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Brian was experimenting with some Brussels sprouts last week and he put together a quick dressing for them. When I tasted it, I knew we had to do a separate video for the dressing. If you are looking for a slightly sweet, tangy, smoky dressing – this is it! When I first tried it, it reminded me of a honey mustard… except without the honey OR the mustard 🤔
The best part is, this recipe uses a very simple list of ingredients and takes barely any effort to make! And of course, it is vegan and free from any added oil, refined sugars, etc.
Medjool dates add a nice sweetness, while the lemon juice gives that tangy kick. The tahini comes in and balances out all of the flavors and then you get a nice hit of smokiness from the liquid smoke.
This recipe is very customizable, so you can add more or less of any of the ingredients if you want it sweeter, less tangy, etc.
While you could use any blender, a nice high speed one like a Vitamix is going to completely incorporate the dates and leave you with a very smooth dressing.
Check out the video here and get the full recipe below.
Brian’s Sweet & Smoky All-Purpose Dressing
Ingredients
- – 3 to 4 pitted Medjool dates (about 60g)
- – 1/2 cup water
- – 1/2 cup lemon juice
- – 2 Tbsp tahini (32g)
- – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- – 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Directions
- Place all of the ingredients into a high speed blender.
- Blend until dates are completely incorporated, about 60 seconds.
- Pour into a container and store in refrigerator for up to one week.
*Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups.
*For a smaller 1/4 batch, combine 1 pitted Medjool date, 2 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp tahini and 5 drops of liquid smoke into a small blender/bullet. This won’t work in a larger blender because there won’t be enough to blend. When making a 1/4 batch we use the 8oz blending cups that work with our Ascent Series Vitamix. Please note that these cups ONLY work with Ascent Series blenders.
We made a nice salad with butter lettuce, bell peppers, red onion, zucchini, carrots and banana peppers. The sweet & smoky dressing was a perfect compliment to the salad.
In our next video, we will show you how we roast Brussels sprouts in our air fryer (and oven). Paired with this dressing, it is an absolutely delicious combination!
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The flavor of this dressing makes me think of bacon. Really tasty—so glad you discovered this.
Hi Jessica and Brian,
I have to tell you I’m so excited. I made this recipe tonight and it is so delicious. I can’t wait to put it on my salad. I also did something different and made a 2nd batch, but changed things up a bit. In the 2nd batch, I omitted the liquid smoke, and instead of tahini I put in almond butter…and oh my gosh it’s so fantastic. I will have enough dressing to last me a bit, but this recipe is so easy and soooo good! Thank you both for all you do!
Thanks Ellie!
Hey guys! I want to make the salad dressing and I’m wondering what the calories would be per serving. Thanks! Love the content
Hi Nicole! We don’t count calories, so I am not sure, but I will try to calculate it next time we make it and let you know!!
Thank you for the recipe for the salad dressing and for your video!
I have an actually used it on salad yet.
But I did use some as a cold pasta salad with some legume pasta and oven roasted zucchini cubes.
With some cracked pepper on top.
It was really delicious!
And also, thank you for mentioning the healthspan solution cookbook And having a link for it!
I bought it and indeed it looks wonderful and I am going to try some thing out of it today!
Question:For some uses with this dressing, I would love for it to be a bit thicker. I think he may be a little bit of oat flour?
But I don’t want to change the taste of it if I can help it.
I have a sensitivity to cashews so that’s a no go for me.
Thanks again!
Hi Leslie! That pasta salad sounds great! We will have to try that out 🙂 As far as thickening the dressing, you could try using less lemon juice or adding a bit more tahini. I am not sure about the oat flour… it might work but could change the flavor a bit!
Hi Brian, I love this dressing!! My husband isn’t a fan of liquid smoke and in one of your videos you mention substituting smoked paprika. How much of that should I use in this recipe?? Thanks.
Hello! Brian used 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika in place of the liquid smoke!
Just made this dressing with Meyer lemons from my yard, and added a little bit of fresh ground black pepper. So delicious! Thanks!!
This recipe was amazing! I never liked brussel sprouts as a child, but after watching your video I decided to give it a try. I could not believe how good they were with the dressing! I even liked them cold! I now love brussel sprouts! Thank you so much for being an inspiration! God bless you! Xoxo ❤
Hi Jessica and Brian,
Brian mentioned in a video that he substituted smoked paprika for the liquid smoke, so I was wondering what amount of smoked paprika he used. I’ve been holding off on buying liquid smoke but already have smoked paprika and had wondered if that might be a good substitution. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Dee – Brian used 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika in place of the liquid smoke!
I just tried this recipe. It is so delicious ever I think. My children like this so much. I like oily food, so I use a little bit more oil than your specifications.
There is no oil in this dressing?
Is there any substitute for the dates? I cant seem to find any in stock at the stores near me and do not have any on hand but would love to try this out today. Could honey be used? Or are the dates used for more than sweetener?
You can use maple syrup, raisins, or honey if you aren’t vegan. 🙂
This is so amazing. I added a touch of lemon zest with my fresh lemon juice. I didn’t have any tahini so added 2 TBSP of raw sesame seeds. No salt was needed!! It’s fantastic. Thanks, Brian!! (my Brussels Sprouts are in the oven now–I’m excited for lunch!!)
I am in love with this dressing!
If you don’t have liquid smoke around and you use the salt, you can use smoked salt instead of regular. A little goes a long way.
This dressing is a total game changer for me. I just LOVE it and never get tired of it. Thank you!
I just happened upon your videos on youtube last night. So glad I found you. Watched you both make several recipes and what I saw made me subscribe. Everything looked delicious and healthy. This afternoon I made the tahini dressing. Can’t wait to eat my salad at dinner tonight. Thanks for all the recipes, tips and tricks. You are both very inspiring.
p.s. I didn’t have dates in the house but did have pitted prunes so I used them. I just had to make this dressing (tastes delicious with this substitute as well). But I plan on using dates next time.
I always come back to this recipe!
Really should print it out 😉
Miss you guys
Hope you are doing well. ❤️
Omg! I love this so much. I had no found a dressing I liked until now. Thank you both