Your favorite vegan salad dressings (recipes only)

December 30, 2023 10:32 AM

Looking for great salad dressing recipes. Details inside, but mostly a plea to answer the question as asked.

Sadly, I have to say this - I'm serious when I say "recipes only" - with measurements for everything. Your favorite salad dressing that you just throw together or measure everything for but spices is not an exception no matter how good it is or how much you think surely any competent adult can make it. I assure you I cannot, I will not try, and I will flag it.

Also serious about vegan. Please no "you can easily make it vegan even though I've never tried it that way."

Bonus points for low or no oil.

Thank you!

posted by FencingGal to Food & Drink (30 answers total)

¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey
⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:35 AM on December 30, 2023

2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3 or 4 green onions, cut into smaller pieces
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
A few dashes of Maggi seasoning (I use 3)
2 tbsp soya sauce

Blend that all together in a blender.

Then slowly pour in vegetable oil while the blender is on low until the dressing thickens to your preference.

It makes a lot of dressing.
posted by hepta at 10:35 AM on December 30, 2023

I am a fan of a nice carrot-ginger dressing. This recipe has all the measurements.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 10:37 AM on December 30, 2023

They act like this is just for grain bowls and such, but I frequently use it on salads and love it

https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-liquid-gold-sauce-oil-free-plant-based/
posted by penduluum at 10:39 AM on December 30, 2023

Had great success with this herbed tahini dressing from Jake Cohen:

1 cup parsley leaves and tender stems
1 cup dill fronds and tender stems
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons date syrup
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded

Blend everything until smooth. I serve it with a similar preparation to what is in his blog post; if the roasted vegetables are already seasoned I don't add any additional salt to the dressing.
posted by bcwinters at 10:46 AM on December 30, 2023

This recipe for basil vinaigrette from David Lebovitz.
posted by carrienation at 10:51 AM on December 30, 2023

Miso Dressing (Sumiso):

2 Tbsp white miso (the Hikari Miso Organic White Miso she uses is vegan)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
⅛ tsp Japanese karashi hot mustard

Wafu Dressing:

1 Tbsp grated onion
3 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc)
3 Tbsp soy sauce (Kikkoman is vegan)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

posted by automatic cabinet at 11:28 AM on December 30, 2023

1/4 cup of oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Stir well to break up the garlic evenly and disperse the salt. Taste it on a leaf, and add a pinch more salt if you want. It's quite a delicious surprise to have a salad that's not acidic at all.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:31 AM on December 30, 2023

Ginger-miso dressing (slight changes from this dupe of the sweetgreen shroomami grain bowl, a delicious vegan umami bomb of a meal):

2 tablespoons sweet white miso paste
2 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes (optional) (recipe says 1 tbsp but that's way too much)
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar (cider vinegar is also fine, probably any kind of light-color vinegar is fine)
½ tsp Sesame Oil
¼ cup Water
2 Tbsp Mirin (or wine, or juice, or skip it and add a bit of extra water and a pinch of sugar)
1 Thumb Sized Piece of Ginger, Peeled and Minced
1 Garlic Clove, Smashed and Minced
½ cup Grape Seed Oil (or whatever liquid oil you have handy)

Blend all ingredients, ideally in a blender or with a stick blender.
posted by mskyle at 11:38 AM on December 30, 2023

I'd never thought about this as being vegan but of course it is:

Lemon "Vinaigrette" (technically not a vinaigrette; tastes better than any bottled vinaigrette anyway)

Makes ~1 cup

Ingredients
2/3 C olive oil
1/3 C lemon juice
Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk oil and lemon juice to emulsify (or put them in a resealable jar and give it a vigorous shaking). Stir in salt and pepper until it tastes nice to you. You can also stir in fresh or good-quality dried minced garlic, shallots, or herbs, but I find it genuinely delicious even in its most basic form.
posted by wintersweet at 11:42 AM on December 30, 2023

from Nora Ephron's novel Heartburn, Mix 2 tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard with 2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar. Then, whisking constantly with a fork, slowly add 6 tablespoons olive oil, until the vinaigrette is thick and creamy; this makes a very strong vinaigrette that's perfect for salad greens like arugula and watercress and endive.

