Maple Dijon Tahini Dressing (Oil-free)

Only 6 fresh, raw ingredients, and no cooking is involved to make this creamy maple dijon tahini dressing in 5 minutes! You will have a nutty, a little bit tart, but still sweet dressing in no time which pairs well with many dishes.

If you are interested in more recipes with tahini, check out our lemon herb tahini dressing recipe which we drizzled over these spicy roasted cauliflower florets, our miso tahini dressing which we already paired with soba noodles, or this harissa tahini pasta sauce.

What to expect from this recipe?

Since the main ingredient is tahini, you can expect it to taste admittedly nutty and earthy a bit. It will not have any overpowering sesame seed taste though. Why? Because both dijon mustard and maple syrup make it that much lighter. It is still a rich dip with a sweet, tart, and savory flavor. It pairs well with many vegetables but most importantly it is perfect with falafel. You can also use it as a maple tahini salad dressing.

If we want to be 100% precise, it should be called dressing altogether since sauces are usually cooked, while dressing is raw, uncooked, and made of fresh ingredients, just like this recipe.

Ingredients

If you are making our oil-free tahini dressing, here are the ingredients below.

• Tahini paste (ground sesame seeds turned into a paste) – This sauce was specifically developed with tahini. However, if you want to look for a substitute for any reason, check out our complete list of tahini substitutes.
• Garlic – Fresh, raw cloves of course.
• Dijon mustard – There is a difference between yellow mustard and Dijon mustard. Not just its light yellow color compared to the vibrant color of classic mustard but it is creamier and spicier than that. It is the perfect ingredient to give a bit of a kick to this dressing.
• Maple syrup – A lot of recipes use honey, but since honey is not vegan, we choose pure maple syrup out of these honey substitutes.
• Water – To get the desired consistency.
• Apple cider vinegar – I don’t know about you but a bit of tangy after-taste makes it a refreshing sauce just like in chimichurri sauce. You can use lemon juice, but we love it more with ACV.

? You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

How to make a maple tahini dressing with dijon mustard? Well, it is pretty easy and you can be done with it in like 5 minutes! Here is what you need to do:

1. Peel garlic clove.
2. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, dijon mustard, maple syrup, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and water).
3. Blend it until you get a smooth sauce. The desired consistency is like a thick flowing paste. Add a tablespoon of water to adjust it if needed.

Top tips to make it perfectly

• Which blender to use for the sauce? – The amount of the ingredients may be too small for your blender. In that case, take a thin long container and use a hand blender aka immersion blender.
• Use garlic powder – If you use that instead of raw garlic cloves, you don’t even need a hand blender. You can mix all ingredients with a spatula or a whisk in a small mixing bowl. Use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove.

Serving suggestions

Tahini is a pantry staple in the Middle East. It is also one of the main ingredients of one of the most popular Middle Eastern spreads. Can you guess which one? Yes, you are correct. The answer is hummus. It is also the most popular dish you need tahini for. Well, not always, you can make hummus without tahini if you really want to. So what dishes pair well with any tahini dressing?

• You can add this maple mustard tahini dressing to this falafel platter, or this falafel sandwich.
• Skip vegan tzatziki sauce and try it with our oyster mushroom gyros or falafel gyros in pita bread.
• Drizzle it on top of these roasted cauliflower florets instead of lemon herb tahini.
• You can add it to our Mediterranean grazing board.
• Use it as a dressing for your favorite grain bowl or salad recipes. We do have a delicious recipe in our Express Vegan Cookbook.
• Drizzle on top of baked or roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• It actually pairs well with many different roasted vegetables like eggplant, broccoli, green beans, or zucchini.

FAQs

How to store it?

You can store this dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. We never tried freezing it, so let us know if you do.

Allergen info

This Maple Dijon Tahini Dressing/Sauce recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. 

• Vegan – All ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
• Nut-free – Tahini is made of sesame seeds, which means it is nut-free. In any event, check for cross-contamination issues in any products you buy.
• WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – Yes, it is compliant since it is an oil-free tahini dressing. Maple syrup is also a compliant natural sweetener.
• Gluten-free – All ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free but pay attention to which apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard you choose. Both vinegar and mustard are usually gluten-free, but worth checking them to make sure. In any event, always check the packaging for cross-contamination info as well.
• Soy-free – All ingredients are supposed to be soy-free.

More sauces with tahini