This Annie’s Goddess Dressing Copycat recipe is tangy, rich and full of nutty flavor, even better than store-bought. And so easy! Plus, it combines the earthiness of tahini with the tartness of lemon and vinegar and just the right amount of garlic.
Make this dressing thick to coat the greens or thin it just a bit for easy pouring.
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Table of contents
Don’t confuse this Annie's Tahini Goddess dressing with Green Goddess. The Palace Hotel of San Francisco created Green Goddess dressing for actor George Arliss when he was performing in the play “The Green Goddess”. That dressing gets its color from the large quantity of fresh green herbs that are blended with mayonnaise, sour cream, or both.
Annie’s vegan tahini Goddess dressing is a completely different critter. It’s golden-brown in color, for one, because of the creamy tahini at its base, and contains no eggs or dairy. It has marvelous umami flavors that burst on the tongue without overwhelming a green salad.
Why we love this Annie's goddess copycat salad dressing
One thing I love about this recipe is that you can whiz up this dressing in the food processor for a quick weeknight recipe.
Plus, I save money by making it. Bottled salad dressings - especially Paleo-friendly ones - have become so expensive that being able to make my own allows me to enjoy this copycat goddess dressing often.
Chosen brand's Paleo version of this dressing, called Earth Goddess, can cost $7 per 8-ounce bottle, and even more than that in Hawaii! The same amount of this homemade dressing costs less than half that much.
For this dressing I have most of the ingredients on hand as refrigerator or pantry staples, and really only need to remember to have a lemon and fresh parsley in my fridge. And I think it's one of the most flavorful homemade salad dressings in my recipe box, a perfect combination of tastes.
And, I can customize the dressing depending on the salads we have most often. If it’s mostly green salads I will focus on enough salty tartness to balance the bitterness of the greens. If we’ll have other salty toppings like seasoned nuts, I can back off on the salt in the dressing. I can use less garlic for anyone who prefers it, and focus on non-GMO ingredients.
What you will need for Annie's Tahini Goddess Dressing
- Tahini, or sesame paste, the foundation of this dressing, is simply sesame seeds ground into a paste - we use creamy, organic, non-GMO Once Again brand. In a pinch we’ve also used Joyva brand as it is more likely to be available at a grocery store, though not organic.
- Tamari (for gluten-free) or coconut aminos, giving a salty, umami flavor
- Organic Apple cider vinegar, added for tartness
- Lemon juice, for tartness and lemon flavor
- Good olive oil, which should be a grassy green and have a pungent aroma of olives
- Fresh cloves of garlic or garlic granules in a pinch
- Fresh parsley is best, but dried will work if that is what you have; chopped chives are great in this too if you'd like a blend of fresh herbs
- Pink sea salt, our favorite salt
How does this list compare with Annie's? Purchased Annie’s goddess dressing is vegan and contains wheat, soy and sesame:
Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Water, Tahini (Toasted Sesame Seed Paste), Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Lemon Juice Concentrate, Sea Salt, Dried Garlic, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Dried Parsley, Dried Chives, Xanthan Gum, Rice Bran Extract.
Steps in making Annie's Tahini Goddess Dressing
- This is really the simplest recipe ever! Just measure all the ingredients into the food processor and let ‘er rip until the garlic is finely chopped.
- Though I have shown my larger food processor here, a small one will work too, though the volume of dressing is right at the upper limit of the capacity of my smallest Cuisinart that came with my stick blender. With the larger processor you have to be careful that all the garlic chunks get chopped fine, as they can hide under the blades.
- To make this dressing without a food processor, mince your parsley and press your garlic. Then combine all the ingredients with a whisk.
Goddess Dressing Variations
Sesame paste is the foundation of this dressing, though you could try it with sunflower butter. If you can tolerate nuts, cashew butter or almond butter will give a similar texture.
To make this recipe soy-free, use coconut aminos instead of tamari as your gluten-free alternative. If you can tolerate wheat, substitute soy sauce.
You could substitute lemon juice concentrate for the lemon juice but the fresh juice tastes better.
Use dried herbs instead of fresh parsley and/or chives.
Use garlic powder or granules instead of pressed fresh garlic.
Sea salt instead of pink Redmond salt
Annie's Tahini Goddess Dressing FAQ
If kept refrigerated, it should last three weeks according to this site.
It depends on how you are eating. Two tablespoons of this dressing will add 11.5 g of fats (in the form of oils from the olive and sesame), 4 g of carbs and 342 mg of sodium to your salad. There is no cholesterol, as the ingredients are plant-based.
Tahini is a key ingredient in traditional hummus recipes - I've listed several recipes for hummus on this blog like Garlicky Spinach Hummus and others - see below for more links.
There are three. Vinaigrette, which is an emulsion of oil and vinegar with herbs and other seasonings; Creamy dressings, often mayonnaise-based; or cooked dressings like hollandaise. This tahini-based dressing falls into the creamy dressing category.
