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Easy Keto Tahini Dressing

4.4 stars, average of 36 ratings
By Martina Slajerova, updated June 22 20232
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If you've never made tahini dressing before, you're in for a treat!

This deliciously creamy, flavour-packed keto dressing is popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. It's really simple and can be prepared in less than 5 minutes. It's nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nightshade-free, and it's a great way to add healthy fats to your diet.

Flavour Options for Tahini Dressing

You can keep your tahini dressing plain and simple by using lemon and garlic like I did, or add your favourite herbs and spices. Here are some of my options and tips for substitutions:

  • To make Golden Tahini Dressing, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, 1/2 tsp of ground paprika and 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro.
  • To make Moroccan-style dressing, add 1 to 2 tsp of harissa spice mix.
  • To make Green Goddess Tahini Dressing, blend the basic tahini dressing recipe with a small bunch of fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves.
  • For a low FODMAP tahini dressing, simply skip the garlic and optionally use your favourite herbs. You could try using wild garlic instead as it seems to be better tolerated by those sensitive to garlic.
  • If you need more healthy fats, swap the water with 2 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
  • This keto tahini dressing recipe uses a small amount of powdered low-carb sweetener which you can skip or replace with a few drops of stevia.

Why is Tahini Good for You?

This easy sesame dressing is not just delicious — it's so good for you! Some might argue that sesame seeds are high in omega 6 fatty acids which are often labeled inflammatory but it's a very different case with tahini.

Sesame seeds, sesame oil, and tahini break the general rule that fat sources rich in omega-6 are inflammatory because sesame products contain three antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules: sesamin, sesamolin, and sesamol.

We talk about this and a lot more in our new cookbook, The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook which I created together with three more authors. Go check it out, it will be out in March 2021!

How To Use Tahini Dressing

I like to serve mine with chicken, drizzled over salads or char-grilled eggplant (aubergine for my UK friends). You can also serve it as a healthy high-fat dip with crunchy vegetables like cucumbers, celery sticks or bell peppers. Check out some of these recipes:

Easy Keto Tahini Dressing

Hands-on Overall

Serving size 2 tbsp/ 30 ml

Allergy information for Easy Keto Tahini Dressing

✔  Gluten free
✔  Dairy free
✔  Egg free
✔  Nut free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Avocado free
✔  Coconut free
✔  Fish free
✔  Shellfish free
✔  Beef free
Pescatarian
Vegetarian

Nutritional values (per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml)

Net carbs2.3 grams
Protein2.8 grams
Fat8.6 grams
Calories97 kcal
Calories from carbs 9%, protein 11%, fat 80%
Total carbs3.8 gramsFiber1.5 gramsSugars0.2 gramsSaturated fat1.2 gramsSodium116 mg(5% RDA)Magnesium16 mg(4% RDA)Potassium71 mg(4% EMR)

Ingredients (makes about 1 cup/ 240 ml)

  • 6 tbsp tahini paste - sesame seed paste (96 g/ 3.4 oz)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp powdered Allulose or Erythritol
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp water (30 ml) or enough needed to thin down

Instructions

  1. Bring the tahini paste to room temperature or gently heat up on the stove or a microwave so it's easy to mix. Easy Keto Tahini Dressing
  2. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl: tahini, lemon juice, sweetener (can be skipped), minced garlic, salt and pepper. Easy Keto Tahini Dressing
  3. Stir to combine until smooth. You can use a blender if you want your dressing to be super smooth. If too thick, thin down with a dsh of water (as much as needed). Easy Keto Tahini Dressing
  4. Store in the fridge in an airtight container to prevent the dressing from drying on top for up to a week. Easy Keto Tahini Dressing

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Sesame tahini (unsweetened)
1.9 g2.7 g8.6 g95 kcal
Lemon juice, fresh
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Garlic, fresh
0.2 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Water, still
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Salt, sea salt
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Pepper, black, spices
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Total per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml
2.3 g2.8 g8.6 g97 kcal

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Martina Slajerova
Creator of KetoDietApp.com

Martina Slajerova

I changed the way I ate in 2011, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. I had no energy, and I found it more and more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s when I decided to quit sugar, grains, and processed foods, and to start following a whole-foods-based ketogenic approach to food.

More posts by Martina Slajerova
Martina Slajerova

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Comments (2)

I am currently out of tahini, but I will remedy that asap. Does does whether it is stone ground or not affect the nutrients and omega 6 to 3 stats? What about black sesame tahini vs regular?
Also I just broke one of my own personal rules about pre ordering cookbooks, and ordered your new book through Amazon. I typically buy digital books nowadays, but I'm very excited to read the scientific research and recipes.

Hi Christina,
I told Martina I'd field this one. It's a good question. The first thing is that black sesame seeds generally have the hulls (seed "shell') intact, whereas white sesame seeds are typically de-hulled. Absence of a hull means less fiber (also less calcium, iron, copper, and manganese), but also less phytates and 'anti-nutrients' So, it depends on your nutritional perspective and priorities. If you're pro-fiber and don't have any known 'anti-nutrient' sensitivities, having the hulls on might be good. Note, you can get white sesame seeds that have their hulls too.
Another thing is that the hull is where many of the lignin antioxidants are located. These are compounds that help "offset," for lack of a better term, the high-is omega-6 content as compared to other lower n6 nut seed options like flax, chia, or macadamia. That said, there's not data actually showing that n6 from whole foods on a low carb diet are harmful. It's an area of debate and if you're not hyper dosing n6 and eating a real food diet, I wouldn't worry about a few high n6 nuts and seeds anyway. (Actually, sesame is particularly ketogenic too because the fats are ketogenic and other components increase b-oxidation enzymes).
As for the precise micronutrient differences among different sesame varieties, I don't think it makes practical sense to go too far down the rabbit hole. Germination, soil quality, geography, etc all play into how amino acids and antioxidants and fats, to a small extent, vary. Instead, let me try to put your mind at ease by saying the differences are relatively minor and you're more likely to adversely impact your health by stressing about the tiny differences and spiking your cortisol than the actually differences are worth. Martina can confirm that I myself am an extreme nutrition nerd biohacker, and even I don't stress about the specific sesame seeds I use. So, in my opinion, this is one off of which you can follow your tongue.
Black sesame seeds are a bit nuttier and more bitter, and air better with savory spcies, whereas the white are a bit sweeter. I wouldn't myself use black sesame in a low-carb coconut-butter halva, for example.