Homemade tahini salad dressing is so easy to make that you'll never want to buy store bought again! Just like goddess dressing, this recipe is lightly garlicky and lemon-y, perfectly creamy and ready in under 10 minutes.

Tahini goddess dressing is a healthy salad dressing that's free from added sugars. It's lemon-y, lightly garlicky, and packed with flavor.
This recipe is my twist on the original Annie's dressing, making it a goddess style tahini dressing, AKA the best kind of salad dressing!
Recipe features
- Diet-friendly: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free optional (just use tamari in place of soy sauce), nut-free
- zesty, tangy and creamy, just like the store bought kind
- Ready in less than 10 minutes using just 6 pantry staples!
Ingredients and substitutions
Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice make this dressing very tangy. If you want a more subtle flavor I recommend decreasing the vinegar to 2 tablespoons and replacing the other 1 tablespoon with water.
Note: One large lemon usually makes 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice. Use leftover lemon juice in this strawberry vinaigrette or in a lemon blueberry smoothie.
Tahini is just ground sesame seeds. It can be found in a few different places in the grocery store: either by the “health food” section, by the peanut butter and jellies or by the condiments.
Dry parsley can be replaced with 1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped parsley if desired.
One garlic clove can be replaced with ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder.
Soy sauce provides saltiness and umami flavors. Choose a reduced sodium soy sauce for a lower sodium dressing. Use an equal amount of tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
Step by step instructions
This recipe is as easy as:
- Add Ingredients to a blender
- Blend until smooth
If you don’t have a blender you can just whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
Recipe FAQ and expert tips
- Thickness/consistency: Sometimes the oils in tahini separates while in the bottle, so make sure your tahini is well-stirred before adding it to the blender. The dressing thickens as it cools in the fridge. You may need to add a splash of water before serving.
- Serving ideas: Try out this tahini goddess dressing on a warm kale salad with roasted butternut squash or this kale salad with chickpeas.
- Make it green goddess by adding a total of 1 cup of fresh chopped herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, and/or basil. You can include the stems.
This recipe makes 5-6 servings of tahini dressing. It lasts in the fridge for about a week, or you can make it in bulk and freeze in individual jars.
Yes! Tahini dressing freezes well. I like to freeze it in pint sized ball jars. Leave at least ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. Freeze for up to 3 months and let thaw overnight in the fridge before using. Just place a jar to thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days prior to use.
Yes! Tahini is high in oil content which can cause it to spoil quickly. For best quality, store tahini in the fridge or according to label instructions.
Use tamari in place of soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free and soy-free. Choose a tahini that is certified gluten-free as sometimes gluten-containing ingredients are added to help with shelf life.
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📖 Recipe
Goddess Style Tahini Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin to desired consistency. Store refrigerated in airtight jar for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice make this dressing very tangy. If you want a more subtle flavor I recommend decreasing the vinegar to 2 tablespoons and replacing the other 1 tablespoons with water.
- Garlic: Adjust amount based on your flavor preferences. One garlic cloves = ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Storage: Keep refrigerated in a closed container for up to a week.
- Freezing instructions: I like to freeze dressing in pint sized ball jars. Leave at least ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. Freeze for up to 3 months and let thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Note: This recipe was originally shared on September 24, 2018. I updated the recipe post on March 2, 2021 to include tips & FAQ, new photos and a video. The amount of apple cider vinegar was decreased from ¼ cup to 3 tablespoons in the updated recipe.
Manny
Rarely do any type of reviews but this worked very well. Tweaked it to taste like the brand I bought in the store and voila! Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser
Thank you for the review! 🙂
Mary
Fantastic! Easy to make and delicious. Thanks!!!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks for making it! 🙂
Rose Brown
I made this a couple times now and it's delicious. This last time I quadrupled the recipe and stuck some in the freezer. The only thing I did different was added a little dried chive since I noticed trader Joe's Goddess has has chives in it. I'm not sure if it makes a difference though.
Cassidy Reeser
I bet chive would add a nice flavor, I’ll have to try that next time I make this. Thanks for the review!
Amy
Thank you so much! For some reason they've stopped stocking Annie's Goddess dressing in EVERY store in Austin and that is the only thing I've been wanting to eat all month! This is perfect. Craving satisfied for now! 🙂
Cassidy Reeser
I'm glad this recipe could fill the gap but I hope the Annie's dressing comes back soon!!
Sam
This was fantastic! Just like Annie's Goddess, but I actually control what's in it and can re-use one of the 500 glass jars I have saved to store it in so it's a win-win! Thank you 🙂
Cassidy Reeser
It's the perfect way to use up glass jars! 🙂
Sophia
Hi, the recipe does not specify which tahini to use, I was confused at the supermarket to find both salted and an unsalted version, which one should I get?
