This cilantro-lime tahini dressing recipe could not be easier to make – just combine the ingredients in a blender and puree!
The one thing I never, ever buy at the supermarket is bottled dressing. Most dressings on store shelves are made with poor quality oils, tons of unnecessary sweeteners, emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. Not to mention, most store-bought dressings taste… well, not very good.
If you’re housing any store-bought dressing in your fridge now, walk on over there, pick up the bottle, and read the ingredients. If you don’t recognize the words, take the bottle and throw it in the trash – you do not need that kind of negativity in your life. (#selfcare)
Mixing up a batch of homemade dressing has been an easy and essential part of my meal prep routine for years. Whether I’m making salads, or grain or soba noodle bowls throughout the week, having a dressing prepped in advance really streamlines the dinner-making process.
This cilantro-lime tahini dressing recipe is one of my go-to’s. The cilantro (or coriander, to our friends across the pond) lends a fresh, herbaceous quality to the dressing, while the lime juice adds tang and balances the richness and nuttiness of the tahini. And the pale green color is just beautiful!
A Few Words About Tahini…
Tahini is a sesame seed paste that is widely used in middle eastern cooking and was, almost singlehandedly, popularized stateside by Yotam Ottolenghi‘s encyclopedia-like cookbooks. Tahini can be found in most supermarkets today, either alongside the nut butters or in the international foods aisle.
Be sure to read the ingredient list when purchasing your jar since the only ingredient should be sesame seeds.
Tahini is a great source of heart-healthy fats as well as plant-based protein, calcium, iron, and other minerals. Some brands are more bitter than others so you may have to try a few before settling on a favorite. I like Krinos and Joyva brands.
Other Ways to Use Tahini
Most of us buy our first jar of tahini to make hummus or baba ganoush and then stare at the still-almost-full jar in the fridge, scratching our heads wondering how to use it up. If you’ve ever wondered what to do with leftover tahini, there are dozens of ways to utilize the creamy paste.
Aside from this cilantro-lime tahini dressing, you can use it in smoothies (instead of nut butter), make tahini granola, or slather it on toast with some jam.
Servings Suggestions
Use this cilantro-lime tahini sauce to dress your favorite greens (it’s especially good on massaged kale!), or to drizzle on a grain bowl or over roasted vegetables. You can also serve it alongside veggie burgers or falafel, or as a dip for chips or crudités.
Print
Cilantro-Lime Tahini Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: About 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauces
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
This dressing is perfect for salads, grains bowls, falafel, and veggie burgers. You may also use it as a dip for crudités.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup packed roughly chopped cilantro leaves (about 1 small bunch)
- ½ cup well-stirred tahini
- ½ cup filtered water
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 to 3 limes)
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine salt salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a blender, food processor, or Nutribullet, combine the cilantro, tahini, water, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Scrape into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 96
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 3 g
Keywords: dressing, tahini, lime, cilantro
This is such an amazing recipe! I’ve made it twice now- the first time I made half the recipe and mixed with my immersion blender. It was great. This time I made the full batch in the vitamix. I’ve been using it in a Whole 30 tuna salad and just now I smeared it on a hard boiled egg with salt, pepper, and a few slices of green onion. This is definitely going into regular rotation at my house!
That’s so awesome to hear, Jess! I love the versatility of this dressing too 🙂 Love the hard-boiled egg idea!