Turmeric Tahini Drizzle (Dressing, Sauce, and Dip)

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Our Favorite Turmeric Tahini Dressing

Do you ever stumble upon a combination of flavors that really speaks to you? This drizzle has been that magical combination in our house. It's a versatile, nourishing, anti-inflammatory turmeric sauce that I make at least a couple times a week.

This tahini + turmeric dressing is my everything. It works beautifully as a creamy salad dressing to bring decadence to a big bowl of raw veggies. At a slightly thicker texture, it's a showstopping sauce on a hearty nourish bowl. At its thickest, it's a fabulous dip for veggies or crackers. It takes five minutes to make and you can easily change up the flavors (see lots of ideas below) by switching up the citrus juice and/or the sweetener, so it can seamlessly match whatever you're making.

In this post, I'll outline the basics of how to make this golden-hued tahini sauce and will include lots of ideas for how to customize its flavor and texture. I'll also show many different ways of using it, so make sure to check out the photos and their captions.

Turmeric tahini dressing shown on a beautiful colorful salad
This tahini + turmeric dressing has become my absolute favorite way to top a salad. Since it contains good protein and healthy fats, it adds some much-needed decadence to a veggie forward salad. A creamy dressing like this can help make a mostly-raw salad feel satisfying and meal-worthy.

Health Benefits of Turmeric Tahini Sauce

There are many reasons why you'll want to add this tahini-based turmeric sauce into your regular rotation. Most importantly, it features two powerful ingredients. Tahini is high in protein, has healthy fats, and makes a fabulous base for creamy vegan sauces and dressings. Turmeric is widely touted for its ant-inflammatory properties and is often considered to be a superfood. It's hard to beat the nutrition in this decadent tahini dressing.

It's also important to note what this multi-purpose drizzle doesn't have. Unlike many dressings, it's oil-free, plant-based, and refined sugar-free. It also skips the weird starches and gums that are found in many store-bought sauces. Let's ditch the heavy, oily, and sugary dressings and make this nourishing anti-inflammatory turmeric dressing instead!

Interested in trying more turmeric recipes? I actually have a whole series of "golden" turmeric recipes here on the blog. Check out my Golden Hummus, Golden Pasta, and Golden Granola if you're excited to try new ways of using this superfood.

A golden turmeric tahini sauce drizzled on a vegan bowl meal
However you choose to use this creamy tahini dressing, its vibrant orange color is impressive. We love to drizzle it across a loaded rainbow salad.

Tahini Dressing Tips (+ a Tahini Discount)

A key component in this multi-purpose dressing/sauce is tahini. Because there are so few ingredients in this drizzle, the tahini is front and center in terms of both flavor and texture. Accordingly, this recipe (and any tahini sauce recipe) will work best with an artisan tahini that's delicate in flavor and has a very smooth texture.

I'm a huge lover of Seeds of Collaboration tahini because it's rich, nutty, the tiniest bit sweet, and has absolutely no bitterness. Unlike most grocery store brands that are grainy or gloppy, this magical tahini has a creamy, velvety texture. If you want to get your hands on my favorite tahini, use the code ROGUE at check-out to save 20%.

Colorful tahini and turmeric sauce drizzled on a healthy bowl meal
Leftover makeover! If you have a bunch of leftovers and want to make them feel coherent, this versatile turmeric and tahini sauce is a great way to unite them into a single dish.

Ingredients in this Tahini-Based Turmeric Sauce

This decadent-yet-healthy tahini dressing uses just a few simple ingredients: tahini, turmeric, a dash of liquid sweetener, and some optional citrus juice (see the ideas below). Because of the short ingredient list, this drizzle comes together in just a couple minutes and all in one bowl. If you have tahini and maple syrup in the fridge and turmeric in the pantry (which you probably do anyways), you can stir together this drizzle at a moment's notice.

You'll see that the recipe is for a relatively small batch; that's because this versatile turmeric dressing is easy and fast to make and because you may want to use different citrus options depending on what else is on the menu. Accordingly, the recipe as written is enough for just a few portions. My preference is to mix up a small batch each time I want to use this drizzle, but you could make a larger batch and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for several days if you prefer.

Turmeric tahini dip in the middle of a veggie, cracker, and fruit snack plate
We love this golden turmeric sauce as a dip for veggies and crackers. To keep it as thick as possible, add a lot of turmeric and no/minimal citrus, plus no extra water at the end. Doesn't this look like the best weekend evening snacking plan?

