Emulsifier Free Creamy Tahini Lemon Dressing
Most store-bought dressings rely on emulsifiers like lecithin or polysorbate to hold oil and water together in a smooth, shelf-stable pour — which makes finding a clean, creamy option genuinely tricky. This dressing sidesteps all of that by using well-stirred tahini as its natural base, which binds beautifully with lemon juice and cold water through simple whisking alone. The result is a silky, tangy, deeply savory dressing that clings to salads, grain bowls, and roasted vegetables without a single additive in sight. Garlic-infused olive oil adds a mellow, aromatic richness, while a touch of maple syrup and ground cumin round out the flavor with warmth and just a hint of sweetness. Fresh lemon juice keeps everything bright and lively, and a handful of chopped parsley stirred in at the end adds a pop of color and freshness if you want it. The technique is straightforward — whisk, add water gradually, taste, adjust — and the payoff is a restaurant-quality drizzle you made entirely from scratch.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup tahini (well-stirred)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
- 3–4 tbsp cold water, plus more to thin
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp fine salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic-infused olive oil, maple syrup, cumin, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk together until the mixture is smooth and uniform — it will seize and look thick at first, which is expected.
- 2
Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until the dressing is pourable and coats the back of a spoon — about 3 to 4 tablespoons total. The dressing should flow off the whisk in a thin, steady ribbon.
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