By Team Dirty
Aug 7, 2024,
When you’ve been creating delicious plant-based recipes as long as we have (since 2014), there are bound to be a few stand-out favorites over the years. One of the first darlings of our community was our Oil-Free Lemon Tahini Dressing, first published on our blog in 2015. This incredible dressing is made with bright lemon juice, punchy garlic, sweet dates, and nutty tahini. But it’s more than the sum of its parts, and it’s good on way more than just salads. Whip up a batch in just five minutes and see why our community raves over this simple sensation.
So good! Quick to make—I always have some in a jar in the fridge. Great on salads and drizzled over just about anything you can think of!
Member
What’s inside
If you eat plant based regularly, there’s a good chance you’ll already have all the ingredients.
Dried dates: For sweetness with the added bonus of a little fiber, we like to use dates. Varieties like Medjool are usually pretty easy to find, but you can use any variety.
Tahini: This paste is made from ground sesame seeds. If you find tahini tastes bitter to you, look for a brand made from roasted seeds. The thickness of tahini can vary. If yours is very thick, you may have to add a couple extra splashes of water.
Lemon juice: There’s nothing like lemon juice squeezed fresh, and it’s a big part of the complex flavor in the dressing. We typically steer clear of bottled lemon juice as it often contains preservatives and artificial flavors.
Very tasty! Could be used on just about anything – salads, wraps, tacos, roasted veggies, falafel, etc. Lemony deliciousness!
Member
Let’s make Lemon Tahini Dressing
This couldn’t be simpler.
Pit and soak your dates in hot water for about 10 minutes. If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix* or Blendtec*, you can skip this step and move right along.
Once soaked, drain your dates and discard the soaking water. Pop them into your blender along with all the other ingredients.
Blend until everything is smooth and the dates are completely incorporated. This may take a few minutes if your blender is a low-speed model, but don’t fret, it’ll come together with a little patience.
Turn the blender off, give your dressing a little taste and adjust if needed. Then carefully scrape every valuable drop into a container. We love this jar spatula* for this job. Go ahead and lick the spatula clean, we won’t judge.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried dates, pitted, chopped, and simmerd in water for 10 minutes (20 g)
- ¾ cup water (175 ml)
- ⅓ cup tahini (90 g)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1½ teaspoons garlic, cloves peeled and left whole (4 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Drain and discard the date simmering water and add the dates to your blender, along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until super creamy and smooth.
- Serve with your favorite salad or practically anything else.
Open this recipe in Clean Food Dirty Girl.
Soo good and easy to make!! And versatile!! I plan i making this often and using as a topping on many dishes.
Member
Serving ideas
This recipe makes 1½ cups and will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Like we said, it’s good on just about everything.
We especially love it drizzled on our Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos. An excellent way to take advantage of the early fall squash bounty of the garden.
Here are a few more ways to enjoy:
- Definitely try it on a salad. But not just any salad. Try it on one of our signature Big Ass Salads.
- Grab some veggies, make a wrap, and spoon the dressing inside. Be extra adventerous and make your own collard wraps instead of using tortillas.
- Satisfy any appetite with our Curry Roasted Brussels & Quinoa Salad Bowl.
- Use it as a dip for apples or celery.
Have you been a fan of our Lemon Tahini Dressing for years? Or is this your first taste? Let us know in the comments below.
Here’s to tried and true faves.
Xo
Team Dirty
Note: This dressing was sometimes called “Tahini Crack” or “T Crack” in our private Facebook group because it’s so good that it could be considered addictive. A normal experience of being human is that we grow and evolve, and we now recognize that references like this can be triggering or harmful, so we took the name down a notch.
*If you purchase from links with an asterisk, we make a drop of commission but rest assured, we only recommend products we use and love.
44 Comments
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Wonderful post Molly. You just can’t go wrong with tahini and lemon, GORGEOUS! 🙂
Thank you Susannah!
You’re right – the two go hand in hand.
xo
Molly
Hi! Great recipe! Does this keep well in the refrigerator? How long do you think it would last? Thanks 🙂
Hi there! This keeps brilliantly in the refrigerator for up to a week – maybe longer, but I always eat the whole batch before a week is up.
xo
Molly
What is the least amount of dates that could be used? Diabetic here and would like to use a bit less if possible. If not dates could a little stevia be used or coconut sugar?
