Lemon Tahini Creamy Salad Dressing

If you want a creamy salad dressing you typically have to reserve yourself to heavy, dairy-laden options that may not always be the best for you (even if you’re pouring it on top of a bed of greens). This lemon tahini dressing a dairy-free vegan salad dressing that is so creamy and flavorful – and healthy! But most importantly, it’s so delicious that it’ll make you positively crave some vegetables to slather in it.

The Dressing

Creamy, umami, hint of spice

I put this dressing on anything from salads and vegetables to falafel and spanikopita. Tahini is basically a paste made from sesame seeds – kind of like peanutbutter, but with sesame seeds. I love whipping together a batch of dressing and storing it in a bottle to use for a week at a time.

The best salad to pour this dressing on is one made with the following:

• Mixed greens (spring mix, romaine)
• Radicchio or purple cabbage
• Radish
• Cucumber
• Carrot
• Sesame seeds
• Falafel, or simply roasted chickpeas
  
  

Pair a Salad with Wine

The fail-safe method to pairing a salad with wine is going with a light, crisp white wine. But depending on the dressing, you can mix it up a bit.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

My recipe for lemon tahini dressing amps up the acidity and brightness with fresh lemon juice, soy sauce, and cayenne. I would pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc to match, but other options to consider thanks to the creaminess of the tahini could be: Chardonnay, Riesling, or even a sparkling white.

Classic Italian Vinaigrettes

Pair these with a high-acidity white that will match the acidity of the vinaigrette. A wine like Sauvignon Blanc would be perfect because of the high acid and citrus notes.

Creamy Ranch or Caesar

A heavier, dairy-based creamy dressing like Ranch would be a great opportunity to reach for a fuller bodied, buttery Chardonnay. The complementary richness makes for a perfect pairing here.

Balsamic and Red Wine Vinaigrettes

As you get into deeper, fruit-forward vinegars in your vinaigrettes, you can start to look into possibly pairing your salad with a red wine. Keep it light and fruit-forward like a Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir. This is best for say, a spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, and a tart balsamic or red wine dressing.

In fact, you can match the wine to the type of vinegar being used. Check out my pairing guide for an array of vinegars from classic red wine to fun Champagne vinegar.

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