Spinach Salad with Tahini Dressing
This spring spinach salad with tahini dressing is a fresh, raw, plant-based salad that comes together in minutes: tender spinach, peppery radishes, ramps and scallions, all tossed in a creamy hemp oil and tahini dressing with lemon. It is light enough for a side but satisfying enough to be a quick lunch, and it is the kind of salad that makes you reach for seconds.
I will be honest with you: I never thought spinach salads would be so good! Because of my recent detox diet, I started experimenting with new salad and dressing recipes, and that is when I discovered that I absolutely love hemp oil and tahini. In this case, I combined the two ingredients and made an amazing tahini dressing that turns a simple bowl of greens into something I actually crave.
The ingredients that make this salad sing
This is a short ingredient list, so each one matters. Use fresh, young spinach with no tough stems, since this salad is served raw and you want the leaves tender. Radishes bring that crisp, peppery bite and a pop of color, so slice them thin. Ramps are a fleeting spring treat with a mild garlic-onion flavor; if you cannot find them, lean on the scallions, which add the same gentle allium note. For the seeds, I used a mix of pine, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds for crunch and a little staying power.
The dressing is where the magic happens. Cold-pressed hemp oil has a nutty, grassy flavor that pairs beautifully with tahini, and the lemon juice cuts through the richness while loosening everything into a pourable consistency. If you do not have hemp oil, extra-virgin olive oil works in its place. Keep a little water nearby to thin the dressing if it sets up too thick.
How to get it right
Rinse the greens and veggies well and dry them thoroughly before assembling. Wet leaves dilute the dressing and keep it from clinging, so a salad spinner or a clean towel makes a real difference here. Whisk the dressing ingredients together first and taste it on its own, adjusting the lemon and salt until it is bright and balanced, then add water a teaspoon at a time only if it is too thick to coat a leaf.
The single most important tip: add the dressing only right before serving. Tahini and oil will wilt and weigh down delicate spinach if they sit too long, so toss at the last moment and scatter the seeds on top so they stay crunchy.
Why the hemp oil and tahini dressing works
Tahini is essentially ground sesame seeds, so it is naturally thick and emulsifying. When you whisk it with hemp oil and acidic lemon juice, the tahini helps bind the oil and water-based juice into a smooth, creamy emulsion that coats the leaves instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. That is also why a splash of water can rescue an over-thick dressing: it gives the tahini enough liquid to relax into a silky, spoonable texture.
What to serve it with
This salad is a natural side for almost any spring meal, and it is right at home next to other fresh plates like my spring detox salad or a delicate spring watercress salad. If you want to turn it into a fuller meal, pair it with something heartier such as a slice of vegan spanakopita, and if you fall for that tahini dressing the way I did, you will find plenty more ideas in my roundup of vegan salad dressings.
Make-ahead and storage
This salad is best eaten fresh, but you can absolutely prep ahead. Wash and chop the spinach, radishes, ramps, and scallions, then store the dry greens in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. The dressing keeps well on its own in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for about three to four days; just give it a good shake and thin it with a little water before using, since tahini firms up when cold. Keep the seeds in a separate dry container so they stay crisp, and only combine the greens, dressing, and seeds right before you serve.
If you make this spring spinach salad, I would love to know how that hemp oil and tahini dressing won you over — leave a rating and drop a comment below with your favorite seed mix or any little tweak you made.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Spring Spinach Salad with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cups spinach chopped
- 6 radishes sliced
- 1 cup ramps chopped
- ½ cup scallions chopped
- 2 Tbsps raw seeds of choice (I used pine, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds)
Dressing:
- 4 Tbsps cold-pressed hemp oil you can use extra-virgin olive oil if you don’t have hemp oil
- 1 lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsps tahini
- some water only if the dressing is too thick
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Add all ingredients together and mix well.
- Rinse well and chop the greens and veggies. Mix them together. Serve with seeds on top.
- Add dressing only right before serving the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every ingredient is plant-based: spinach, radishes, ramps, scallions, raw seeds, cold-pressed hemp oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and tahini. There is no dairy, egg, or honey, so the salad and its dressing are fully vegan.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the easiest swap and works well in this dressing. Hemp oil has a nuttier, grassier flavor, so the taste will be a little different, but the creamy texture from the tahini and lemon stays the same.
Yes. Whisk it together and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge for about three to four days. Tahini firms up when cold, so give it a shake and thin it with a teaspoon or two of water before dressing the salad.
Ramps are a short-lived spring green with a mild garlic-onion flavor. If they are out of season or unavailable, lean on the scallions already in the recipe, or add a little fresh chopped garlic or chives to mimic that gentle allium note.
Tahini and oil will wilt and weigh down delicate spinach if they sit on the leaves too long. Tossing at the last minute keeps the greens crisp and the seeds crunchy, so the salad tastes fresh rather than soggy.
I used a mix of raw pine, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds for crunch and a little extra substance. Any raw seeds you like will work; lightly toasting them first deepens the flavor if you have a minute to spare.
This dressing is EVERYTHING! I added it to many different recipes and it’s perfect every time. I love it!!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Gorgeous salad! Your pictures are stunning and those tomatoes look so yummy! 🙂
Thanks Heidi! Glad you like it 😀