This dairy-free and vegan Tahini Caesar Dressing is ultra creamy, tangy and completely plant-based. Made with fresh lemon and garlic, it uses rich tahini instead of traditional mayo, eggs or dairy. You only need 6 simple ingredients, a spoon and a bowl to whip it up in minutes. We normally pair it with my vegan kale caesar salad and air fryer chickpeas for a delicious twist on a classic caesar salad!
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Quick Look: Tahini Caesar Dressing
- ⏱ Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 30 minutes chill time)
- 🍽 Servings: 4 (3 tablespoons per serving)
- ⚡ Calories: 133 per serving
- 🌱 Diet: dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free.
- 🔥 Flavor/texture: thick and creamy; tangy and garlicky; slightly nutty from the tahini.
- 👌 Difficulty: easy; just 6 ingredients (plus water); no blender required.
- ❤️ Why you'll love: you get the same creamy texture and punchy caesar flavor without mayo, eggs, dairy or nuts.
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Reasons to love this recipe
Caesar dressing with a rich, nutty twist! Here's why it works so well:
- Creamy texture: Tahini emulsifies into a velvety smooth base without using mayo, oil or raw eggs. (I also use tahini as the creamy component in my cranberry salad dressing and it works so well).
- Complex flavor: The deep, toasted sesame flavor from the tahini pairs perfectly with garlic and lemon.
- Naturally dairy-free: This dressing has a rich flavor profile without parmesan and, thanks to the tahini, you don't need any other creamy dairy product. (If you want parmesan and other dairy in your dressing, I highly recommend my egg-free caesar dressing)!
- Nut-free: Some vegan caesar dressings use cashews as the creamy base. (I often do this with dips and sauces like my dairy-free chipotle sauce). But, sometimes, you need your dressing to be free of nuts. By using tahini as the base, we're keeping this one nut-free.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Tahini - Make sure your tahini is runny and drippy so it mixes easily with the other ingredients. Some brands of tahini firm up in the fridge, so you may need to let it sit at room temperature to soften or pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Water - Just 4-5 tablespoons is needed to thin out the dressing and create a creamy texture.
- Whole grain dijon mustard - Adds a slight pungent flavor to the dressing. Since it's thick and grainy with visible seeds, it adds texture to the dressing. I always have grainy dijon on hand to make my no mayo tuna salad, but if you only have regular dijon, feel free to use that instead.
- Lemon juice - I use the juice from one large lemon, which yields about 4-5 tablespoons.
- Garlic - Minced or finely chopped fresh garlic works best for flavor and texture. You can substitute with garlic powder in a pinch. For every clove of garlic, use ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Salt and pepper - I used ½ teaspoon each of freshly cracked black pepper and fine sea salt. Feel free to use more or less to suit your taste.
How to make tahini caesar salad dressing
Step 1: Add all of the dressing ingredients, except the water, to a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Add the water and stir until the dressing is a pourable consistency. Cover and store in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Expert tips
- Dressing texture. Before you add the water, you're going to think something is wrong with the dressing! The texture will be a very thick paste. Once you add the water, it's going to loosen up and mix together into a creamy consistency. Adjust the amount of water depending on whether you prefer a thicker or thinner dressing.
- Chill dressing. Once you stir in the water, the dressing might look a little runny. That's okay. It will thicken in the fridge. And, you want it to sit in the fridge for a bit so the flavors can meld.
- Taste and adjust. What I love about homemade dressings is that it's so easy to customize the flavor. After you stir this one together, taste it and feel free to add more garlic, lemon juice, salt or pepper to suit your taste.
Tahini caesar dressing FAQs
You can taste the earthy, nutty flavor from the tahini, but the lemon juice, garlic and dijon mustard mask any bitter flavor.
It depends on how fresh your lemon is, but normally this dressing lasts about 5 days stored in a sealed jar in the fridge.
This dressing is the perfect topper for any kind of caesar salad, like my air fryer chicken caesar salad or my broccoli caesar pasta salad! It also works as a dip for raw vegetables, chips (like my air fryer pita chips) or chicken wings (like my air fryer boneless chicken wings). And, you can also use it as a sandwich or burger spread. It's delicious slathered on my air fryer breaded chicken burgers.
More salad dressing recipes
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📖 Recipe
Tahini Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (85 g) tahini, (runny and drippy) *see note
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon whole grain dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4-5 tablespoons water, to thin out
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the water, to a medium-sized bowl.
- Stir together until a thick paste forms.
- Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Store in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the dressing to thicken.
Notes
- Runny tahini. Some brands of tahini firm up in the fridge, so you may need to let it sit at room temperature to soften or pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Dressing texture. Before you add the water, the texture will be a very thick paste. Once you add the water, it's going to loosen up and mix together into a creamy consistency. Adjust the amount of water depending on whether you prefer a thicker or thinner dressing.
- Chill dressing. Refrigerating the dressing for 30-60 minutes will give the flavors a chance to blend. The dressing will also thicken up a little during this time.
- Taste and adjust. What I love about homemade dressings is that it's so easy to customize the flavor. After you whisk this one together, taste it and feel free to add more garlic, lemon juice, salt or pepper to suit your taste.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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