Turmeric dressing tastes great on everything and is so easy to make. Made with just 7 simple ingredients, this lemon turmeric dressing is light, vibrant and so flavorful. It’s vegan, gluten free, dairy free and is a great copycat for the almond butter turmeric dressing that used to be sold at Trader Joe’s.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – you don’t need any special equipment to make this recipe, but a blender does make it so much easier make. Simply measure the ingredients and mix well until fully combined.
- Simple ingredients – this lemon turmeric dressing uses pretty simply pantry ingredients, so you can make this anytime. The only ingredient that needs to be fresh is the ginger, but you can even use freeze dried ginger to make this out of all pantry ingredients.
- Versatile – use this almond butter turmeric dressing as a salad dressing, a dip or even as a marinade. It’s bright and flavorful and pairs so well with veggies or protein.
Ingredients
- Almond butter – use a smooth almond butter (I recommend using drippy almond butter with just one ingredient – almonds). The almond butter acts as the fat for this dressing (so there is no oil). You could also use sunbutter (unsweetened), tahini or cashew butter in place of almond butter.
- Water – water helps to thin out the dressing. Use more or less to make it thicker or thinner.
- Lemon juice – the lemon flavor is very prominent in this dressing. It’s bright and very citrusy and the lemon pairs so well with the turmeric. If you don’t have lemon juice, try lime juice.
- Freshly grated ginger (or freeze dried ginger) – the ginger provides a unique flavor to the dressing, giving it a bit of a spicy kick Be sure to grate the ginger to ensure that there are no big chunks in the dressing. You could also use freeze dried ginger – it reconstitutes quickly when added to water and it’s already pretty finely chopped.
- Turmeric – I use turmeric powder in this recipe, as it’s easy to keep on hand and isn’t as messy as fresh turmeric. Note that turmeric does stain wood and fabric, so be careful when handling turmeric or this dressing.
- Maple syrup – maple syrup helps to sweeten the dressing a bit, taking the sourness from the lemon and also helps to offset the pungent flavor of the turmeric. You could also use honey or 2-3 pitted medjool dates, soaked in hot water for a Whole30 friendly salad dressing.
- Spices: salt and garlic powder – these simple spices help to add flavor to the dressing. I prefer garlic powder over fresh in this dressing as I didn’t want the garlic to be overpowering.
How to make turmeric dressing
Start by measuring out all the ingredients into a bowl or a blender. Be sure to peel and grate the fresh ginger.
Mix well until fully incorporated or blend until well combined. I prefer to use a blender or an immersion blender just to make sure that all the ingredients are well mixed, but you could use a fork and a bowl if needed.
Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Top tips
- Use a microplane to finely grate the ginger before blending. This helps to ensure that the ginger will be well incorporated in the salad dressing.
- If you don’t want to mess with grating the ginger, I recommend freeze dried ginger. I always have this on hand. It’s easy to use and reconstitutes easily once added to liquid ingredients.
- Make the dressing thicker by using less water. Reduce the water from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup for a really thick dressing.
- Add the black pepper to enhance the curcumin absorption.
- Turmeric is known to stain – towels, clothing or wooden utensils or cutting boards. To be safe, I recommend that you also quickly rinse out the blender right after blending to keep the plastic from staining. If you notice your blender turning yellow from turmeric, leave it out in the sun for a day.
Ways to use lemon ginger dressing
- On salad – regular green salad, broccoli salad, kale salad. This dressing pairs well with most greens.
- On slaw – use this dressing on coleslaw, broccoli slaw or shredded brussel sprouts for a fun twist on slaw.
- Dip for roasted vegetables – this would be great as a dip for air fryer smashed brussel sprouts, air fryer frozen broccoli, air fryer roasted zucchini or air fryer frozen asparagus
- Sauce – for grain bowls or buddha bowls.
- As a marinade for chicken, shrimp or salmon – this is a pretty acidic marinade so I would recommend no longer than 2 hours for chicken and 30 minutes – 1 hour for shrimp or salmon.