Turmeric Tahini Sauce/Dressing/Dip Variations

One of the things I love most about this golden turmeric sauce is its versatility. There are four main ways you can vary it:

  1. Change the sweetener. Because turmeric has a strong flavor, adding a bit of natural sweetener to a turmeric dressing helps to balance it. As written, the recipe suggests using maple syrup but you could also use honey or date syrup. Feel free to omit the sweetener entirely if you're trying to avoid sugar, although note that the turmeric flavor will be more assertive.
  2. Change the citrus. If you feel like jazzing this tahini dressing up, adding some citrus juice creates a nice brightness and acidity. Lemon juice can create a Mediterranean vibe, lime juice can create a Mexican or tropical vibe, and orange juice can create an Asian vibe.
  3. Adjust the turmeric. Turmeric has a wonderful flavor, but it can be an acquired taste. If you're new to turmeric, I suggest starting small and then adding it incrementally. If you're a turmeric lover, taste and continue adding as much as you enjoy.
  4. Adjust the thickness. Based on how much liquid you add, this recipe can act as a dressing, a sauce, or a dip. Remember that the sweetener and citrus will both add liquid, but you can always add an extra dash of water at the end if you want it thinner.

Turmeric tahini sauce shown on a healthy salad
There's no better way to finish a bowl meal than with a creamy tahini dressing. You can use lemon, lime, orange, or no citrus at all in this recipe so that it matches whatever else is on your menu. My personal favorite is to add lime juice for a tropical vibe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here's what you'll need for this turmeric dressing recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

  • Tahini. Make sure to choose a smooth, creamy, subtle tahini. I'm a huge fan of Seeds of Collaboration; remember to use the code ROGUE to save 20% on your order.
  • Maple syrup. Feel free to use honey or date syrup instead, or omit the sweetener entirely. Don't try to use a granular sugar since it won't dissolve in the tahini.
  • Citrus juice. Optional, but if you want to jazz things up you could use lemon, lime, or orange juice.
  • Turmeric. Start small if you're new to this golden spice; it can be an acquired taste. Once you fall in love, feel free to add as much as you like to this turmeric sauce.

Beautifully colored tahini and turmeric sauce drizzled across a salad
Don't forget to invite this sunshine-hued turmeric sauce to brunch. It's a stand-out on a salad with greens, abundant fruit, nuts, and coconut. Who says brunch food has to be heavy and colorless?? Not me!

Closing Thoughts

Don't you just love everything about this golden drizzle? I hope this post shows you why we can't get enough of it. Thanks to its nourishing and pantry-friendly ingredients, plus the fact that it comes together in less than five minutes in one bowl and can be tweaked to match whatever else you're serving, there's no reason not to enjoy this as a sauce, dressing, or dip a couple times a week.

I'm so excited to see how you use my favorite drizzle. This tahini sauce is my everything and I'm confident you'll love it just as much. Make sure you bookmark this page, since I bet you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again.

Small bowl of turmeric tahini dressing shown in the middle of a bowl meal
Do you like your dressing right on the salad or on the side? With this tahini dressing, you can do either (or both!). Just thin it out with a tiny splash of water to reach your desired texture; it can become a thin drizzle, a thick rich drizzle, or a dippable centerpiece.

Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

Disclosure: Seeds of Collaboration is a long-term partner. I receive free product from Seeds of Collaboration and take a small commission on sales using the discount code. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Rogue Brussel Sprout running.

Turmeric Tahini Drizzle (Dressing, Sauce, and Dip)

Loaded with nourishing turmeric, this creamy golden elixir is THE go-to dressing, sauce, and dip in our house. Change it up to match whatever you're making by choosing the citrus, then put this tahini sauce on absolutely everything.

Author:
Lee

Ingredients

  • 0.25 c creamy tahini
  • 1-3 tsp maple syrup
  • 1-3 tsp citrus juice of choice (optional)
  • 0.25-0.5 tsp turmeric
  • Dash of water as needed

Instructions

  • In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, mix the tahini with 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp citrus juice (optional), and 0.25 tsp turmeric.
  • Taste and adjust as you see fit. You can add additional maple syrup for more sweetness, additional citrus for more zing, and/or additional turmeric for more color and more turmeric flavor.
  • After you achieve the flavor you like, keep adding very small dashes of water until you reach your desired texture. Don't worry if the sauce seizes up; this can happen because the fat in the tahini doesn't mix easily with water. Just keep stirring and adding more water until it smooths out.

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Please Share Your Thoughts!

Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.

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Lori Didier
March 3, 2024
This dressing/ dip is simply awesome. There are so few ingredients so it was super easy and quick, but more importantly I love the flavor balance and the rich, velvety texture. I’m having to stop myself from eating spoonful after spoonful right out of the bowl. I can see drizzling this on just about everything.