This low-fat tahini dressing is bold and spicy with a bit of a bite to it, thanks to the lemon juice, raw garlic, and ginger root.
Today’s recipe is brought to you by the letter D… not D for “dressing” but D as in my husband D, who can’t get enough of this dressing.
He’s been pouring it on salads and drizzling it on sandwiches ever since I made it for the first time (we’re now on our second batch). I don’t think he realizes how low fat it is because my secret ingredient (chickpeas) magically amplifies the flavor of the tahini, making it taste like it contains much more sesame paste than it really does. In his words, it’s a bold, spicy dressing with a bit of a bite to it, thanks to the lemon juice, raw garlic, and ginger root. It’s manly, yes, but I like it too!
Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to point out a new feature. If you’re used to using the Recipe Index, you may notice a big change. I’ve just updated it so that each category goes to a page with thumbnail photos and short text excerpts to better help you find what you’re looking for. I hope you’ll grow to love the new look, which updates automatically whenever a new recipe is posted. Click here to see what the Salad Dressings category looks like.
Low-Fat Tahini-Chickpea Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chickpeas
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1/2 tablespoon gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chia seed or ground flaxseeds
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons ginger-root , minced
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into blender and process on high speed until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate until well chilled. Dressing will continue to thicken while chilling. Add extra water by the teaspoon if dressing is too thick.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Brenda
WOW!! I just made up this dressing and of course I had to take a lick as it went into the ‘fridge to chill. Made my whole mouth ZING with flavor!! I’m not sure I’m going to wait long enough for it to chill to try some on a salad.
Its various flavors are so complementary, and full, and rich, and …. OK, I’m out of adjectives, but this is obviously going to become a staple in our refrigerator!!
Thanks for another winner of a recipe Susan!!
donatella
Hi! I’m Donatella, from Roma. I read your blog for years, but I have not left a comment before.. but today I cannot resist: this dressing is delicious. I will do it tomorrow, and will be a success! Thanks for all your recipe, for your fantasy and passion..
Tammy
Thank you for this, and many other fabulous recipes!! I am a regular here…I made this and used it on a pasta salad…it was so delicious!! Even the resident Omni loved it!
Gena
Love that D is sharing something he loves! And this is also a great recipe: low fat, but it sounds rich and sumptuous.
meredith
do you think chickpea flour would work in this? i wonder if it would be creamier/smoother? also, you think the lemon juice from a squeeze bottle is ok? i guess i can just go get some lemons at the store, haha. I am looking forward to trying this. Also, as a sub for tahini, i have used, in the past, a couple drops of toasted sesame oil. I think it is a little closer to taste than peanut butter.
SusanV
That’s a whole lot of substituting, meredith! I think if you do all that, you’ll have a brand new dressing. It might be a good one, but who knows! 😉
The lemon juice is not a big deal, though fresh will taste better. Sesame oil has a stronger flavor and none of the creaminess of tahini. And I’m afraid chickpea flour will be gritty. But like I said, you never know!
Katharina
Definitely adding to my repertoire! I absolutely love tahini dressings, and this one sounds delicious!
XO!
Mel J
I’m definitely going to give this dressing a try. It will be a change from the vinagrettes I’ve been making. BTW, I absolutely LOVE this site and every recipe I’ve tried so far has been wonderful. And I think you could write a cookbook called “Ridiculously Easy Vegan”! I’d buy it!
beth
Oh, PERFECT!! AND it’s ETL friendly, which is awesome…this helps me tame my hummus addiction and stay on program. Thanks!! Loving this blog!
ginger
Tried the chickpea dressing and after letting it marinate in fridge overnight used it on a salad and loved it. Next night I put on whole wheat spaghetti and again loved it. Thanks so much. Will try other dressing recipes soon as I don’t like using store bought dressings with all of the preservatives. I,too use Paul Newman dressings in a pinch as they do not have the preservatives,but I really prefer making my own. Thanks so much. Anything with garlic is right up my alley!
Tamara
Susan, I love your blog. I’ve gotten so many great recipes from your site. I don’t usually comment, but I wanted to say I voted for you again this year.
Kerri Gardner
Hi, my family and I are brand newbie Vegan’s! Only a month and a half now. The kids are in wean mode as we call it. But over all we are loving being vegans and watching the amazing healthy changes take place! Our eldest Sky is a huge ranch dressing lover! I think this dressing sounds so much better and will knock her socks off! Anything I can create that will be tasting, vegan friendly and replace the Ranch would be wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll look forward to receiving updates on your recipes! Cheers, Kerri
SusanV
Thanks, Kerri! I made a ranch-like dressing using cashews that is so good. It’s like the dressing for the carrot salad recipe before this but with herbs added. You should try that one, too!
Megan
Delicious! Just ate it on a huge salad with lots of farm-fresh veggies.
Sarah
This recipe looks outstanding!! Use of it in moderation will be a perfect addition to my ETL salads this week. Thank you, Susan!
Linda quintana
I have recently had gallbladder surgeury and changed my eating habits. I was vegetarian before and now have taken the next step. Vegan. I find your reciepes very tasty. Perhaps you may pass along a few that would help me get over the hump ! Regards, linda q
Helene
Thank you so much for this recipe, my husband, who is not a great chickpea fan, adores it and asks for it on every salad. Works great in particular on grated carots but really on any salad.
Definitely a keeper.