Hey Kandy – you could leave them out altogether if you want 🙂 Or you could add one or two. Or you could use a bit of stevia. It’s really versatile, so play around with it and come up with something that works for you. Keep me posted! Have you read my blog post on diabetes? It’s worth a read!
xo
Molly
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/how-to-prevent-diabetes-and-get-off-diabetes-meds-healthy-vegan-cupcake-recipe/
Thank you Molly and I am headed now to read your article. Happy New Year!
I just tried to make Lemon Tahini dressing for a salad. I wasn’t thinking and left it on high in my VitaMix. In just a minute or so, smooth and creamy was left far behind and it became quite stiff and airy. It was more like tahini mousse. It was quite odd, but still delicious. I was able to thin some down to make a salad dressing again, but I am thinking about ways to use this stiffer concoction as It is most interesting. Perhaps as an appetizer with/on sliced or veggies like roasted red pepper chunks or cucumber slices. What do you think?
Hi Gary –
I think all of those ideas are awesome!
Keep me posted 😉
xo
Molly
Hi!! Thanks to a friend of mine and yours I have found this recipe and your site…..I have always wondered about tahini this will give me a reason to try.
I love fresh foods, clean eating I will see if you have a Facebook page, I have given my email hoping to find in it some exciting healthy ideas.
Thank You and my friend Denise Stroh.
Lisa Rose Faga
Hey Lisa – that’s so awesome! Welcome aboard 🙂
xo
Molly
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Can you use Almond Butter in place of Tahini? Just wondering.
Sunflower butter and pumpkin seed butter work well. I’ve never tried almond butter 😉
Thank you for these substitution ideas! I need to avoid sesame & cashews in our cooking because of a family member’s allergies. Your yummy recipes & the incredible Facebook group’s community are giving us so much hope & life. Keep on keepin’ on. xoxo
I’ve been making all my life as I am Lebanese and still love my grandmothers recipe. But this stuff is AWESOME!!! I can’t stop eating it. Great recipe!
So glad you like it, Holly!
xo
Molly
I left out the word tahini ^^^ above…I NEED TO MAKE MORE OF THIS ASAP!! Mmmmm ?
Hi Molly my dates are quite moist similar to semi dried…should I still soak them? X
Hey Michelle –
Nope – you shouldn’t have to. Just blend it for an extra long time 🙂
Thank you…going to make this in the morning ?
Yum! Let me know what you think over in our private FB group or IG!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cleanfooddirtygirl
https://www.instagram.com/cleanfooddirtygirl/
Have fun with this recipe!
xo
Molly
Hi Molly,
Is there a certain tahini brand you recommend? I’ve bought some in the past that have been unbearably bitter.
Thanks!
Hi Amalya –
All tahini has a slightly bitter taste. Roasted tahini is less bitter.
Joya brand is good as is the 365 brand from Whole Foods.
Happy Cracking!
xo
Molly
One of the best dressings I have ever tasted. So yummy. Thanks!
So glad you love it!
xo
Molly
Making for the first time and I’m wondering in you use the water that the dates simmered in or fresh water. Thank you!
Hi Laura. Go ahead and use fresh water so that the water measurement is accurate.
Thank you…..I was a bit confused on the same question…wondered if the 3/4 cup water was used to simmer dates in or not. Can’t wait to try the recipe. I have it in the download recipes you sent, but was not sure of whether water amount was used to just simmer…and none added. Thank you again.
I just made this and it’s quite tasty. Mine didn’t turn out lemony at all. My lemon was a couple of weeks old. I think I’ll add more when I use it tomorrow. Is it meant to be lemony?
Sandra, you should be able to taste the lemon in it, but not overpowering. It’s probably just because your lemon wasn’t as fresh as it could’ve been. 😉
xo
Meghann
Team Dirty Girl
Thanks, I added about 1/4 of a fresh lemon today and I think it’s perfect. I’ve been dipping romaine leaves in is as a snack. It hit’s the spot. Thanks for posting!