Best tools for making Annie's Goddess Copycat Salad Dressing
I will be sharing this recipe on Fiesta Friday!
Want more GF and Paleo recipes? Try these!
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Annie’s Goddess Dressing Copycat - Gluten-and-Dairy-free
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini sesame seed paste, such as Once Again unsweetened creamy tahini
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 medium lemon
- 2-3 teaspoons fresh garlic about 2-3 cloves, pressed or chopped, see note
- ½ teaspoon Redmond's pink salt
- Water if needed about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the food processor.
- Blend for 1 minute or so, or until all the garlic has been chopped into fine bits.
Notes
- Tahini paste can vary quite a bit in flavor depending on the brand. Some are quite bitter, but we have had good results with Once Again brand.
- Be sure to stir the tahini well once you open it, and keep tahini in the refrigerator after opening.
- To make this dressing without a food processor, use finely minced parsley and pressed garlic. Combine the ingredients with a whisk or spoon until smooth.
- The amount of salt you use will depend on the saltiness of the tamari or coconut aminos you use. Adjust the amount of salt to taste, starting with ¼ teaspoon if you’re not sure.
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing, depending on how much water you add, and one serving is 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition
You may also like:
Marinated 2-Bean and Green Salad
Roasted Delicata Squash and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Baba Ghanoush Dip and Salad Dressing
About Beth
From learning to cook at the age of 13 to teaching food chemistry to high school students, I love preparing and sharing new and familiar dishes. Whether it’s baking, sauteing or making a salad from farmer's market finds, food gets my creativity going. Enjoy my recipes on A Meal In Mind!
Colleen
I am a big fan of tahini, and this dressing looks so creamy and delicious. I plan to make it this weekend as a dip and I know it will be a hit. Thanks for sharing!
Beth
Using this tahini dressing as a dip is a perfect way to enjoy it, I hope it turns out great!
Kay
This is really good! Thank you. Wish there were a "lite" version.
Beth
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I've looked at the dressing to see if it could be made lighter. Since it's already so low in carbohydrate you can't reduce that. The only way you could make it a bit lighter is to substitute some of the olive oil with water. But unfortunately that would reduce the thickness and the flavor. Also, I have come to consider unheated olive oil a healthy part of what I eat. Sorry not to be more helpful!
veenaazmanov
Yummy combination to making this dressing. Definitely need to give it a try. Thanks
Beth
The goddess dressing is so easy, too. I hope you love it.
Dennis Littley
I've been trying to eat healthier and your Goddess dressing was a delicious way to do that. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Beth
Thanks, Dennis, this goddess dressing has quickly become our favorite since it's so good.
Lucy
I work at a local university in the catering department. We have tons of requests daily for different types of dietary needs. This amazing dressing hits a lot of them. It was a huge hit at a woman's conference we recently hosted. Thank you so much for this recipe it was the subject of the week! I will be using it often for other functions.
Beth
I am so glad to hear that this dressing worked out so well for your catering needs! I appreciate the great rating and comment!
Marisa Franca
I made this dressing for our family gathering and I had to hurry and make another batch. Everyone was going at it with their veggies like there's no tomorrow. The dressing was delicious - it was going so fast I thought someone was drinking it. This recipe is a keeper.
Beth
I'm so glad your family enjoyed this goddess dressing! We always have to make a double batch, too.
Mikayla
Checking my cupboards and I was pleased to see I had all the ingredients for this dressing, I always prefer homemade. Thanks for the new dressing to add to my repertoire.
Beth
I'm so glad you enjoyed the dressing, we love being able to make our own.
Aya
This tahini sauce was so easy to make and I loved the umami flavors! I’m so obsessed with the sauce that I started including it in my sandwiches! It pairs well with baked falafel as well!
Erin
This dressing was amazing! I'm so glad I tried it. It was a hit with everyone!
Alex
I'd never had goddess dressing but tried this and it didn't disappoint! Soooo good. We all thought it was fantastic!
Loreto and Nicoletta
Love this Goddess dressing. Not a big fan of store bought. Like to do our own! What great flavor notes tahini, apple cider vinegar, this would definitely brighten any salad or veggie!😋🥰
Beth
Yes, there is something so tempting about this flavor combination, for sure. And I'm so glad this recipe comes out close to the taste of Annie's!
Amy Liu Dong
I have never tried to make this kind of dressing but and it looks delicious and easy. I am gonna try to make this on the weekend.
Beth
It's such a good and tasty dressing, I hope you love it.
Heather
This is a new favorite. Tastes like Annies Goddess but better! Thank you!
Beth
Thanks so much, Heather. Isn't it tasty? You are welcome.
Harmony
Just wondering if the nutrition info is for the entire batch or just maybe a tbsp??
Beth
Hi, Harmony, that is a good question and I have clarified it in the post as well. The recipe makes about 1 cup, depending on how much water is added. A serving is one-eighth of that or about 2 tablespoons and that is what the nutrition calculation is based on.