Tahini Ranch Dressing

Recipe from Julia Goldberg

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Tahini Ranch Dressing
Davide Luciano for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Gozde Eker.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(842)
Comments
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This ranch-dressing adaptation comes from Julia Goldberg, a cook at Superiority Burger, Brooks Headley's vegetarian fast-food restaurant in New York. While traditional ranch relies on buttermilk and mayonnaise for its creaminess, the base in this version is tahini, or sesame butter, mixed with lemon juice and water until it turns smooth and glossy. Maple syrup and a generous amount of salt are crucial to mimicking the intense salty-sweetness of bottled ranch. The thick herb-packed sauce can be used as a versatile dressing for raw or grilled lettuces, a dip for crudités or a tangy sauce for grilled meat. After hours at Superiority Burger, the cooks like to experiment, drizzling it over oven-browned potatoes, or folding it into burritos. The recipe makes enough so that you can experiment with leftovers, too. —Tejal Rao

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Ingredients

Yield:2 cups
  • 1cup smooth liquid tahini (like Soom)
  • ½cup lemon juice
  • ½cup water
  • ½teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1cup finely chopped dill, chives and parsley, in equal parts
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

432 calories; 36 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 15 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 380 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix the tahini with lemon juice. The mixture will seize and thicken, and look alarmingly close to creamed butter and sugar. Don’t worry about this. Gradually add water, and keep mixing; the tahini will soon turn pale, smooth and creamy.

  2. Step 2

    Add garlic powder, maple syrup and olive oil, and taste. Season with salt and pepper (the dressing could use at least a teaspoon of salt). Finally, mix in the herbs. The dressing is ready to use right away, though it will taste even better the following day and will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
842 user ratings
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Comments

zizi-k

What is "smooth liquid tahini"?
What if you have just "regular" tahini?

Arlin138

Just don't mistake this for low-fat dressing. Tahini is almost entirely fat: 1418 calories in 1 cup, which includes 1145 calories from fat.

If you divide the 1145 fat calories by 16, there are about 72 fat calories in a 2-tablespoon serving.

Maggie

Soom tahini is one of the better brands on the market. It's not a solid rock like the commonly found Joyva. It's nice and smooth. There's no need to refrigerate it. And, if you store it upside down (on a dish just in case it leaks), the oil doesn't separate. Incidentally, peanut butter should be stored upside down as well, and you'll never have the oil rise to the top.
You can thank me later.

Adrienne

I like it but yeah, it’s nothing like ranch. I drizzled it over an iceberg wedge and had homemade French fries on the side. I really liked the smoothness of it before I added the herbs and not sure they made much of a taste difference. I think crudite would be best. I’ll make it again.

Laurel

Delicious dressing. I did use the mini food processor to blend it more. I used more lemon juice, and would use a bit less maple syrup.

Danette

So good! Used fresh garlic and whatever herbs I could find. Halved the maple syrup.

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Credits

Adapted from Julia Goldberg

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