Easy tahini lime dressing has just 6 ingredients, including a splash of hot sauce, and takes minutes to make.
The lime and spice flavors add a quick, finishing touch to Mexican-inspired dishes like vegan tempeh tacos, quinoa black bean zucchini boats, or lentil walnut plant-based taco filling.
Table of Contents
📋 Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Tahini – Sesame seed paste is available at many grocery stores. It's also easy to make tahini at home. Look for tahini with no added oil (sometimes used during processing). If your tahini is salted, start with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and adjust after tasting.
Soy sauce - Use tamari or amino acids for gluten-free substitutes.
Date paste – You can also use maple syrup. Date paste is slightly sweeter. Sometimes, you'll find it as date syrup. Check that it doesn't have added sugar, or make date paste with just 2 ingredients.
Hot sauce - I added a dash of Tabasco sauce, but any hot or chili sauce, like Sriracha, works. In a pinch, ¼ - ½ teaspoons of chili flakes or cayenne pepper can be used.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
📖 Recipe Variations
For cilantro lime tahini dressing, blend ½ a cup of cilantro with the rest of the ingredients. This variation of my pepita and cilantro dressing is equally as delicious.
🥣 How to Make Tahini Lime Dressing
- Mix the tahini and lime juice in a small dish. You'll notice that the tahini gets lighter.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Taste and thin it out with additional lime juice or add water, a tablespoon at a time.
🥄 Pro Tips
- Tahini is easier to measure and mix if it's warm. If you store it in the refrigerator, let it warm to room temperature if you have time.
- When you open a fresh jar of tahini, it may have a layer of oil on the top. This is a natural occurrence as the solids from the sesame seeds separate from their natural oils. The tahini is perfectly fine to eat. You can skim off the excess, which results in fewer calories, or mix it in.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
This is a great all-around dressing. Making it in 10 minutes makes it even better! If you're looking for inspiration, consider serving it with tofu bowls with corn relish, quinoa black bean bowls, or Mexican-inspired bulgur bowls.
🌡️ Storage
Store lime and tahini dressing for a week in the refrigerator. It will thicken over time. Warm to room temperature and add a little lime juice or water to thin it. Stir before reserving.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Tabasco is a specific brand of sauce made from ground chilies. Definitely use your favorite hot sauce, but be sure to read the label that it is vegan if this is important to you. Also, check the 'heat meter' if it is provided.
The flavor of tahini brands can vary widely. This is due to the quality of the sesame seeds used or processing methods. As a result, some tahini will have a bitter flavor. Adding an acid such as citrus juice or vinegar is the best way to reduce bitterness. You can also add a sweetener to help balance the flavor.
Once opened and stored in the refrigerator, tahini can last up to a year. The natural oils act as a preservative, so as long as you don't contaminate it with other ingredients or let moisture get into the jar, it will last a long time.
🥗 More Vegan Dressing Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Tahini Lime Dressing (6 Ingredients)
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Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ⅓ cup lime juice - 1 -2 limes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce - or tamari
- 1 clove garlic - minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons date paste - or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar, combine the tahini and lime juice until the dressing starts to smooth out.
- Add the soy sauce, garlic, date paste, and a few drops of hot sauce.
- Mix everything until smooth, adding cold water or more lime juice until you reach the desired consistency.
Notes
- Nutritional information is based on 1 tablespoon per serving.
- Be sure to look for tahini that does not contain added oil. If you use tahini with added salt, add just 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Add more if desired.
- I used Tabasco for the hot sauce, but you can use your favorites, such as Sambal Oelek, or brands that conform to your dietary preferences. Pay attention to added ingredients such as garlic and sweetener, as this will impact the overall flavor of the dressing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Moshe
Tahini is about 50% oil as it is, so specifying that this recipe is oil free is a bit of a misleading claim. Maybe say "no oil added" to make it more accurate. Tahini is not a low calorie /low fat food.