Cassidy Reeser
Hi, I have used a few different tahinis and they don’t mentioned salted or unsalted on the label but some do have a small amount of salt in the ingredients. It shouldn’t make too much of a difference in this recipe but if you use a salted version you can salt the recipe to taste. I imagine saltiness will change based on brand. The one I use lately is Zayad brand which does not have salt in the ingredients.
Sunshine
Best. Dressing. EVER. I use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy, and always add an extra clove of garlic. You can even throw this in with some chickpeas in a food processor and it makes super tasty hummus!!!
Cassidy Reeser
Love the idea to use it in hummus, I need to try that! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Patty nelson
I don't have tahini. Can peanut butter be substituted? I also have toasted sesame oil.
Cassidy Reeser
Sunflower seed butter is probably the closest tahini substitute but you can use the same amount of peanut butter. It will be a pretty different flavor since tahini is more mild but texture etc should be the same.
Karin
I’ve been wanting to make my own goddess dressing since the store bought version has canola oil and soybeans, two things I try to avoid. Made this one tonight and it was delicious!! I added maybe 1/3 - 1/2 cup water to thin it out, a little more lime juice and parsley, subbed soy sauce for coconut aminos, and sprinkled in Ms Dash table seasoning. This was delicious!! Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Margo Nathanson
This came out really good. I've been using Annie's for years, but am giving up Canola oil. Love the recipe, and easy to make. Next time I will cut the vinegar in half, as it was too acidic for me and a bit thin. I like to put a little extra soy sauce too! Thanks for the recipe!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks for the review!
Shauna
Can you substitute Bragg's Liquid Aminos (natural soy sauce alternative) instead of the soy sauce? Or would you stick to the soy sauce? Thanks! Can't wait to try this recipe 🙂
Cassidy Reeser
I have personally never tried liquid aminos but I’ve heard the two are very similar — so I would say to go for it! 🙂
harmless
OMG so good! Been buying Annie's but not everyone carries it so bought the basics and made it tonight.
I didn't even have to use a blender. Mixed it up in a measuring cup, stirred with a spoon and then poured into an empty soy sauce bottle I had washed.
Shaking up and sampling... Water wasn't even needed to thin it.
Can't wait to try it on a turkey pita tomorrow!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
So glad you liked it! Thank you 🙂
harmless
Do you have av recommendation to actually thicken it?
I thought it sitting in the fridge overnight would but still pretty thin when I made my pitas today even though I didn't add any water when making it.
Thanks again!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
To thicken it you can add more tahini. Hopefully that will help it!
Beth
The recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons. How much did YOU use???
Cassidy Reeser
What ingredient are you referring to? I follow the recipe as it's written in the card.
Greg
I just made it again, Cassidy, and cut back on the apple cider vinegar to only 1/3 cup. Just what I thought...it toned down that vinegar taste a bit. Your recipe is still great...just like the store bought version.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks again, Greg! I’m glad you found a way to make it work.
Annie
I would love to make this dressing but can't use vinegar. Any thoughts on substitutions?
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Unfortunately, vinegar is one of the main flavors in this dressing, but you could try doubling (maybe even tripling) the lemon juice for acidity and using water to thin as needed.
Greg
I just made your recipe, and it's perfect! I had just finished off a store bought bottle of Goddess dressing by Wholesome Pantry, and thought I'd try yours (I had been searching for different Goddess recipes online). Your recipe turned out almost exactly like the store bought version, except a tad stronger on the apple cider vinegar (which I can always adjust next time). Kudos to your version of Goddess dressing!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks for the kind comment, Greg! The store bought style goddess dressing is exactly what I was going for.
Greg
Question, Cass...I just made it again, and although it hasn't chilled long enough in the fridge, it's very thin this time (probably needs to chill longer to thicken slightly).
My question is the ingredients list above says 1 tablespoon of water...yet your directions state "Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin to desired consistency.". Huh? There's only i tablespoon in the ingredients, so I was wondering if you possibly meant to add water 1 TEASPOON at a time?
I figure next time I will just cut out the water entirely, as there's already apple cider vinegar, leamon juice, and olive oil in it.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
What it should say in ingredients is “water, as needed” and instructions to “add water as needed to thin, one tablespoon at a time” so I updated the post to reflect that. Thank you for making it again!!
Greg
Thanks, Cass...that explains why the batch I made was so thin. I figure next time I may just skip the water entirely.
Robin
Love this! Tastes just like Trader Joe’s. I did end up adding I little more tahini.