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Susan’s Lite Goddess Dressing

January 23, 2007 By Susan Voisin 80 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

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This lite version of Annie’s Goddess sesame dressing has about 1/7 the amount of calories as the original and 1/13th the fat!

Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing

A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me if I had a lower-fat alternative to Annie’s Goddess Dressing. Over the years I’ve heard a lot about this dressing, but I’d never tasted it. Since it comes so highly recommended, I decided to buy a bottle, test it out, and possibly try to make my own recipe.

When I looked at the bottle in the grocery store, I realized why I’d never bought it before: at 130 calories and 12 grams of fat per serving, it gets 90% of its calories from fat (from canola oil and tahini). But I bought it, took it home to try it, and immediately decided I was better off never having tasted it!

It’s so delicious, it’s almost addictive: thick with a deep, almost smoky sesame taste. My husband loved it, and I knew that I needed to find a lower-fat substitute immediately or he was going to want me to keep buying it. But I also thought that it was going to be hard to come anywhere near its flavor without using lots of tahini.

Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing

Still, I gave it a shot, and both my husband and I loved it. While my Goddess dressing doesn’t taste exactly like Annie’s, it does maintain the rich sesame flavor while managing to be significantly lighter. 

Instead of using a base of canola oil, I opted instead for lite silken tofu. I used pretty much the same seasonings as Annie’s, but I cut the tahini down to one tablespoon and used 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil to enhance the sesame flavor (I realize even this small amount of oil is not an option for some people, so it can be safely omitted.)

When it’s all blended together, this whips up into a very thick dressing, but in a “fluffy” rather than heavy way. And in terms of calories, you can have almost 7 times as much of my dressing for the same amount of calories in 2 tablespoons of Annie’s. Two tablespoons of my lite goddess dressing have only 19 calories and 1 gram of fat. Check out the nutritional comparison after the recipe.

In fact, my recipe is so light that I almost wish I had used more tahini in it. I wanted to keep it very low in fat, but if you’d like a more pronounced sesame flavor, feel free to add more tahini. Just remember, for every tablespoon of tahini that you add, you increase the fat content of each serving by about 1 gram.

Susan's Lite Goddess Sesame Dressing with salad

Update September 2, 2020

In the years since I posted this recipe, I’ve created and tested lots of low-fat salad dressings, and many have become favorites in our house. One of the hazards of food blogging is that you’re always moving forward, looking for the next great thing, and sometimes old favorites get lost in the shuffle.

That’s what happened to this recipe. In the years since I created it, my family moved on to enjoy spicy chipotle dressing and a low-fat tahini-ginger dressing, and I somehow stopped making my lite goddess dressing. But last week, I decided to pull this recipe out of the archives and make it for dinner. We all loved it so much, that I had to make it again a few days later. We’ve been drizzling it on salads and steamed vegetables and dipping pizza crust in it so much that we keep running out!

So I’ve added a few new photos to freshen up the post and encourage you to try this timeless recipe for a sesame dressing that never goes out of style.

Susan's Lite Goddess (Tahini) Dressing

Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing
4.58 from 7 votes
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Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing

This lite version of Annie's Goddess sesame dressing has about 1/7 the amount of calories as the original and 1/13th the fat. That's 19 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving! But you can make this dressing more like the original by increasing the tahini a tablespoon at a time, until it tastes the way you like. Remember that the fat and calories go up as the tahini increases!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 11 minutes
Servings 10
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces firm or extra-firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu, lite preferred)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley packed
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil optional, but good
  • 2 green onions tops only, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper optional
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Keep in covered jar in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

After it's refrigerated, this dressing will continue to thicken, so I advise storing it in a covered jar and adding water or vegan milk as needed and shaking well. It's safe to keep for a week, but for longer storage, I recommend freezing it.
Nutrition info includes the optional sesame oil, which adds a lot of flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing
Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons)
Calories 19 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Sodium 164mg7%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Protein 1g2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine Vegan
Keyword low-fat sesame dressing
Have you made this recipe?Mention @SusanFFVK and tag #fatfreevegankitchen in your photos on Instagram.
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Here’s a nutritional comparison of my dressing to the original:

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Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing: This lite version of Annie's Goddess sesame dressing has about 1/7 the amount of calories as the original and 1/13th the fat! That's 19 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving. #vegan #oilfree #wfpb

Filed Under: Recipes, Salad Dressings Tagged With: Eat-to-Live, Gluten-free, Soy

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Crystal

    February 24, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    Love this dressing! Thanks for the recipe! How long will this last in the fridge. I made it 6 days ago and I’ve noticed it has firmed up. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Jessica

    April 15, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    Tried this recipe today, I was skeptical at first because I really hate tofu, but this was delicious! I added more parsley because I love it so much and omitted the salt, and it was just lovely. Thank you for the yummy recipe!

    Reply
  3. angelica

    April 18, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    could you make a nutritional fact without the tofu?

    Reply
  4. Becky

    May 10, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    Hi Susan-
    I just made this dressing tonight, and wow! I actually like it better than the store bought version. It was a perfect fit for my creamy vegan dressing craving. Thanks again for all your recipes, I’ve tried many and loved them all, this is just the first time I have made a comment.

