Name: Lemon tahini dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 8 tbsp plain roasted sesame tahini, stirred well (120 g); 4 tbsp lemon juice; 6 tbsp cold drinking water, divided (90 ml); 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated or minced (3 g); ¼ tsp fine salt; ¼ tsp ground cumin

Lemon tahini dressing adds a creamy sesame finish to salads, cooked vegetables and grain bowls. Garlic and a little cumin season the mixture, while measured lemon juice and cold water loosen the paste. It is a dressing component, with six portions defined from the finished batch.

Compare the amount of tahini you use

Tahini supplies most of this dressing’s estimated energy and fat. Stir separated oil back into the paste before measuring so you use an even mixture. A scoop taken from a dry bottom layer or an oily surface can give a different texture and composition.

Here, one serving means one-sixth of the finished dressing. The salad, vegetables or grains underneath it need their own portions and estimates. Dividing the sauce into small containers can help you use that definition consistently when packing several meals.

When comparing tahini jars, check both the stated serving size and its gram weight. The FDA explains that the calories and nutrients on a Nutrition Facts label refer to its listed serving. Compare equal amounts, then look at total fat, saturated fat and sodium as separate entries. This recipe’s estimate uses generic roasted sesame tahini; the products available locally can differ.

Tahini is sesame paste, and sesame is a major food allergen identified by the FDA. Read the tahini’s ingredient and allergen information, as well as the labels on other packaged ingredients.

Add the water gradually

Use a bowl wide enough for the whisk to reach the paste along its sides. Finely grating or mincing the garlic first distributes it through the dressing more evenly than leaving a large piece in a hand-whisked sauce.

Mix the lemon and seasonings into the stirred tahini, then add the water gradually. The first liquid can make the mixture stiff; keep whisking and work in the full measured amount. Scrape the sides so thick paste does not remain above the finished sauce. Different tahinis can need different amounts of whisking.

For a larger batch, use a wider bowl or mix in portions. For a small batch, the ingredient weights help with awkward fractions of garlic or seasoning. The serving control scales the ingredient amounts; the original card describes six portions.

Keep the dressing chilled

Transfer the sauce to a clean covered container and refrigerate promptly. FDA refrigerator guidance recommends 40°F or below, and Health Canada advises using refrigerated leftovers within two to three days. This card uses a three-day limit. Date the container, take out the portion you need with a clean spoon, and return the rest to the refrigerator. Follow FoodSafety.gov’s serving limits: two hours outside refrigeration, or one hour above 32°C / 90°F. Stir before spooning it over the separately prepared meal.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate promptly in a clean covered container at 4°C / 40°F or colder; use within 3 days. Stir before serving cold. Discard dressing left out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F. Use a clean spoon and return the main batch to the refrigerator after serving.

Substitutions

Freshly squeezed or plain bottled lemon juice works at the same measured volume. The price reference uses bottled juice; flavor and actual costs vary.

Cooking notes

Makes six dressing portions. Salads, vegetables, grains and other accompaniments are outside the nutrition and cost estimates.
For a larger yield, use a wider bowl or whisk in batches, allowing additional mixing time. For a small yield, use the listed gram references when clove or spice fractions are awkward.
Tahini brands differ in salt and composition; check the jar. Nutrition uses a generic roasted-tahini reference.

Contains: sesame. Check the labels of your ingredients.

Ingredient	USD	CAD
plain roasted sesame tahini, stirred well	$1.05	$1.43
lemon juice	$0.14	$0.18
cold drinking water, divided	$0.00	$0.00
garlic clove, peeled and finely grated or minced	$0.05	$0.03
fine salt	$0.00	$0.00
ground cumin	$0.01	$0.03
Recipe total	$1.25	$1.67
Per serving	$0.21	$0.28

Lemon tahini dressing

Compare the amount of tahini you use

Add the water gradually

Keep the dressing chilled