the dressing gives salads a lightly nutty flavor.
Fresh lemon juice and vinegar – these are added for flavor and tang!
Herbs – Provides a subtle earthy flavor.
Salt and pepper – for flavor.
Olive oil – Helps to bind the ingredients together.
Other variations of this tahini dressing
These are a few of the numerous variations of the tahini dressing apart from the lemon tahini dressing.
Other variations include Dijon mustard tahini dressing, ginger tahini dressing, honey, mustard tahini dressing, and pomegranate tahini dressing.
All of these go as dips with crudites, tortilla chips, and melba. The idea is that you can get as creative as you want with the tahini dressing.
Italian Tahini Sauce – With balsamic vinegar, sundried tomato paste, and basil, you can get the ideal Italian Mediterranean flavor for your tahini dressing. This variation works perfectly as a dip for salad pasta and bread.
This variation of the tahini dressing is also keto-friendly for people looking for that option.
Japanese Miso Tahini Dressing – As much as tahini has a brief history with Far Eastern Asia, it is well used in the cuisine of the region.
The addition of tamari, nori flakes, and miso to the tahini dressing adds a Japanese twist to the whole thing.
Indian Curry Tahini Sauce – As expected, the Indian Curry Tahini sauce is a colorful option, and it may have a strong flavor or taste.
However, you can alter the taste and flavor by making it stronger or milder s the case may be. It goes well with rice as paneer. You can also use it as a dip for Indian snacks such as samosas, bhajis, and pakkoras.
Yogurt Tahini Dressing – If what you are looking for is a creamy and light dressing, then the yogurt tahini dressing remains your best option.
It comes with less weight and more cream than the basic tahini dressing. It is also easy to make as all you have to do is mix yogurt and tahini sauce in equal amounts. This type of tahini dressing works better with light herbs.
Garlic Tahini Sauce – This variation is perfect for people who do not mind extra punch garlic. If you are making barbequed meat, using charcoal, the garlic tahini dressing is a perfect option.
The same goes for jacket potatoes, vegetable skewers, and many others. This is another keto-friendly tahini dressing.
Maple Tahini Dressing – This is a sweeter variation of the tahini dressing. It is ideal for a salad made from bitter leaves such as watercress and chicory.
If you prefer not to use garlic when making this dressing, it then fits for sweet dishes. It goes with banana ice cream and sliced bananas on toast.
Salads To Pair This Dressing With
After making your creamy lemon Tahini Dressing, consider pairing it with one of these salads listed below.
Storage and refrigeration
Seeing as there are different variations of the tahini dressing, there is no one-fits-all rule for storing and refrigerating tahini dressings.
It all depends on the type of ingredients present in the dressings. However, while the lemon tahini dressing is best consumed for 4 days after making it, most tahini dressings cannot stay that long.
This is because most variations of tahini dressings contain herbs and this affects its ability to stay fresh and edible for a long time.
Thus, the best option is to refrigerate the dressing. To do this, you need a clean jar or a container with a tight-fitting lid.
More Dressings & Sauces You’ll Love
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
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Zesty Tahini Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tahini
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 2 lemon
- ½ cup Olive oil
- 2 tbsp. Parsley Flakes
- 1 tbsp. Dry Basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup vinegar
Instructions
- In a large cup, add all the ingredients. Whisk well to combined.
- Transfer the dressing in a glass container. Serve cold with your favorite salad.
Jill says
I’ll try this dressing the next time I make my air fryer falafel. Thanks for the recipe!
MacKenzie says
This dressing turned out perfect. I can’t wait to make again it is absolutely perfect on fresh greens.
Kris says
We used this as a dipping sauce for falafel and it was a real winner! Will make again!!
Gina Abernathy says
Nice dressing and healthy. I also enjoyed learning the history behind Tahini.
Mirlene says
Thank you, Gina!
Sharon says
The nutty flavor of the tahini and the zesty lemon come together to make a delicious dressing.
Mirlene says
Thank you, Sharon!