Creamy Vegan Bbq Ranch Dressing
This creamy oil-free ranch tastes good with just about anything. That baked cauliflower wings we just talked about? Dip these babies in there!
In the mood for burritos, tacos or any type of salad? Make this cashew-based ranch, perfectly flavored to be really addictive and have you eat your veggies without a problem.
Tahini Caper Salad Dressing
The Spruce / Miri Rotkovitz
If you’ve never tried cooking with capers, try mixing up this tahini caper salad dressing. Capers have a briny, salty flavor that pairs beautifully with creamy, nutty tahini and bright lemon juice. Toss this dressing with greens or a grain-based dish for a different twist.
Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinaigrette
6-pack, 12 fl oz each
Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinaigrette has a low nutritional value, has little to no processing, and is estimated to have a very low carbon footprint and a very low water footprint.
Allergen info:Contains 0 known allergens.
Ingredients: purified water, organic apple cider vinegar, organic apple juice concentrate, organic onion, organic black pepper, natural xanthan.
- 90/100 GreenScore® rating
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Lime Agave Salad Dressing
The Spruce Eats / Emily Hawkes
For a Mexican-inspired salad dressing, give this lime and agave version a shot. All of these ingredients are vegan, gluten-free, and can suit a raw diet if the agave and olive oil are cold-processed. You can swap out the agave for honey, but know that many vegans avoid honey.
Give Your Greens Extra Zip

The Spruce
You don’t have to relegate yourself to a sad desk salad when trying to eat more greens. In addition to stacking your bowl with lots of colors, flavors, and textures, don’t forget the all-important dressing. Bottled salad dressing can get dull and doesn’t taste as fresh as the homemade kind. If you’ve never tried making your own, you may be surprised how easy it is. Try some of these vegan salad dressing recipes to give your salad extra zip.
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How To Make Oil Free Salad Dressing
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
Source: Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
Lemons are one of the best ingredients to use when making a low-cal, nutrient-dense dressing. They are rich in a tangy, refreshing flavor and also offer many health benefits, especially to the liver. This dressing also adds a full flavor profile from the garlic and creamy cashew butter used. You can also use tahini or even almond butter in place of cashew butter, or for a low-fat version, stick with some simple almond or soy milk instead.
Creamy Vegan Salad Dressing
If youre looking for a vegan salad dressing, this one is it! This is a creamy, honey-mustard style dressing that is super easy to make and tastes incredible. Use it as a salad dressing or dipping sauce!
The dressing makes the salad. Its as simple as that. You can have the most incredible fixings making up your salad, but with a bland salad dressing, its no good.
On the other hand, you can put a tasty dressing on any vegetables and BOOMyouve got yourself a winner.
Thats definitely the case with this Creamy Vegan Salad Dressing.
It really doesnt matter what salad you put this dressing on, itll be better. But if you have an incredible salad to start withoh baby!
Its so easy to make this homemade vegan salad dressing and it makes enough so you can use it all week long on all things! Not only is this a tasty salad dressing, but it could be a great dipping sauce or sauce for whatever youre making. Youre going to LOVE this.
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Choose A Liquid For Thinning The Dressing
Finally, youd need to add some extra liquid into your oil-free salad dressing if you choose a quite thick base. For example, think of legumes, nut butters, avocado, miso, and starchy veggies. On the other hand, should you choose to make a yogurt-based dressing, you most probably dont need to add anything to make it thinner. Heres what you can use:
- Broth . However, broth is not recommended in fruit or berry-based salad dressings.
- Fruit and vegetable juices .
How much liquids should you add?
Its simple really pour in enough for desired consistency! Some people prefer thicker and others thinner salad dressings. However, here are some tips you can bare in mind:
- Starchy vegetables and legumes: start by almost covering the ingredients. Then process and add more if necessary.
- Watery vegetables like summer squash: cover by half and then gradually add more until you have desired consistency.
- Very watery ingredients e.g., strawberries and kiwis: dont add any extra liquids.
Accidentally added too much and made your salad dressing runnier than you wanted? No worries, you can fix this in several ways:
- First option is to blend in some more of the main ingredient: beans or chickpeas, starchy veggies, nuts or nut/seed butter, avocado.
- Secondly, thick plant yogurt will be suitable in almost any dressing .
- Thirdly, blend in some ground chia seeds, psyllium husks or psyllium husk powder.
Ingredients You Will Need For Oil
Here are a few things that I always keep on my hand for making healthy salad dressings
- yellow, brown, or Dijon mustard
- lime juice and lemon juice
- raw cashews: great when you want to make a creamy dressing like ranch and a great source of healthy fats
- onion powder and garlic powder
- any of your favorite dry or fresh herbs
- nut butter
- and a little water from time to time
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Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
This delicious oil-free vegan honey mustard dressing has serious potential to get you to make a huge bowl of salad every night!
