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    Home » dip•dressing•sauce•spread recipes

    5-Minute Tahini Balsamic Salad Dressing

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    tahini-balsamic dressing pouring onto a colorful salad

    A quick and easy tahini balsamic dressing that's ready within 5 minutes and requires no oil. So great for dressing salads, sandwich greens, beans, grains - try dipping or marinating veggies, too! It's vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, can be made with just two ingredients in less than 5 minutes, and is whole food plant-based.

    tahini-balsamic dressing pouring onto a colorful salad

    When I have a really great salad dressing on-hand, it's amazing how many vegetables I end up eating in a day.  Besides having the dressing on salad, I like to dip crudités in it, stir it into a combination of grains and veggies, and top cooked vegetables.

    This recipe is:

    • vegan
    • easy
    • oil-free
    • gluten-free
    • refined sugar-free
    • made with 10 ingredients or less
    • ready in just 5 minutes!

    Elements of a great salad dressing:

    • full of flavor that compliments the vegetables and makes you want to eat more of them
    • a pleasant texture
    • nutritious in its own right, adding more value to the salad

    And when it's a dressing that requires no machinery to make and is ready in 5 minutes, I am so much more likely to actually make it.  That's what I love about this recipe.

    So good on the Easy Vegan Buddha Bowl!

    colorful salad with tahini-balsamic dressing on the side

    The beauty of this salad dressing recipe is that it requires only three ingredients (plus water and, if desired, salt/pepper):  tahini, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.  That's it.  These are ingredients that can simply be stirred in a bowl or jar and you're done.  It has enough flavor so that if you prefer a thin dressing, you can simply just add more water to thin it out.  In fact, it tends to thicken in the fridge, so each time I take it out I add more water - which stretches the dressing to last an extra serving!

    The flavor has a pleasant burnt-sugar smokiness to it, thanks to the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.  Only a little maple syrup is required, since the balsamic has a sweetness, too - depending on your balsamic, you may not need it.  It would really work any time of year, since the ingredients can be found year round and the complex flavors go well with fall/winter veggies as well as spring/summer.  It's rich, it's flavorful, and I hope you try it on your next salad!

    Use more water for a lighter version (see recipe below).

    tahini balsamic salad dressing in a small pitcher surrounded by its ingredients
    a colorful salad with tahini balsamic dressing on it

    Delicious condiments to try

    • Vegan Lemon Garlic Aioli (oil-free)
    • Favorite Guacamole
    • Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce
    tahini-balsamic dressing poured onto a colorful salad

    Tahini Balsamic Salad Dressing Recipe

    A quick and easy salad dressing that's ready within 5 minutes and requires no oil. So great for dressing salads, sandwich greens, beans, grains - try dipping or marinating veggies, too! It's vegan, quick and easy, oil-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, requires less than 10 ingredients, and is whole food plant-based.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Key Attributes: balsamic, dressing, salad, tahini
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 2 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Fiber: 0.35g
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    Equipment

    • blender or medium bowl
    • whisk or fork

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon tahini
    • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar aged
    • 1 tablespoon filtered water or up to 5 tablespoons for a lighter dressing
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup optional, depending on the tartness of your balsamic
    • pepper to taste optional

    Instructions

    • Blend the ingredients in a blender for a few seconds, until well combined. Alternatively, stir together the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Tip: Warming the water can help smooth the tahini if stirring by hand.
    • Serve over a salad, buddha/rain-bowl, or any vegetables.

    Notes

    Kitchen times are approximate and will depend on various factors, like your personal kitchen speed and how many hands you have working with you. Cooking can become a centering experience that brings family together. I hope you enjoy the ride!
    This dressing can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for several days. The dressing tends to thicken in the fridge, so add more water to achieve desired consistency if needed. 
    The conversions and nutrition information are calculated automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. I encourage you to confirm this information with your favorite unit conversion/nutrition calculator if you would like to be more certain. 
    Recipe updated February, 2021
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

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    Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

    I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and mostly gluten-free. And so delicious!



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