I make this all the time and it's perfect.
posted by theora55 at 11:44 AM on December 30, 2023

re. the lemon vinaigrette: if you like citrus (I do!) you can increase the lemon juice and decrease the olive oil. You can also replace the olive oil with a nut oil, which is terrifically decadent and extremely delicious.
posted by wintersweet at 11:48 AM on December 30, 2023

Whisk together (or shake up in a jar):
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup neutral oil
1-2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss with lettuce, sliced red onion, orange segments (supreme them or use canned mandarin oranges), and toasted slivered almonds. It’s sweet and bright and refreshing.
posted by theotherdurassister at 11:55 AM on December 30, 2023

I forgot to add: let the onion flakes rehydrate in the dressing before you serve it. They’re what makes it really tasty.
posted by theotherdurassister at 12:07 PM on December 30, 2023

Peanut sauce dressing, 1 serving

2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
2+ tablespoons water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon dried garlic or minced onion
optional 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper

Stir together. Add more water if desired to thin it out. Serve on ... salad, noodles, zucchini, etc.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 12:50 PM on December 30, 2023

Half an avocado
The zest and juice of one lime
Small handful of fresh cilantro including most of the stems (so, um, 2-3 tablespoons chopped??)
One large clove of garlic
Two generous pinches of salt
Optional avocado oil to achieve desired consistency

In a blender, combine garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and one pinch of salt. Blend until cilantro and garlic are fully minced. You may need to add a little water or avocado oil to encourage this. Add avocado and lime zest, blend until mostly smooth. Add second pinch of salt (or salt to taste) and pulse to combine. If the consistency is too thick or it’s having trouble blending, drizzle avocado oil in and blend until smooth. Use immediately.

Great on cabbage, black beans, anything that you would enjoy with a salsa of course, robust lettuces like romaine, dipping carrots and jicama, can also be used to sauce fried things like tofu or cauliflower.

Variations: add one inch of chopped fresh ginger, and/or a quarter to a whole of a seeded hot pepper of your choosing depending on pepper size (poblano or shishito would maintain the green color) to the garlic and cilantro when blending. Be careful not to stick your face into the blender cup so you don’t get a nose full of aerated pepper molecules or an eye full of ginger oil.
posted by Mizu at 1:13 PM on December 30, 2023

Hollyhock dressing. I'm pretty sure this recipe makes a ton which is good, because you will want to eat it on everything. There are multiple dressings based on nutritional yeast flakes (NYF) but this one is the OG.
posted by genmonster at 2:21 PM on December 30, 2023

I like the tahini sauce from this recipe, with a little maggi and chili crisp added.
posted by wheatlets at 2:57 PM on December 30, 2023

Moosewood Daily Special Luscious Lemon Tahini
1/2 cup tahini (I prefer Soom brand)
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend and serve. I use an immersion blender.
posted by little mouth at 3:03 PM on December 30, 2023

The nutritional yeast dressing from this recipe is the best dressing I've ever had.

I also love Five Minute Magic Green Sauce which can be a salad dressing but also a pasta sauce or even a sandwich spread.

Both are pretty oil heavy, sorry to say. The miso-sesame dressing from this recipe is also good and has less oil (still some)!
posted by babelfish at 3:36 PM on December 30, 2023

Toum

Shallot vinaigrette. Here it is used for green beans, but it is also excellent for Puy lentils or a potato salad, or a tomato salad when the season is on. Actually for everything, now I think of it. Experience has taught me that you don't need to let the whole salad marinate over night, but the dressing mellows with some time. Indeed, I rather like to have my beans, lentils or potatoes still a bit warm when serving.
Mostly I make the dressing as the very first thing when I start preparing a meal, then combine the other salad ingredients a bit later, depending on their consistency.
For instance, lettuce should just be dressed just 2-3 minutes before serving. Tomatoes 10-15 minutes before. New steamed potatoes 15-30 minutes before. Legumes can take the longest, such as overnight, but they will be delicious after 30 minutes, where I combined dressing and vegetables while the vegetables were steaming hot.
If I'm making a composed salad, like a Nicoise, I dress the green beans and potatoes a bit before assembling, and not the lettuce.
posted by mumimor at 3:59 PM on December 30, 2023

Maple Vinaigrette, not low oil but especially nice on a salad of spinach, sliced apples, and toasted pecans.
posted by fussbudget at 5:43 PM on December 30, 2023

