maple tahini dressing
by Katie Webster
May 3, 2017 (updated 6/12/20) Jump To Recipe
This Maple Tahini Dressing. Ohmygoshitissogood. You will die. Not literally. I promise! But you may actually believe you have died and gone to heaven when you try it. It is vegan, gluten-free and paleo.
I wasn’t even going to share this maple tahini dressing until Friday, but I couldn’t wait, because it is THAT good. I’m not exaggerating. (Who, me? I never do that.) Seriously, Salad month is throwing me into a bit of a tizzy, my friends. “What is Salad Month?” you say. If you’re new around these parts, first of all, welcome. Second, then you may not know that this is the fourth year that I am blogging all about salads for the entire month of May. Four Mays worth of salads—that’s a lot of salads!
But I’m telling you, I am just getting warmed up. When I was planning out my month, I kept wishing for more days. More time! More salad! You’d think all this salad excitement would be old hat for me by now. But nooooo. I am just as excited as ever, and I’ve added in a bunch of extra Wednesday posts so I can get to all the salad goodness that needs to happen in your kitchen, my kitchen, every kitchen. This vegan tahini dressing. It needs to be everywhere! Okay that may be a bit much.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is slowly becoming more and more popular in the US, so you may have heard about it even if you’ve never used it. Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds that’s extremely popular in Middle Eastern dishes. (Essentially, it’s peanut butter that’s been made with a different type of seed). If you’re from the US, you’ve likely tried one tahini-laden dish already without realizing it—hummus! Hummus is made with lots of tahini and chickpeas (the tahini is what gives hummus that special umami flavor).
With that said, tahini can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s great in desserts like halva and nougat, mixed into dressings like the one I’m sharing with you today, incorporated into stir-fries and marinades, or eaten on its own as a dip.
Ways to Serve This Maple Tahini Dressing
So now you may be thinking, okay, so this is salad dressing. Not an actual salad. So I have some serving ideas for you. And I will be back next week with an amazing Vegan Power Salad that it can be poured on!
Some ways you could enjoy this vegan salad dressing are to serve it with mizuna, cucumbers, napa, daikon and toasted sesame seeds. Or you could swap it in for the sesame dressing in this Shrimp and Edamame Power Salad in a jar. You can also toss it with quinoa and chopped sautéed veggies to keep things super simple.
How to Store Maple Tahini Dressing
This vegan tahini dressing keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly sealed container. Some separation may occur, but that’s totally normal! If your tahini dressing separates a bit, just give it a good shake before pouring it onto your salad. Also, this dressing will pour more easily if you let it rest on the counter for a few minutes before using it (the oil may seize up in the fridge and sometimes needs time to thaw so it’s easier to serve).
More Easy Salad Dressing Recipes:
If you love this salad dressing, you’ll definitely want to check out my salad dressing collection.
If you like this dressing then you must try my Maple Sherry Vinaigrette. It’s amazing too!
Egg-Free Caesar Salad Dressing
Greek Yogurt Horseradish Ranch Dressing
maple tahini dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon 1x
Description
This Maple Tahini Dressing is vegan, gluten-free and paleo. It’s ready in just 10 minutes and tastes wonderful atop salads or as a dip for veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and grated
- ½ cup avocado oil or organic canola oil
- ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, dark or amber
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or white pepper
Instructions
- Puree garlic, oil, tahini, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a mini prep or in a jar with an immersion blender or whisk together by hand in a medium bowl.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
- Calories: 74
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 58 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
Keywords: tahini dressing, vegan tahini dressing
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
I was wrong; I cannot rehabilitate this recipe. I think the maple syrup is a terminally wrong direction.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Vincent. Perhaps you would prefer my Lemon Tahini Dressing which is not sweet at all. https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/tahini-dressing/
Best maple tahini dressing I’ve ever had, and sooooo fast!
★★★★★
What a wonderful compliment, Bonnie! Thank you.
Absolutely love this dressing! I bought freshly ground Sesame seeds/Tahini so it came out just a tad thicker that I wanted. I just added a little water it was perfect! I used this dressing over a finely chopped bunch of kale, and added bacon, slivered almonds, dried cranberries and shredded parmesan cheese. AMAZING!!!!
★★★★★
I am so glad you found this recipe. Isn’t it the best?!!! It is hands down one of my favorite ever! That salad sounds so good. I will have to try it! Yum!!
Amazing! Finger licking good!
★★★★★
I am so glad you discovered this recipe Marian. It’s one of my favorite recipes ever. I appreciate that you came back to review and rate. Have a great week.
Love these simple dressings that have sooooo much flavor! Perfect addition to an amazing salad.
★★★★★
So glad you love this one too Jennifer. This recipe is one of my all time favorites. I make it regularly. Glad you’ve discovered it.
This dressing is seriously delicious. I was too lazy to whip out an immersion blender of whisk, so I lightly shook the ingredients together in a jar and was happy with the consistency. I especially enjoyed it over a simple salad of romaine, tomato, onion, carrot and avocado. The creaminess really accentuated the crispy romaine.
★★★★★
This looks insanely delicious!!! I hope to try this very soon!! Thanks for sharing!!
I often go to the internet for healthy food ideas, but until just now have never left a comment. I made a no oil maple-tahini dressing for my quinoa bowl and it was so sweet and unappetizing that it was about to be tossed down the drain. Then I came accross your recipe.Although I did not use oil I added the vinegar and the pepper…it made a huge difference. I will certainly make this again and look forward to your other receipes.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Penny. I really appreciate it that you did. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe.