This lemon herb tahini recipe needs only 9 fresh, raw ingredients, and no cooking is involved. Just take your blender, add all ingredients and make this refreshing and earthy sauce in 5 minutes! You will have a nutty, tangy, and green tahini dressing in no time which pairs well with many dishes.
If you are interested in more recipes with tahini, check out our maple dijon tahini dressing recipe which we served with these falafel sandwiches, our miso tahini dressing which we already paired with soba noodles, or this harissa tahini pasta sauce.
What to expect from this recipe?
A tahini-based sauce doesn’t mean that the sesame seed taste will overpower the main ingredient. On the contrary, it will be like a rich dip with a lemony, herby, slightly nutty flavor. If you have something spicy, it is always nice to balance it with something mild and creamy. It pairs well with many vegetables like these spicy roasted cauliflower florets (see below picture). and can also be used as a salad dressing.
If we want to be 100% precise, it should be called dressing altogether since sauces are usually cooked, while dressing is raw, uncooked, and made of fresh ingredients, just like this recipe.
Ingredients
If you are making our lemon herb tahini dressing, here are the ingredients below.
- Tahini paste (ground sesame seeds turned into a paste) – This sauce was specifically developed with tahini. However, if you want to look for a substitute for any reason, check out our complete list of tahini substitutes.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice – Alternatively you can use lime as well.
- Fresh dill – We recommend using fresh herbs instead of dried ground ones as the flavor is much more intense.
- Fresh parsley – The same for these. The flavor is better with fresh herbs.
- Capers – Since they are actually rosebuds, they have a lemony, slightly floral aroma that goes perfectly with the other fresh herbs. They are close to olives because they are also in a salty brine.
- Garlic – Fresh, raw cloves of course.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin if possible.
- Black pepper
- Salt
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
How to make a lemon herb tahini sauce? Well, it is pretty easy and you can be done with it in like 5-10 minutes! Here is what you need to do:
- Wash the fresh dill and parsley.
- Squeeze one lemon to capture the juice.
- Peel garlic clove.
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, lemon juice, garlic clove, olive oil, black pepper, salt, water, dill, parsley, and capers).
- Blend it until you get a smooth sauce. The desired consistency is like a thick paste. Add a tablespoon of water to adjust it if needed.
Serving suggestions
Tahini is a pantry staple in the Middle East. It is also one of the main ingredients of one of the most popular Middle Eastern spreads. Can you guess which one? Yes, you are correct. The answer is hummus. It is also the most popular dish you need tahini for. Well, not always, you can make hummus without tahini if you really want to. So what dishes pair well with any tahini dressing?
- You can add this lemon herb tahini dressing to this falafel platter, or this falafel sandwich instead of the maple dijon tahini dressing.
- Skip vegan tzatziki sauce and try it with our oyster mushroom gyros or falafel gyros in pita bread.
- We already served these roasted cauliflower florets. (See photo below).
- You can add it to our Mediterranean grazing board.
- Use it as a dressing for your favorite grain bowl. We do have a delicious recipe in our Express Vegan Cookbook.
- Drizzle on top of baked or roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- It actually pairs well with many different roasted vegetables like eggplant, broccoli, green beans, or zucchini.
Top tips to make it perfectly
- Which blender to use for the sauce? – The amount of the ingredients may be too small for your blender. In that case, take a thin long container and use a hand blender aka immersion blender. Since there are no hard ingredients, your lemon herb tahini sauce will still be creamy and smooth.
Variations
Can I use other herbs in the sauce?
You can find many green herb combinations that pair well with tahini like cilantro, thyme, basil, oregano, mint, or chives. However, this sauce was tested with dill and parsley. If you use other herbs, the spices may not match them.
FAQs
How to store it?
You can store this dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. We never tried freezing it, so let us know if you do.
Allergen info
This Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing/Sauce recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
- Vegan – All ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
- Nut-free – Tahini is made of sesame seeds, which means it is nut-free. In any event, check for cross-contamination issues in any products you buy.
- WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – We use 1 Tablespoon of oil for the tahini sauce. You can skip that and add a bit of water to make it into the same consistency.
- Gluten-free – All other ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free, but always check the packaging for cross-contamination info.
- Soy-free – All other ingredients are supposed to be soy-free.
More sauces with tahini
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Fresh Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing/Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash the fresh dill and parsley.
- Squeeze one lemon to capture the juice.
- Peel garlic clove.
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, lemon juice, garlic clove, olive oil, black pepper, salt, water, dill, parsley, and capers).
- Blend it until you get a smooth sauce.
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