I use this homemade tahini sauce recipe for everything! Once you taste this creamy lemon garlic sauce, you’ll find yourself making it on repeat.

Since sharing our easy tahini recipe, we’ve been experimenting with more ways to it. I’ve used it to make homemade hummus and am now obsessed with this easy lemon garlic tahini sauce. I keep a jar in my fridge at all times! For more of a salad dressing, see our easy tahini dressing!

I love serving this creamy sauce over salad, grain bowls, grilled meats, and roasted veggies. And always serve it next to our homemade falafel and pita bread. I can’t wait for you to make it!

Key Ingredients

• Tahini: This sesame seed paste is the base of our sauce. Before measuring it, give it a good stir to make it runny and smooth. You can buy tahini or make your own. Here’s how to make tahini (it’s super simple, I promise).
• Fresh garlic: For the garlic to melt into the sauce, grate it with a microplane or mince it into a paste. I’ve shared some tips in the recipe below.
• Fresh lemon juice: This thins the sauce and keeps it fresh and bright.
• Olive oil: This makes the sauce smooth and luxurious.
• Cumin, cayenne, fresh parsley, and salt: These are optional, but I love them in this recipe.
• Warm water: This is the secret ingredient for making the smoothest, creamiest homemade tahini sauce. Watch our video to see how water quickly transforms the tahini into an unbelievably creamy sauce.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Tahini Sauce

Tip 1: Whisk the ingredients. We’ll start by stirring tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. It starts creamy and then might seize up on you (see the photo below). Don’t worry if it looks lumpy. We will fix that when we add the water.

Tip 2: Make creamy with water. The tahini sauce becomes super creamy as you whisk in warm water. You can add as much or as little water as you like. It all depends on what you plan to use it for.

For spreads, add less water. Add more if you want to use the sauce as a dressing or for drizzling.

Tip 3: Finish with extra flavor. Add more flavor with spices and fresh parsley. I love a slight smokiness from ground cumin, some spice from cayenne, and a fresh pop of color and flavor from fresh parsley.

Ways to Use This Sauce

Once you make this creamy lemon garlic tahini sauce, you’ll always want a batch in your fridge. Use this sauce whenever you want to add a creamy (non-dairy) drizzle to your dishes. It works for salads, grain bowls, rice bowls, and wraps.

I love it in this tahini kale bean salad and use it to drizzle over roasted veggies. Examples are my honey roasted carrots with tahini sauce and this garlic asparagus, which I love to dip into tahini sauce. I also love this tahini sauce for homemade falafel, grilled chicken, and seafood, like baked salmon or garlic herb shrimp.

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This lemon garlic tahini dressing recipe is ready in minutes! It’s creamy, flavorful, and truly one of the best salad dressing recipes we’ve ever shared.

Of all the salad dressings we have shared, this dressing is the one you will most likely find in our fridge. (We that and this lemon vinaigrette.) This dressing is similar to our creamy tahini sauce but with more lemon juice, maple syrup, and toasted sesame oil to make it extra delicious.

It is perfectly creamy and made without dairy or mayo! I love it with a fresh green salad and drizzled over cooked grains like quinoa. It’s a total keeper! I especially love it for our tahini lemon quinoa bowls.

Key Ingredients

• Tahini: The dairy-free creamy base of our dressing. I love using my tahini recipe to make homemade tahini, but you can easily substitute store-bought tahini in the recipe below.
• Fresh garlic and lemon juice: Lemon + garlic + tahini is a classic combination. I love it!
• Olive oil: Thins out the tahini and adds richness.
• Maple syrup: I add some maple syrup to sweeten the dressing. If you are not vegan, you can substitute it with honey or use agave nectar.
• Toasted sesame oil: This is my secret ingredient for the best dressings and sauces! It adds a nutty flavor that complements the tahini so well.
• Smoked paprika: I love a little smoked paprika. It really makes this dressing pop and adds a hint of smokiness.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Our Favorite Tahini Dressing

Tip 1: Whisk until creamy. Whisk everything together first. The tahini may thicken at first, but don’t worry, that’s normal! As you gradually whisk in the water and other ingredients, it will loosen up and transform into a smooth, creamy dressing.

Tip 2: Use homemade tahini. To make this dressing extra special, start with homemade tahini. We first started making our tahini when we shared this hummus recipe. Since then, we’ve always preferred homemade tahini over store-bought.

Tip 3: Storing it. This dressing keeps well for up to a week in the fridge. As it sits, it may thicken slightly or separate (both are totally normal). Before using, give it a good stir or whisk in a splash of water to loosen it back up until it’s smooth and pourable again.

My Favorite Ways to Use It

Use this simple dressing on just about anything. It’s my go-to salad dressing and works well with fresh greens like kale, romaine, and baby lettuce. It’s perfect for crunchier salads with bell peppers, carrots, and cucumber.

Make this simple bean salad, but use this dressing instead. You can toss it with cooked or canned beans (here’s how to cook chickpeas). Or drizzle over cooked grains like our fluffy quinoa. I also love spooning it over warm roasted veggies or over a salad topped with homemade falafel.

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