This Tahini Dill Dressing is quick and easy to prepare, and makes for an addictive salad topping or dip. I could eat it straight off the spoon!
Why You Need to Try this Dressing
I can’t take credit for this brilliant flavor combination; it was inspired by a visit to Swingers diner back when I lived in Los Angeles. There, they serve an amazing Mediterranean platter, complete with falafel, hummus, and a Greek salad topped with a tahini-dill dressing.
I attempted to recreate this salad dressing several times at home with no luck, until I came across a similar recipe in one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, Veganomicon. The recipe you’ll find below is adapted from the one in this book, and I hope you’ll agree that it’s downright addictive.
What is Tahini Dressing Made Of?
Like my popular Lemon Tahini Dressing, the base of this dressing is simply tahini, lemon juice, and water. No oil is required!
Here’s what makes this dressing taste so good:
- Raw tahini
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Salt
- Fresh dill
I use raw tahini, or homemade tahini, in this recipe, because it has a mild flavor that isn’t as bitter as other roasted varieties. The key to making tahini taste less-bitter is by using hulled sesame seeds, so make sure you buy hulled ones if you plan on making your own at home. (It takes less than 10 minutes!)
I think using fresh dill is key in this recipe, but you can try using a teaspoon of dried dill if that’s what you have on hand.
You could also try using fresh parsley or cilantro, to change it up!
Creamy Tahini Dill Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw tahini
- 1/4 cup water , plus more as needed to thin
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1 large handful fresh dill , finely chopped (stems removed)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the tahini, water, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Use a small whisk to stir it all together until it is creamy. Taste and add another tablespoon of lemon juice if a more tart flavor is desired. (You can also add up to another 1/4 teaspoon of salt, to help make the flavor pop.)
- Stir in the fresh dill, and let the dressing rest for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up a week.
- The dressing will thicken quite a bit once it has been in the fridge, so you may want to thin it out with 1-2 tablespoons of water the next time you serve it.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info above is for roughly 2 tablespoons of dressing. All nutrition calculations are a general estimate; please check your own ingredients to get the most accurate results.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to use tahini? My other favorite tahini recipes include hummus, Broccoli Salad, and Creamy Cucumber Tahini Dressing.
Ohhh I’m so excited to try this, I love tahini AND dill!
VegaNOMicon indeed! I will be trying this ASAP!
I love tahini dressings, ill definitely have to test this one out. Do you like veganomicon I have been thinking about buying it.
i love veganomicon! i cant wait for fresh dill to come up in the garden to make this… im so over winter and the cold!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Dill is my favorite 🙂 And I too was a regular at Swingers! I used to live and work right down the street and probably visited more than I should, haha. Still love it though!
This is perfect! I bought a jar of Tahini and had NO idea what to do with it! Now I know what I am making 🙂
What school are you taking classes from? Are you enjoying it? I’m looking for a school to study holistic nutrition at and am just researching ideas!
I’m attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! I love it so far. 🙂
I came back to this dressing after not having it for a few months ( what was I thinking??)…After having it with my salad last night, i used it this morning to dip fresh baked kale chips in! OMG, it was SO DELICIOUS. Reminiscent of old school ruffles with ranch dip. But so much better. My 15 month old happily enjoyed them with me. She kept coming back saying, “MOE! MOE!”
I came across your website because I heard the Tahini was good for detoxifying and I was doing some research. I just happened to get Veganomicon for Christmas. After reading your post and the comments I just had to try it for myself. Wow!! It is amazing. It is a vegan’s crack (without drug side-effects). I will admit that I also added some cilantro and parsley to mine. But I cannot stop eating this stuff. It is finger & plate licking good!
For some reason, my dressing turned out really runny. Otherwise, it tastes great!
Yum! I made this last night with rave reviews from my husband, and my 2.5 year old literally drank it up! I encouraged her to eat it the right way and then she mixed it into her plain yogurt and ate it all with her spoon. Thanks!
I’ve made this before and it turned out great, but I made it today and I think I wasn’t selective enough w/ getting the dill fronds from the thicker stems before I blended it, because it’s really bitter. Sorta tastes like dirt. Bitter dirt. My friend made it once w/ dried dill, and that turned out great, too. Next time: no stems, just fronds. 🙁
Just started reading your blog and love it! Tahini is AMAZING in dressings.. it adds great creamy texture in a healthy way!
This dressing is phenomenal!! I had a little left over dill in the fridge and googled “tahini dill dressing” to find recipes to help me use the herb in my meal. I had 1/8 cup of fresh dill, so I adjusted the rest of the ingredients (1/8 cup tightly packed fresh dill, 1 Tbsp tahini, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, 1+ Tbsp water, no apple cider vinegar), and I pulsed as well as I could with a small immersion blender in a little glass custard cup. It was hard not to eat it all with a spoon 🙂 I put it on top of purple sweet potatoes, and it was a winning combo! So fresh! Thanks for letting us know how long the dressing can last in the fridge – that’s a detail other bloggers forget to mention, and it’s super helpful for those of us cooking just for 1 person. I’ll be making this again!
Hi Megan,
I have been making this recipe of yours for a long time now and until today I didn’t realize that I was suppose to mix and not blend it all together … still tastes amazing (grin)
Stay healthy and thanks for all that you do for us … Claire
I added all the other ingredients in the full amount before realizing I only had about half the amount of tahini needed, oops! Due to my error it was watery but still tasty. I served it over socca and roasted mushrooms and would recommend that combo!
Easy and freaking delicious
Delicious! I made it with cilantro that I had on hand.
love these recipes
This is my favorite salad dressing right now. I’ve made it at least 4 times. It makes my salads taste decadent! Like I am eating lunch at the Four Seasons.
It does thicken in the fridge, but that is great because it makes it last longer since I add about an ounce of water and shake it really well before using each time.
The fresh taste of this salad dressing is what I have been desperately searching for in a no oil salad dressing.
This is delicious! Very simple and dairy free. It’s great.
This was delicious!
I made this dip for the first time a month ago and just made it for the third time. It is SO GOOD!! I use it as a salad dressing, veggie dip, and it’s a great mayo substitute for sandwiches and burgers 👌
My new favorite!! Thanks Megan!!
I Loved this recipe so much!
This recipe required more water to thin it out and overall the tahini and dill did not mix well flavour wise in my opinion, almost made the dill taste off? Not sure why. I wouldn’t recommend this over a cashew or other more neutral base.