Ready within 10 minutes, this creamy and spicy tahini ranch is the perfect addition to your weekly meal prep. It’s made with simple ingredients and requires only a quick whisk to bring it together. Filled with zippy and zesty flavors, as well as fresh dill and chives, this lush sauce is a great companion to my kale sweet potato salad and vegan ranch slaw.
My love for tahini is boundless. Its potential for creamy sauces is key in the world of plant-based cooking. The spread made of ground sesame seeds is naturally nutty, a touch sweet, and a teeny bit bitter. Just so well-balanced on its own! I am also a lover of ranch dressing/dip, especially spicy variations. I knew that I could make this classic condiment work with wholesome tahini as my base.
Traditional ranch is made with buttermilk/sour cream (or both) and mayonnaise as the base. The dairy has a natural hint of sweetness and depth, and the mayonnaise is extra rich. I find that adding olive oil, Tamari, and agave nectar helps us get closer to those flavor profiles.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it simply needs a quick whisk in one bowl. No blender necessary! You can keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week–making it excellent for meal prep. The sauce will firm up a bit in the fridge, so I recommend stirring in a splash of water when you pull it out to eat.
Baked sweet potato fries are excellent dipped in this spicy tahini ranch recipe! Any crispy, roasted or even raw vegetable is great though.
Spicy Tahini Ranch
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon Tamari
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ – ⅓ cup cold water
Notes
- My favourite all-purpose hot sauce is Cholula. Use your personal favourite here!
- To sub fresh herbs with dried, I would take the amounts down to 1 teaspoon each.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, agave, hot sauce, Tamari, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, chives, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup water. Slowly whisk to combine. Speed up your whisking once everything is unified and creamy. If you need more water to loosen up the dressing, add it by the tablespoon and whisk it in.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning if necessary (more salt, hot sauce, lemon etc). The spicy tahini ranch will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week.
I made this on a whim. I usually can’t make a tahini dressing I truly love but this has changed everything.