Laina
What a dunce I am at times. I have to laugh. I reached for the tahini and grabbed almond butter and didn’t notice until afterwards. 🙂
I tasted the recipe and it’s good, but I tend to gravitate towards the sweeter dressings, like raspberry vinaigrette. Little tart/little sweet. So it was a little too tart for me, but it was easy to remedy. I added a little agave and YUMMO!!!
Next time I’ll make sure I have the tahini jar in hand! 🙂
Laina 🙂
Nancy
Hello,
The dressing sounds wonderful. I hate to sound like a dunce but I have to ask if the chick peas are already cooked? (not dried ones going into the blender)
thanks,
Nancy
Thank you for sharing so much with us. My daughter found your site and we have been using it ever since.
SusanV
Hi Nancy, I’m glad the site has been useful to you. I should have made it clear that the chickpeas are cooked (I actually used canned ones for this).
Jean
I am just (yesterday) starting Dr. Joel Furhman’s diet (veggies, veggies, and more veggies and low fat, etc.). I am so excited to have found your blog where I can get recipes which will (hopefully) keep me motivated! I have eaten chicken and fish, but no red meat, for years, and now am trying to go totally vegan as well as lose weight! Your blog is lovely, well-done, and I appreciate it!
Thanks, Jean
SusanV
Thanks, Jean! Good luck with the diet! For more recipes that fit Dr. Fuhrman’s program, see my Eat to Live section.
Tammy
I love this dressing!!! I’ve had it bookmarked for ages – wish I’d made it sooner!
Delicious on everything – salads, steamed veges, dipping sauce, in place of gravy. Yum, love it!!
Shelley Greaney
I just stumbled upon your blog while searching for a roasted asparagus soup recipe. I can’t wait to start trying your recipes. They sound wonderful!
Trish
HI There,
I was just looking at your recipe for the tahini-chickpea dressing and I thought that I would give it a try. Just wondering if I can skip the nutritional yeast. What do you think is the purpose of this ingredient and would the recipe suffer without it? Thanks for responding.
Susan Voisin
I just gives the flavor a boost. It will be a little less tasty without it, but you can leave it out if you don’t have it.
Denise
I love this dressing, thanks so much. I was getting tired of vinegars every day!
I have a tahini question. Does it need to be refrigerated once opened? The container doesn’t say anything about how long it keeps or how to store. Thanks!
Susan Voisin
Yes, to be safe always refrigerate it and any other natural nut or seed butters. On the plus side, if you stir it first, it doesn’t separate as badly.
Angelina Love Cooke
Hello! I am currently living in Costa Rica and have not found a source for nutritional yeast yet. Can I make a version of this recipe without it? If yes, would I just eliminate it, or substitute with something else?
Louise Ingram
Please sign me up
sharon
Is nutritional yeast the same as the yeast you use for baking bread? If not where do you get this? Thank you. Sharon
Susan Voisin
No, it’s completely different. You can usually find it in bulk in health food stores. See this post for more information: What the Heck is Nutritional Yeast?
moonwatcher
HI Susan,
This is a definite “must make” for me–it looks wonderful! And very versatile. The photos are beautifu, too. Really really love the new look of your salad dressings category. We must talk. 🙂
xoxo
moonwatcher
Eileen
Really like this dressing. We have struggled with salad dressings with no oil and this was really, really good. Thanks for a keeper!
Em
A nutritionist on tv, not too long ago, advised against using nutritional yeast. She also advised toasting bread to kill the yeast in bread, too. It is confusing. I read your info about it. Since the two of you disagree, how is one to know if we should use the yeast or not?
Susan Voisin
I would say that any time one person’s opinion is so far out there and opposed to everything that every other nutritionist says, then that opinion is suspect. There may be people for whom yeast is a problem, but they are in the minority, and to give such advice to everybody, whether they have a problem with yeast or not, is reckless. And toasting to kill the yeast? The yeast has already been killed during baking.
Katie
I just made this dressing and absolutely love it! It will replace a higher fat lemon tahini dressing I have been using for a while. I’m always trying to get more beans into my diet so it’s awesome to put them in my salad dressing 🙂
Emma of Zimt
YUM! Enjoying this right now on some baby greens with roasted sweet potato. Thanks for the tasty recipe, Susan =)
Gisela
Happy Mothers Day!
Hi I’ve been a vegan now one month shy of a year I made the transition in steps not all at once. I believe this ensures for me my dedication to it. I started by taking a course and following a Protective Diet version that doesn’t include nuts avacados or any other oils. It was a six week course and I stayed strict to the guide lines of PD up to 6 months into it. I missed all the nuts and the avacados. That is when I came across your recipes. That was my favorite day the first thing I tried was your easy double layer cheesecake, it has been a favorite of all my family and friends. So I really just want to Thank You for posting all your recipes. Further more I realize that it takes a lot of time and dedication to do this and not get instant rewards from it. So this is one thankful admirer paying you gratitude for all your hard work, I’m really glad this is one of your passions. Again Happy Mothers Day!!!
Namaste
Gisela
Susan Voisin
Thank you, Gisela! Hearing that my recipes are helpful to people means so much to me.
Carolyn
I don’t remember seeing this recipe before but it is on my list now! And I’m thinking about subbing soy milk for the water, to get more of a buttermilk style base (because of the lemon juice). It’s a high proportion of acid to milk, but I think it’s worth a try!
Richard
Not really a big salad dressing person but I saw this in another of Susan’s recipes and I was intrigued by the ingredients. Whipped up a batch and absolutely love it! @rj2b