Common questions
What is the best almond butter for dressing?
I recommend a runny almond butter, one that usually comes with oil on the top that you have to stir into the jar before the first use. The only ingredient should be almonds or almonds and salt.
If you are using a no-stir almond butter, typically there are added hydrogenated oils that make it “no stir” and those oils can give the dressing a different consistency.
Can you make this nut free
If you need this turmeric dressing recipe to be nut free, you can replace the almond butter with sunbutter (make sure it’s unsweetened or reduce the amount of maple syrup) or tahini.
Can you use dried ginger
This recipe is made with fresh ginger, because it has the most flavor. If all you have is dried ginger on hand, you can use that. You will only need a max of 1 teaspoon of dried ground ginger. I would start with 1/2 a teaspoon and add more if needed as dried ginger tends to be very strong.
You could also use freeze dried ginger, which measures the same as fresh ginger. It’s chopped then freeze dried so when it’s added to water or liquid, it reconstitutes easily and has the same flavor as fresh.
Do you need to use a blender to make this dressing
No, you don’t need a blender, but it does make it easier to combine the almond butter with the rest of the ingredients. If you are using just a bowl and a fork, I recommend combining the almond butter with the lemon juice, maple syrup and spices first then adding in the water slowly as you stir.
Can you double the recipe
This lemon turmeric dressing can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to have a lot of dressing on hand at once. Store it in the fridge in a well sealed airtight container for up to 10 days.
Storing leftover dressing
- Fridge – Store the dressing in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Be sure to shake well before using, as you will notice some separation as the dressing sits in the fridge.
- Freezer – You could also freeze this dressing for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing in 2 tablespoon portions (I like Soupercubes for this). Once frozen, you can transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to put the name, date and use by date on the container.
Substitutions
- Almond butter – use sunbutter, tahini or cashew butter in place of the almond butter.
- Lemon juice – this recipe really is best with lemon juice, but lime juice would be the best substitute. You will likely need the juice of 3 limes.
- Fresh grated ginger – use freeze dried ginger or dried ground ginger (start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed).
- Turmeric – I recommend using dried turmeric for this recipe. If using fresh turmeric, peel it and finely grate it with a microplane. You will need 2 tablespoons fresh grated turmeric.
- Maple syrup – use honey, date syrup or even 2-3 pitted medjool dates that have soaked in hot water for a few minutes (this makes them easier to blend). If using dates to sweeten, use a blender or immersion blender.
- Garlic powder – if you don’t have garlic powder, you can omit it or try this recipe with fresh garlic (finely chopped or grated on the microplane). I find that fresh garlic can start to overpower the other flavors though.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Cilantro Tahini Dressing
- Tahini Ranch Dressing
- Balsamic Basil Dressing
- 6 Healthy Salad Dressings
Turmeric Dressing
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 medium lemons, juiced
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp turmeric (ground)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Measure out all the ingredients into a bowl or blender. Be sure to peel the ginger then finely grate it with a microplane (this is especially if you are not using a high speed blender).Note: it can be easier to combine the almond butter, lemon juice, maple syrup and spices first in a bowl then add the water.
- Stir well until the ingredients are well blended or blend on high for 15-30 seconds until well combined.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Equipment
- High speed blender optional
Notes
- Use a microplane to finely grate the ginger before blending. This helps to ensure that the ginger will be well incorporated in the salad dressing.
- If you don’t want to mess with grating the ginger, I recommend freeze dried ginger. I always have this on hand. It’s easy to use and reconstitutes easily once added to liquid ingredients.
- Make the dressing thicker by using less water. Reduce the water from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup for a really thick dressing.
- Add the black pepper to enhance the curcumin absorption.
- Turmeric is known to stain – towels, clothing or wooden utensils or cutting boards. To be safe, I recommend that you also quickly rinse out the blender right after blending to keep the plastic from staining. If you notice your blender turning yellow from turmeric, leave it out in the sun for a day.
