Sauces & Dressings
Tahini Lemon Dressing
Whisking in the water gradually, one tablespoon at a time, is essential here since tahini seizes and clumps into a thick paste the instant liquid first hits it, before eventually loosening back into a smooth, pourable dressing.

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water, plus more as needed
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- salt to taste
Method
- 1
Whisk the tahini and lemon juice together in a bowl — the mixture will immediately seize up and turn thick and clumpy, almost like wet sand, the instant the acidic lemon juice hits it.
- 2
Whisk in water one tablespoon at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition — this gradual approach is essential, since tahini seizes on contact with liquid and stays clumped up for a moment before eventually loosening back into a smooth, pourable dressing; adding all the water at once makes it harder to judge the right final consistency.
- 3
Whisk in the minced garlic and cumin.
- 4
Season with salt to taste, adding more water if a thinner consistency is desired.
- 5
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week, thinning with a splash of water before serving if it thickens.