Sweet, tangy and creamy, it takes any leafy greens to the next level and is ready in a mere 2-3 minutes. Perfect with some roasted pumpkin feta salad!
Everyday Tahini Salad Dressing
Tahini is one of my go-to ingredients. I drizzle it on everything, use it in energy balls, make cookies with it and its definitely the base of my go-to salad dressing. Our first staple vegan salad dressing is my fave: my everyday tahini! Its the one I make most often, the one I find goes with everything and you will always find it in my fridge!
Everyday Tahini Dressing goes well with:
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Why Would You Consider Making Oil
Some doctors refer to heart-healthy oils. However, is there really such a thing? Most people do not have problem understanding the adverse effects of highly processed foods like sugar and refined flours. However, for some reason, when it comes to oils, people tend to get very protective. In reality, oils are as processed as sugars and refined flours.
Think of how oils are made. Lets take olive oil as an example. It all starts with whole olives that are very beneficial to us. Its noteworthy that whole olives contain 11-15% of fat, the majority of which are monounsaturated fats. The latter is what many people struggle to get into their diets unless they eat olive oil straight up. Other good sources of monounsaturated fats are avocados, almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts.
So, by the time you get the oil extracted from the olives, youre left with the mere 11-15% of their weight. This means that 89-85% of the olives goodness is left behind i.e., the fibre, and most of the vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, whole olives are a good source of vitamin E, iron, copper, calcium, and antioxidants. That being said, one study showed that eating a pulpy residue from olives significantly increased blood levels of glutathione, one of the most powerful antioxidants in your body.
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I Cant Believe Its Cashew Ranch Dressing

Just when you thought youd never get to enjoy ranch dressing without a bunch of a processed substitutes!
Another Sid and Lisa creation, this one will even impress your omnivore friends and leave them shaking their heads, saying, I cant believe its cashew. Hence the clever name.
How to Use It:
I think everyone knows how to use a Ranch dressing, but I love to throw this on big salads with roasted veggies, chickpeas, and tomatoes, and toss in some pumpkin seeds for crunch.
We also use it as a dipping sauce for veggies.
The Recipe:
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper or, to taste
- Optional: 1 tsp hot sauce
Blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth. Make sure not to blend so long that it gets hot. If too thick, add more water.
This dressing thickens in fridge, so add a little water as needed to thin before using.
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Japanese Miso Salad Dressing
The Spruce
Miso comes from fermented soybeans, grains, and an edible fungus called koji, giving it a complex umami flavor. Combined with ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, it makes a lovely salad dressing that tastes great with noodle-based dishes as well as greens. If you have gluten sensitivities, read the label on your soy and miso some of them are processed with grains containing gluten.
Is Peanut Sauce Healthy
While recipes for peanut butter sauce can vary widely, they are all based on peanuts a health-promoting legume. If youre looking for an easy, homemade vegan sauce, this is certainly a good option!
However, be careful what you add to your vegan peanut butter sauce. Most recipes and restaurant versions are made with a good amount of oil, sugar and salt which make Thai peanut butter sauce irresistibly tasty but doesnt contribute to our health in the long run.
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Common Substitutes For Oil In Salad Dressing
Oil-free vegan salad dressings and sauces can be made in many different ways. Some use a base of aquafaba or citrus juice. These are lower in fat and great for people following a low-fat diet for health reasons .
Other recipes incorporate nuts and seeds for added richness, body, and flavor. Tahini is one of our favorite ways to make super quick and creamy dressings.
Other nut and seed butters can also be used, like almond or cashew. Or grab a powerful blender and start with whole nuts or seeds.
Soft or silken tofu is another wonderful ingredient to use in creating light and creamy dressings.
No Oil Balsamic Salad Dressing
You really cant go wrong with a nice balsamic dressing. Most have oil but this Balsamic Dressing Recipe from Cooktoria is oil-free and contains only 3 ingredients. It is both tangy and sweet. You can make it ahead and alter the recipe to your preference, making it perfect for your salads, veggies, and marinades.
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Pro Tips & Substitutions
- Variations- These ingredients can be switched out with other variations if desired. For instance, though the recipe calls for balsamic vinegar, other vinegar such as pomegranate, red wine, as well as others can be substituted.
- Mustard- The same goes for the mustard. I personally like Dijon in this dressing, but brown spicy, yellow, and others would likely be delicious too.
- Sweetener- If maple syrup isnt a favorite for you, try agave, brown rice syrup, or another sweetener of your choice.
- More options- Another 3-ingredient oil-free salad dressing that I love is this 5-Minute Tangy Vinegar Dressing that is actually from my favorite Thai restaurant where they use it as a dipping sauce for their fresh garden spring rolls.
