Tahini Dressing

This is a pourable low-FODMAP tahini dressing that gets its savory depth from garlic-infused oil instead of garlic bulb, so you keep the flavor without the fructans.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 6

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60g) plain hulled tahini (sesame only, no added garlic or onion)
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 to 5 tablespoons (45 to 75ml) cold water, to thin
• Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped scallion or chive green tops
• Optional: pinch of ground cumin or sumac

Portion note: Monash lists 1 tablespoon (20g) of hulled tahini as a low-FODMAP serve. This recipe uses 1/4 cup (60g, about three serves) spread across 6 servings, so each portion stays near half a Monash serve. Keep to roughly 2 tablespoons of finished dressing per serving. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.

Instructions

Whisk the base

1. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic-infused oil, maple syrup, and salt to a small bowl or a jar.
2. Whisk hard, or seal and shake. The mixture will seize and turn thick and pasty at first. That is expected.

Thin to pourable

1. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition.
2. Keep going past the stiff stage. The dressing loosens suddenly and turns smooth and pourable, usually around 3 to 5 tablespoons of water total.
3. Stop when it coats the back of a spoon but still runs off the whisk in a steady stream.

Season and finish

1. Taste and adjust: more lemon for brightness, a little more salt for balance, or a few more drops of maple to round it out.
2. Stir in the scallion or chive green tops and a pinch of cumin or sumac, if using.
3. Serve over grain bowls, roasted vegetables, salads, or grilled protein.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use scallion or chive green tops for onion flavor. Only the green parts are low-FODMAP. Leave out the white bulb, which is high in fructans.
• Push past the thick stage. Tahini tightens before it loosens, so keep adding water a little at a time instead of assuming you added too much lemon.
• Swap lemon for lime. An equal amount works, and both are low-FODMAP in standard serves. Bottled juice is fine if it is 100 percent juice.
• Keep the sweetener simple. Maple syrup, or a pinch of white or cane sugar, both stay low-FODMAP. Skip honey and agave, which are high in excess fructose.
• Read the tahini label. Choose plain hulled sesame tahini and avoid blends that add garlic, onion, or "natural flavors" that could hide them.
• Add dried spice for depth. A pinch of cumin, sumac, or smoked paprika lifts the dressing without needing onion or garlic powder.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without the fructans. Fructans are not oil-soluble, so garlic-infused oil carries the taste while the FODMAPs stay behind in the discarded solids.
• Tahini stays within a tested serve. Monash lists 1 tablespoon (20g) of hulled tahini as low-FODMAP, and dividing 1/4 cup across six servings keeps each portion under that limit.
• Maple instead of honey. Maple syrup is low-FODMAP in a standard serve, while honey is high in excess fructose and would push the dressing out of range.
• Made from scratch, not bottled. Store-bought tahini dressings often list garlic or onion powder near the top of the ingredients, so mixing your own keeps those out entirely.

Storage

Keep the dressing in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. It thickens as it chills, so whisk in a teaspoon or two of cold water to bring it back to pouring consistency before serving. Freezing is not recommended, since the emulsion separates and turns grainy once thawed. Give the jar a shake before each use, as a little oil may rise to the top.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.