Rainbow Salad Tahini Dressing (Printable)

Colorful fresh vegetables combined with a creamy, tangy tahini dressing. A crisp, healthy option.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
02 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
03 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
04 - 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
05 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels, cooked or canned, drained
08 - 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
09 - 2 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, romaine)

→ Tahini Dressing

10 - 1/4 cup tahini
11 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
13 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
14 - 1 clove garlic, minced
15 - 2 to 3 tablespoons water to thin dressing
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
17 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Optional Toppings

18 - 2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, or mint)

# How To Make It:

01 - Slice, shred, and julienne all vegetables as specified and transfer to a large salad bowl.
02 - Combine tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding water gradually until the dressing is pourable.
03 - Pour the tahini dressing over the prepared vegetables and toss gently to coat evenly.
04 - Sprinkle toasted sunflower seeds and chopped fresh herbs over the salad if desired.
05 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes for enhanced crispness.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The tahini dressing is so good you'll want to drizzle it on everything in your kitchen.
  • It comes together in twenty minutes flat, which means you can have a colorful, satisfying meal without the usual salad-making fuss.
  • Every bite has a different color and texture, so it never feels boring no matter how many times you make it.
02 -
  • If your dressing breaks and looks separated, whisk in another splash of lemon juice or water and it'll come back together—tahini can be temperamental but it's always fixable.
  • Don't dress the salad more than an hour before serving unless you like it really soft, because the acidic dressing will slowly wilt the greens and that's a texture you probably didn't sign up for.
03 -
  • Make your dressing the day before if you can—the flavors meld overnight and it actually tastes better when it's had time to sit.
  • Toast your sunflower seeds yourself if you have the patience; store-bought are fine, but homemade taste fresher and that crunch will be noticeably better.
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