Esselstyn 3-2-1 Dressing was created by a chef named Jane Esselstyn. She is the daughter of Dr. B. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., M.D., author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.
*Originally published October 2018.
Oil Free Salad Dressing
This balsamic Oil free Salad Dressing is so easy to make and ready in less than 2 minutes! Its tangy with a hint of sweetness and absolutely delicious. Whole foods plant-based, nut-free, oil-free, and gluten-free.
Have you been looking for an oil free vegan salad dressing recipe that doesnt taste like its oil free or vegan? Congratulations! Your search is officially over.
This delicious oil-free balsamic dressing is homemade but taste like its right off the shelf. Its incredibly easy to make and super versatile. Enjoy it on your salad, sandwich, or pasta.
It doesnt get any easier. Ready? Lets do this!
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My Salad Dressing Is Too Thick What Should I Do
First of all, dont panic. Theres a simple solution. If your dressing seems a little too thick after siting a while in the fridge, add a tablespoon each of plant-based milk and rice wine vinegar to thin it out. If you want less tang, just use the dairy-free milk. Add more or less to create the consistency that is right for you.
Why We Love This Recipe

There’s no shortage of oil-free salad dressing recipes on the blog, but what I didn’t have yet was a vinaigrette-style dressing.
I was planning a new healthy pasta salad recipe and really wanted to create an oil-free dressing that would capture the nostalgic aromas and flavors of the quick and easy pasta salads I grew up with. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about, the dish that always made an appearance at potlucks and parties, with olives, pasta, a few veggies, and bottled vinaigrette.
Aquafaba was the only ingredient I could think of that might possibly work as a replacement for oil while keeping the appearance of a vinaigrette. And holy moly, y’all. It totally works!
Aquafaba keeps the dressing emulsified without the need for gums or anything weird like you find in store-bought dressings. And it’s SO perfect on pasta salad!
But before you get too excited….
Don’t expect fat-free Italian dressing to taste exactly like a dressing made with heaps of oil because, well, that’s just impossible. Our brains and tongues love fat, and a dressing with zero fat and less than 20 calories just can’t compete with biology. BUT if you enjoy healthy dressings and sauces as much as I do, this oil-free dressing is totally going to win you over!
It’s lemon-y, tangy, zesty, just salty enough, SO fresh, and it totally captures the classic Italian dressing vibe.
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Honeyless Honey Mustard Vegan Dressing
February 28, 2022 By Salad TherapyJump to Recipe
My Honeyless Honey Mustard Vegan Dressing requires only 4 simple ingredients, and with no honey, you wont believe whats making it sweet! Plus its oil free , super creamy even though its dairy free, and requires mere seconds to make. One friend loved it so much she literally ate a jar of it with a spoon.
If youre wondering is mustard vegan, the answer is yes! However, if youre wondering is honey mustard vegan, the answer is usually no. Honey, as an animal byproduct, is off limits for strict vegans. So if theres no honey in this vegan honey mustard recipe, what makes it so sweet?
Surprisingly, this dressing gets its sweetness from coconut aminos! If coconut aminos are new to you, its a condiment is known for its umami properties and is typically used for savory applications as a soy-free, gluten-free substitute for soy sauce. However, unlike soy sauce, coconut aminos have a ton of natural sweetness that lends itself perfectly to this dressing.
Many similar dressings contain mayonnaise to make the dressing creamy, but theres no mayo necessary here! This dressing gets its creaminess from a healthy heap of my Vegan Sunflower Seed Sour Cream , but any vegan sour cream or unsweetened/unflavored vegan yogurt will do the trick.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce By Keeping The Peas
Creamy, smooth, and big on flavor this Vegan Alfredo Sauce is easy to make with 6 simple ingredients, and fifteen minutes from start to finish. No need to soak your cashews!
Its a whole food plant-based version of the classic Italian sauce thats dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free, and healthy.
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How To Make My Everyday Oil
There is a reason this oil-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan salad dressing is my go-to: it’s super simple! Just add the lemon juice, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, and agave to a jar or bowl, and shake it or whisk it up! I like to use these small jars, but you can also use a leftover jam jar. Pour over your favourite salad greens or store in the fridge to use later.
Why Make Salad Dressing Without Oil
When we eat foods in their whole state, enjoying the avocado instead of its extracted oil, for example, we consume all of the plant’s beneficial nutrients instead of just the concentrated fat. This means we also get fiber, protein, antioxidants, minerals, and more.
Whole-food plant-based diets have been growing in popularity in recent years among both vegans and non-vegans alike. If you’re not familiar with the ins-and-outs of a WFPB diet, there are many great resources online, and don’t forget about free books at the library!
If you’re looking for an easy place to start, the documentary Forks Over Knives is probably the best way to quickly learn the basics, including why people choose to avoid oil.
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