These 6 healthy salad dressing recipes are my favorite way to add flavor to salad! These recipes are easy to make, are full of healthy ingredients and are packed with flavor! Never have a boring salad again!
Why you are going to love these healthy salad dressing recipes
- These salad dressing recipes are all so simple to make! All you need is a blender and about 5 minutes for each recipe!
- These homemade dressing recipes are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo and Whole30 friendly!
- There is a salad dressing for every cuisine you might be craving! It’s going to be tough to pick a favorite!
- Making your own salad dressing at home helps you save money! If you have ever bought a bottle of salad dressing that has good, quality ingredients, it will likely cost you about $6 per bottle!
Why should you make healthy salad dressing at home?
Many of the store bought salad dressings on shelves are full of low quality ingredients. Many have artificial ingredients (colors, dyes, flavors), high fructose corn syrup, canola oils and other less than ideal preservative agents.
There are some great high quality salad dressing options now, however they are often very expensive per bottle. You can make homemade dressing for a fraction of the cost with ingredients you likely already have on hand!
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What equipment do you need to make homemade salad dressing?
Most of these salad dressing recipes could be made with just a mason jar and a tight-fitting lid (all but the chipotle ranch and avocado cilantro). However, I have discovered that a quick spin in a high-speed blender (I love my Ninja Bullet Blender), creates the best-emulsified salad dressing, making it more like store-bought!
How long does homemade healthy salad dressing last in the fridge?
Most of these recipes are good for about a week in a tightly sealed glass container. NOTE: many of these dressings will separate a bit in the fridge. Just shake the dressing well to mix everything back up before serving!
How many servings do these healthy salad dressing recipes make?
Each of these recipes as written makes between 1 and 1.5 cups of dressing, the perfect amount for a week of salads!
If you want to be able to enjoy 2 or 3 salad dressing recipes in a week, you can always cut the recipe in half!
How much is a serving of dressing?
The typical salad dressing serving size is 2 tablespoons, so that is the serving size of these recipes as well. One cup of dressing is 16 tablespoons, which is about 8 servings.
Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing
This dressing is just like the almond butter turmeric dressing that you can buy at Trader Joe’s! I became hooked on this dressing pretty quickly but I don’t always remember to pick up a bottle when I’m out shopping, so I had to learn how to make it at home! It’s bright and has a slight kick from the fresh grated ginger and turmeric.
What it’s good on: Salads, dip for fresh or roasted veggies (these roasted brussels are so good dipped in this dressing), vegetable wraps, pasta salad dressing.
Notes: Best texture if you blend this together in a high-speed blender! Store this almond butter turmeric dressing in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. To make this recipe Whole30 friendly, be sure to use 1-2 medjool dates instead of maple syrup!
- TIP: Turmeric stains everything, so be careful when measuring it out and blending this up. Clean your blender immediately so it doesn’t stain your blender.
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Balsamic dressing is a classic! This creamy balsamic is my go-to dressing for my weekly salads! It’s thicker than traditional balsamic vinaigrette and it is great as a dip as well!
What it’s good on: Salads, sandwiches, as a dip for fresh or roasted veggies, pasta salad, tuna salad, dipping for pizza
Notes: This creamy balsamic dressing is best when blended in the blender for about 10 seconds. Store in a well-sealed glass container for about a week! Pour extra on your pizzas or take to work to dip your veggies in!
Creamy Italian Dressing
This zesty Italian dressing recipe is perfect for green garden salads or pasta salads! You are not going to believe how much flavor you get from this dressing!
What it’s good on: Salad, pasta salad, tuna salad, marinating shrimp or chicken, antipasta salads
Notes: This dressing can be made in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid, it doesn’t need to be blended! Store in the fridge for a week! The dressing continues to get more flavorful as it sits in the fridge! Great as a marinade as well!
Sesame Ginger Asian Salad Dressing
This sesame ginger Asian salad dressing is going to give the ginger dressing you get at your favorite Japanese steakhouse a run for it’s money! This sesame ginger dressing is packed with flavor! The sesame oil and fresh ginger are really important to the overall flavor!
What it’s good on: Salad, Asian salads, Asian slaws, tuna salad, marinating shrimp or chicken or as a dip for fresh or roasted veggies!
Notes: Best texture if you blend this together in a high speed blender! I buy fresh grated ginger in jars, since that is easier to use and measure in recipes. You can find fresh grated ginger in most grocery stores in the Asian cuisine area. You can buy it online as well! This sesame ginger dressing will last about a week in the fridge in a well sealed jar. This dressing will quickly separate in the fridge. Shake well before use!
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
This spicy chipotle ranch dressing is my favorite southwest salad dressing or dip! It’s thick, creamy and completely dairy free! You are going to love the kick from the chipotle chili powder in this recipe!
What It’s good on: salads, taco salads, drizzled on tacos or burrito bowls, as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or salmon bites, on slaw.
Notes: This dressing has to be made in the blender since the base is cashews! This dressing is thick, so feel free to add extra water once you test the consistency! Store in an airtight container for 1 week! If you have extra, this is really good on burrito bowls!
- TIP: This recipe requires that the cashews are softened. The easiest way to do this is to soak cashews in clean water for 3-4 hours or to boil the cashews in water for 3-4 minutes. Rinse the cashews of the water they soaked in and use new water in the recipe!
Creamy Avocado Cilantro Dressing
This avocado cilantro dressing is bright and fresh and makes any dish instantly pop! You will not want to use any other kind of dressing on your next taco salad after you try this dressing!
What it’s good on: salads, taco salads, burrito bowls, tacos, tuna salad, as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or salmon bites, as a dipping sauce for veggies (fresh or roasted), or on breakfast hash!
Notes: This recipe needs the blender to break up the cilantro! You can use the leaves and the stems from the cilantro! The avocado may start to go brown after 4-5 days in the fridge. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.
If you love these healthy salad dressing recipes, you should also try these homemade dressings:
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Dairy free ranch dressing
- Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Greek Dressing
- Mango Lime Vinaigrette
6 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
Ingredients
Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 cup water
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp maple syrup - or dates for Whole30
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Creamy Italian Dressing
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp dijon mustarrd
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Sesame Ginger Asian Dressing
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews - soaked, see notes
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp garlic olive oil - or 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp dried chives
- 1 tsp Chipotle Powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
Creamy Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- 2 small avocado
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- .5 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Add the ingredients for the recipe to a high speed blender
- Blend on high until fully incorporated
- Store in a glass container in the fridge for 1 week.
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Notes
- Unsweetened Almond milk
- Unsweetened Cashew Milk
- Oat milk
- Coconut milk (in the refrigerated section)
- Soak in filtered water for 3-4 hours at room temperature
- Boil in filtered water for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Drain the cashews after soaking. Use fresh water in the recipe.
Nutrition Information
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Casey
The almond butter turmeric dressing tastes JUST like the Trader Joe’s version! I am very impressed and will be trying out the other dressings very soon!
AliciaM
I can’t believe i’ve never made homemade dressing before. I made the creamy balsamic and it is DELICIOUS! I think i’m going to eat salad every day just for the dressing! My husband didn’t even want a salad with dinner until he tried it.
Next up…. sesame Ginger & Creamy Italian. Yum!