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5.0 from 15 votes

Tomato Cucumber Tahini Salad

This Middle Eastern tahini salad is a refreshing salad with creamy tahini dressing. Serve it as a side salad or part of a mezze spread, or scoop it into pita pockets for an easy lunch.

Prep Time
15 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 6 side servings
Course: Side Dish , Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Middle Eastern

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cubed tomatoes, about 4 medium-sized Roma tomatoes
  • 2 cups cubed cucumber, about 1 English cucumber
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, to serve (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or more to serve (optional)
Lemon tahini dressing
  • ¼ cup Tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • pinch of ground cumin

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large salad bowl, combine the cubed tomato, cucumber, and red onion with ½ teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper.
  2. Whisk together all the lemon tahini dressing ingredients in a small bowl. The mixture will seize up and then loosen as you continue to whisk. Add salt to taste – I add roughly a ¼ teaspoon. The dressing should be nice and thick.
  3. Pour the tahini sauce over the salad and mix well to combine. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes for the flavours to meld.
  4. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice or salt as needed. Transfer to a salad bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper flakes.

Notes

  • To cube the cucumber, I quarter it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and cut it into cubes.
  • Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • See the full blog post for more information on ingredients and substitutes, step-by-step instructions (with images), and serving suggestions.