    Reply
  5. Ainsley

    May 12, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Hey Susan,
    As always I tried a new recipe from your site and LOVE it. Question: I accidentally used the white part of the onion (I need to stop and read first!), and it tastes awesome. Why remove it?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      May 12, 2013 at 2:27 pm

      Some people just don’t like the strong onion taste that the white provides, but I’m glad to hear that you liked it.

      Reply
  6. Natasha

    February 4, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    Just wondering if anyone has tried this recipe without sesame oil. I don’t have any at home, and don’t necessarily want to buy some just for this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. ilovemusic

    March 26, 2014 at 12:06 am

    Love the recipes…can’t wait to try…thanks for your time and energy…hope you feel better soon!

    Reply
  8. * Pam

    May 26, 2014 at 4:47 am

    7 years on this Lite Goddess dressing post, I see…and still going strong with new people grateful to find it! I love this dressing!! And my non-vegan hubby does, too! A real hit in our house.

    Reply
  9. Carrie

    June 16, 2014 at 10:55 pm

    This is a great dressing! Creamy but practically no fat. Might only use 1/2 a garlic clove next time, a little too much for me.. My new favorite salad dressing.

    Reply
  10. Louise

    July 4, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    I don’t care what the original tastes like, the light version is fabulous!!!!
    Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂

    Reply
  11. Janis

    August 6, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    I was wondering maybe you could incorporate an avocado in there instead of the tahini? That will still allow it to have a reamy consistency. How much would that affect the nutritional facts?

    Reply
  12. Adrienne Gembala

    January 19, 2015 at 12:27 am

    Any idea how long the shelf life is for this dressing?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      January 19, 2015 at 7:51 am

      It will keep in the refrigerator about a week, but it tastes best the first few days.

      Reply
  13. LouAnn Zenoff Melgar

    January 26, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Do you drain the silken tofu or not?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      January 26, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Yes, but there’s usually so little water in the kind I use (Mori-nu) that it probably wouldn’t make any difference if I didn’t drain it. I just drain it out of habit.

      Reply
  14. EstherJ

    December 21, 2015 at 10:45 am

    This has become my go-to salad dressing these days. Many times, I’m either reserving the one or two Mori-Nu’s I have in the cupboard for something else, or I’m plain out. I’ve started sub’ing a 6 oz cup of plain non-dairy yogurt for the tofu, plus a tablespoon of flax seed meal for thickness, and it holds up fine.

    Thanks, Susan!

    Reply
  15. B B

    April 13, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    This is so fab! Thanks for sharing. This is my new lunch go-to!

    Reply
  16. TD Bennington

    January 25, 2017 at 9:42 am

    I have switched to using white cannelini beans instead of tofu because I have to limit soy because of thyroid issues. I find it has more fiber, and the taste is ok. I just drain and rinse the beans and process them in a food processor or blender with a little liquid. You can also use chickpeas, but they are higher in omega 6 than the white beans. I believe the beans are a more healthy version for those who care to try it.

    Reply
  17. Victoria

    March 25, 2017 at 5:40 am

    Hi, this looks lovely, can you tell me how long this would last in the fridge please. Victoria

    Reply
    • Victoria

      March 25, 2017 at 5:42 am

      Just found the information I asked for. Thank you

      Reply
  18. Karen

    March 25, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    Sesame oil isn’t quite in keeping with “fat-free,” is it? It’s certainly healthier than the oil-based traditional Goddess Dressing, though.

    Reply
  19. Darlad Gillis

    November 1, 2017 at 12:05 pm

    how long will it keep for

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      November 1, 2017 at 12:56 pm

      About a week.

      Reply
  20. Clare Wolstencroft

    April 1, 2018 at 10:44 am

    Still the best salad dressing all these years later.

    Reply
  21. jill

    July 15, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    thank you! i needed this

    Reply
  22. Susan

    August 2, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    Delicious! Love the creaminess! Thank u Susan

    Reply
  23. Danielle

    September 2, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    What could I replace the tofu with ? Avocado ?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      September 2, 2020 at 3:10 pm

      I think avocado would be too rich on its own. A lighter option would be cooked white beans.

      Reply
  24. Jain

    September 7, 2020 at 3:22 pm

    This recipe is well worth a re-post! I’ve made it countless times since first publication and always double the recipe. It’s one of my favourite recipes – of any kind – on the entire Internet.

    Reply
  25. ACC

    October 15, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    Would I ruin the recipe if I used regular tofu? I just happen to have some I have use up…

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      October 15, 2020 at 6:31 pm

      If you have a good high-speed blender, regular tofu would probably be ok. You might try decreasing it just a little and increasing the water a little.

      Reply
  26. Claris

    May 5, 2021 at 2:35 am

    Hi Susan, just found this recipe and am eager to try! One stupid question: do you cook the tofu first or use it right out of the pack? Not sure if the silken tofu here is edible right out of the pack though lol. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      May 5, 2021 at 9:32 am

      I use the kind in the aseptic package right out of the pack. I’m not sure what I would do for other types. Maybe steam it first?

      Reply
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