dip

PREP SAUCE SUNDAY: VEGAN TAHINI YOGURT SAUCE /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

sunday greetings, and happy august!

we’re coming in hot with my forever go-to sauce, vegan tahini yogurt! it is literally the “mother sauce” in our house. over the years of making this in conjunction with a variety of recipes on my blog, i have gotten the most questions on this one. mostly about how to create a flavor and texture similar to a traditional, dairy-based tahini yogurt, what brands to use, how to store tahini, and what to use tahini yogurt for. sit tight, we’re going to talk all about it.

because there are so few ingredients in this sauce, we want to make sure each one is the very best for the ultimate flavor and texture. here are a few suggestions for making a vegan tahini yogurt sauce that’s a total knock out.

yogurt -

traditional tahini yogurt is made with thick greek (or greek-style) yogurt. plant-based yogurt tends to be inherently thinner in consistency. but we use an almond-based, greek-style yogurt that achieves a traditional thickness and texture to dairy-based greek yogurt. i’ve tried countless plant-based yogurts over the years, and this one (by far) provides the best base for this sauce.

tahini -

the other deal breaker is good tahini. when looking for tahini, we look for one that hasn’t separated (with the oil on top, and the paste on the bottom). a few of my favorites include: soom, seed and mill, al wadi, roland, and whole foods’ 365 tahini. with a little shake and stir, your tahini should be smooth and good to go. i prefer to store my tahini in the pantry, but if you live in a moist climate, then i would suggest storing it in the refrigerator.

up the ratio -

even with a plant-based yogurt that’s thicker than most, we still need to fill it out a bit more. while typically there’s a smaller ratio of tahini to yogurt, we use a 1:4 ratio of tahini to yogurt. this gives the sauce a bit more flavor and sturdier consistency.

mellow that garlic -

we mellow the garlic in the lemon juice first. this softens the garlic a bit, and takes away that punchy, spiciness that can overpower a sauce like this.

what to use tahini yogurt for -

we love this in and on everything, truly. layer it on flatbread (or pita) with fresh sliced tomatoes, olive oil drizzle, salt & pepper. you could add a good plop to a bowl, or thick toast, and shower it with roasted or fresh vegetables. serve it alongside skewered poultry or fish for a cooling drizzle. serve it in a bowl garnished with spices and olive oil as a dip for sliced vegetables and grilled bread. the options are limitless.

big hugs, and i hope you find some inspiration with this recipe! ❤️

tahini yogurt sauce | v

| makes 1 heaping cup |

print the recipe

method

  1. in a mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice and garlic. let it sit for roughly 1 minute. this makes the garlic a little less spicy and punchy.

  2. whisk in the yogurt, 3 tablespoons tahini, and salt. give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, adding an additional tablespoon of tahini, or more salt and/or lemon juice.

  3. pour the sauce into lidded jar, and store in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane or very finely minced

  • 1 cup unsweetened greek-style kite hill yogurt (this one)

  • 3-4 tablespoons tahini paste

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING (VEGAN) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

if there was ever a universal sauce, green goddess dressing is it! while this isn’t an exclusively “summer” sauce, i love it best during the hot summer months. the yogurt, and fresh herbs lend a cooling vibe to each and every meal it graces. it’s creamy, yet light, and adds so much flavor, while not being overpowering. there are quite a lot of vegan green goddess versions out there in grocery stores and the internet, but nothing compares to a homemade version with your designated mix of herbs and seasonings; and most importantly: no weird emulsifiers or additives (as many bottled brands can have, unfortunately).

if you’re familiar with a lot of the creamy recipes on this site, then you’re used to me referencing this greek-style plant-based yogurt that i love for just about everything from making vegan labneh, yogurt-tahini, and this vegan caesar dressing. while you can use your preferred yogurt of choice, i lean on that greek-style yogurt once again here. to it, we add a whole bunch of fresh summer herbs, and squeezes of tart lemon juice. and in leui of anchovies, we coconut aminos (of miso paste) for a bit of umami flavor. it’s essentially a super simple list of ingredients for what results in a powerful little dressing that also qualifies as a sauce and dip.

a few things i love using it for (in no particular order):

  • used as a sauce over vegetable, chicken, or fish kebabs

  • mixed into a potato salad instead of a traditional mayonnaise base

  • drizzled over your favorite green salad or a wedge salad situation

  • used as a dip for fresh cut vegetables and grilled (or toasted) bread

  • a dip for roasted or grilled sweet potato wedges

  • slather it over bread and make a green goddess sandwich

  • or use it as a dressing for a cold, green goddess pasta salad

sky’s the limit! xo!

green goddess dressing | v

| makes 1 1/4 cups |

print the recipe

method:

  1. in the cup of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, tahini, vinegar, mustard, capers, and yogurt; season with salt and pepper. blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container. taste and add more vinegar, and/or salt & pepper if necessary and blend once again.

  2. once the dressing is to your liking, transfer to a lidded bottle or jar and store in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives

  • 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste

  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon capers, drained

  • 10 ounces unsweetened plant-based yogurt (preferably greek-style, like this one)

  • salt and fresh ground pepper

WHIPPED TAHINI SAUCE /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i’ve been waiting quite a while to post this recipe. i was most familiar with tahini as an ingredient in hummus. my mom would buy it at the health food store a few times a year when she would whip up hummus. but aside from that, we never used tahini in our house. until i went dairy free years ago. since then, it’s been an all-time favorite ingredient of mine (if you do a quick search on my site, a plethora of recipes will pop up!). it’s that kind of pantry staple that lends depth, flavor, and creaminess in just about any and every dish you could imagine. be it salad dressings, soups, drizzled on your favorite mains and salads, tahini is a rich and satisfying partner to whatever it is you’re preparing regardless of whether you’re whipping it or not.

add that tahini with a few other basic ingredients to a food processor, and you’ve got yourself the smoothest and frothiest sauce to spread, drizzle, and add to all the things. you can serve this dip/sauce immediately after you make it, which will be a bit on the warm side from the motor of your food processor. or, you could store it in your fridge and serve it within 5-7 days. this obviously will result with a colder sauce/dip, and will have seized a bit and have a thicker consistency. this is completely normal and great to serve as a dip. but, if you would like it to be thinner and more on the drizzling side of spectrum, just whisk a bit of water in a little at a time to get your desired consistency - don’t forget to taste it after and season the tahini if need be, the water can dilute it, especially if you add enough.

this is the kind of sauce that elevates any dish really - it turns bland grilled chicken is completely different meal. it magically makes roasted veggies more appealing, or a salad more creamy and exciting. whatever random (or non random) meals or ingredients you have in your fridge, whipped tahini will 100% make them more satisfying - promise!

also! we’ve started a hashtag! if you make any of the sauces from this sunday series, you can hashtag them on instagram with: #prepsaucesunday so we can all share in the fun, and hopefully get even more ideas on how we’re using these sauces throughout the week!

xo!!

whipped tahini sauce

| makes roughly 2 cups |

print the recipe

method

  1. place the tahini, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt into the container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade. with the engine running, drizzle in the cold water 1/3 cup at a time until you have reached your desired consistency. for me, this usually takes about 1 cup of water to achieve a frothy, light sauce. if you want it on the thicker side, do not add as much water.

  2. taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic, lemon juice, and/or salt. store whipped tahini sauce in an airtight jar or container in your refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.

ingredients

  • 1 cup tahini paste

  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup - 1 cup cold water