Asian Salad Dressing

• ¼ cup rice vinegar (the seasoned kind, not the plain rice vinegar. The Marukan brand says "Excellent for Salad & Sushi" on the label)
• 3 Tablespoons mirin, Japanese rice wine
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon or so of sesame oil
• Some hot red pepper flakes, optional

Put in a bottle and shake it up

Excellent on kale slaw with sunflower seeds

Also good with romaine with sliced green onions, chunks of tofu, noodles, and crushed peanuts
posted by olopua at 6:34 PM on December 30, 2023

My standard is olive oil, champagne vinegar, grainy mustard and maple syrup. It’s like this and not different from the one fussbudget posted above. I shake in a jar and probably use a ratio of oil to vinegar more like 2:1 than 3:1. Agree that it’s best with a lettuce, fruit and nut. I do little gems, grapefruit and spicy candied pecans. I sub the grapefruit with other fruits in season (stone fruit and persimmons are nice).
posted by vunder at 11:08 PM on December 30, 2023

This dressing is from Whitewater ski hill in Nelson BC. It's for a vegetables-and-tofu-on-rice bowl but also works with heavier/denser salads i.e., good with kale but not with butter lettuce. It is delicious.
posted by lulu68 at 12:33 AM on December 31, 2023

I like this recipe for vegan ranch dressing, though I make it with fresh dill and fresh parsley (rather than the dried herbs). I use an immersion blender to blend-in the herbs. I also put in less garlic because three cloves gives it an overwhelming garlic flavor. Also, I typically add a few spoonfuls of Tofutti sour cream, and I use the dressing as a dip for vegetables and potato chips.
posted by alex1965 at 6:18 AM on December 31, 2023

I love Kenji's Soy-Balsamic Vinaigrette. It's so savory!
posted by girlstyle at 3:12 PM on December 31, 2023

This is one of my favorite salad dressings.

Kripalu House Dressing.

Enjoy it over salads or steamed vegetables. It should keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup sunflower oil or grape seed oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
¼ cup tamari (natural soy sauce)
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic
½ tablespoon dry mustard powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon chili powder
pinch cayenne
½ cup water

Combine all ingredients and blend using a standard blender or immersion blender.
posted by daikon at 5:02 PM on December 31, 2023

Possibly the most delicious vegan ranch dressing (but very high fat): https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018271-tahini-ranch-dressing

Now, onto my oil free suggestion -

I just made a cilantro dressing that turned out surprisingly well for how simple it is, so I'll share it here. It makes about a pint, so you may want to cut it down if you don't want a ton of dressing. I probably wouldn't serve this to company, but really enjoyed it on a baked sweet potato topped with some soyrizo and pickled onions and think it'd be great on salads too.

Cilantro-Yogurt Dressing
Put all ingredients listed below in a blender and blend til smooth. You may need to add a little water (I added about 2 tbs) to get it blending, but try to add as little as possible.
6 oz plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt (I used trader joe's cashew, so about a quarter of the big tub)
2.5 oz cilantro (a small but not tiny bunch; I used of the trader joe's bags of cilantro) - roughly chopped
1/4th of a red onion (average onion, if yours is huge or teeny, adjust accordingly), cut in chunks
1 tbs or more lime juice or apple cider vinegar. Start with 1 tbs and increase to taste. I used 2 tbs of apple cider vinegar because I was out of limes and I like acidic dressing. If you go too far, a little oil or tahini will mellow out the acid.
Salt and pepper - I don't measure these but try starting with 1/4 tsp of salt and increasing to taste.

You can also take this dressing in a ranch direction by using a 50-50 mix of fresh parsley and dill in place of (or mixed in with) the cilantro and using a tablespoon of onion powder (with or in place of the actual onion).
posted by snaw at 5:56 PM on December 31, 2023

I made this sesame vinaigrette last night and liked it a lot:

Big batch to keep (makes 1 cup)

▢ 1/4 cup soy sauce
▢ 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
▢ 1/4 cup white vinegar (adjust to taste for sharpness)
▢ 1/4 cup olive oil (Note 1)
▢ 1 tbsp sugar (any type)

Single serving batch

▢ 1 tbsp soy sauce
▢ 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
▢ 1 tbsp white vinegar
▢ 1 tbsp olive oil (Note 1)
▢ 1 tsp sugar (any type)

If you're using rice vinegar instead of ordinary white vinegar, decrease the sugar.
posted by Lexica at 3:47 PM on January 2