I love this recipe! Two quick questions
1)When I make it it doesn’t look as white as yours in the pic (it’s more the color of Tahini)
2)I’m doing a WFPB protocol to help with SLE/RA/FIBRO… we aren’t allowed to have any oil, processed and NO omega 6 or 9s. I posted this recipe on our fb page (with your link, info)and I got SLAMMED for using tahini (high in omega 6 which cause inflammation-which I have TONS of). Do you have any suggestions for a substitute? Some ppl had suggested Braggs Liquid Aminos but everything I read says it is a substitute for soy sauce so I’m assuming that’s what it tastes like. Not sure I’d like it in this…any thoughts? I use organic tahini from sprouts. Nothing in it but the seeds…confused!
Hi DrKaren,
Glad that you love the recipe, it’s a Dirty Girl fav. As far as color, this could be affected by the brand of tahini and color & number of dates used. The taste would be more important than the color here.
As far as your question on a substitute, I’m sorry you were made to feel bad for making a suggestion and hopefully I can help with some information. Bragg’s would not be a good sub here because it’s a liquid. It is most definitely akin to soy sauce, with probably less salt but still pretty salty. With the water, you’d end up with something like a marinade. Looking for another nut/seed butter might be an option; it seems that cashew butter has a closer ratio of 3:6 omegas but still has more omega 6s than 3s. You might try hulled hemp seeds (they are pricey, though) to replace the tahini as they’ll have a higher ratio of 3s to 6s. The other option would be subbing with white beans. A number of people in our community sub white beans for nut/seed based options due to allergies and other reasons with success so that might be worth trying. If you’re not already a member of our private FB community (it’s super supportive, I promise you won’t get slammed for anything – we are vigilant about moderating the group to foster kindness), please join us!
Hope this helps.
Karen
Team Dirty Girl
[…] If you have extra time in the morning before work, I like to add to my work lunch with a side of salad (usually whatever’s left of my leafy greens), topped with nuts, raisins and a drizzle of Clean Food Dirty Girl’s Tahini Crack. […]
I would have never added dates if it wasn’t for your idea!! This is absolutely delicious!! I used 4 as suggested but that was still sweet for my taste. This is my go to!!!!!! Thank you!!
Fresh dates or dried?
Wasn’t sure from the picture?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Generally what’s available in U.S. supermarkets or big box stores are dates that are packaged. I’ve noticed that, for the brand I buy: Made in Nature, when I first open the bag the dates are soft. Once opened, I store them in my refrigerator and they tend to harden over time but they are still usable, especially when soaked. Soaking makes it much easier for your blender to puree the dates. If you have access to super fresh dates right off the vine, they will work too but you may not need to soak them as long if they are already super soft. ~Karen
Hi! I was just wondering if Medjool dates would work? Maybe use less because they are sweeter? Also, i don’t own a Vitamix yet (just a cheap $25 blender) would this recipe still work or come out more chunky? Sorry if these are silly questions I’m new to this way of eating…
Hi JC! These are great questions and we are glad to help! Medjool dates will work excellent in this recipe. Medjool dates are larger than say, deglet dates, so you might use less medjools – maybe the 4 called for or even less if you prefer less sweet. As far as the smoothness / blender consideration – make sure your dates are really soft (fresh) and that they are soaked in the hot water as called for to soften them as much as possible for blending. A standard blender won’t give the super smooth puree that a high powered blender will give, but it will certainly work well enough – just make sure to give a good blend time. When Molly first transitioned to WFPB, she used a regular old blender for a long time before making the switch. An alternative if you make the recipe and it’s not smooth enough for you is to see if you can find date paste, that is whole dates in a syrup form (no added sugar) and that might work better from a smoothness perspective if you are working with a standard blender. ~Karen
Thank you so much for the reply! That made me feel so much better about trying to make this recipe. I’ve been dying for a wfpb dressing that i will love and this recipe seems to be a huge hit. Plus, i already have the ingredients so i might as well try! Thanks again for the feed back! 🙂
I just used my immersion blender for this and it works perfectly. Looking forward to trying it with dinner this evening. The taste test was magnificent!
This recipe is fantastic! I love using it in everything and it is perfect for roasting veggies without oil!
Could I use date sugar instead of dates? If so what ratio?
Hi Anna,
We haven’t tested the recipe using date sugar, but it should work. We’d start with about a teaspoon of date sugar per date called for in the recipe. Give it a taste and adjust if needed.
Cheers,
Stephanie!