You’ll never buy bottled dressing again when you try this quick and easy vegan dressing Creamy balsamic dressing. Use this creamy balsamic dressing recipe on salads, drizzled over vegetables, as a vegetable dip, or as a rice or pasta sauce.
I don’t know about you, but a great salad is all about the dressing. I’m a smooth girl who loves salad dressings and dips. Creamy balsamic dressing is an oil-free, healthy savory dressing drizzled over salads, a vegetable dip, or baked potatoes or steak fries. And this creamy balsamic dressing recipe is the best dressing you’ll ever taste!
Jump:
Unfortunately, most bottled dressings contain oils, preservatives and processed ingredients. So instead of buying dressings, I make my own healthy versions of my favorite salad dressings.
Balsamic dressing ingredients
- raw Cashews: Cashews provide smoothness. See other options below for nut-free options.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This vinegar tart, with some hints of apple.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds a citrus acid that enhances the flavor of this creamy balsamic dressing recipe.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard has a tangy, pungent and pungent flavor with spices.
- Flavored Vinegar: A rich, complex dessert that explodes in the mouth with notes of fig, molasses, cherry, chocolate or prunes. Traditional balsamic wood should be tasted so that it is mature and may contain a little smoke. Traditional balsamic offers a mild tartness instead of a strong acidity.
- Water: Water acts as an emulsifier instead of using oil to thin the dressing.
Component replacement
- For a nut-free dressing, substitute silken tofu or white beans. Reduce the amount of water in the original recipe by ½.
- If you don’t have cashews, substitute raw almonds or macadamia nuts.
- Raw sunflower seeds can be successfully substituted for cashews in a 1:1 substitution in vegan recipes.
- Substitute apple cider vinegar with red or white wine vinegar! They are made from fermented wine and you may already have one or the other in your cupboard.
- Use bottled lemon juice instead of freshly squeezed juice.
- Stone ground mustard is an alternative to Dijon mustard.
- For every 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, substitute 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or red wine vinegar plus ½ teaspoon of sugar.
How to dress
- Soaking cashews overnight helps soften them for easy blending.
- As a shortcut, boil raw cashews for 10 minutes and drain instead of soaking them.
- Also, if you have a high-speed, quality blenderYou can skip soaking or boiling the nuts.
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate until cool.
- Creamy balsamic dressing stays fresh for 5 days in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! t’s are made from grapes that are reduced and aged for several years. However, it’s quite a bit more expensive, and most people can’t tell the difference in taste between it and the modern versions (I’m one of those people).
Generally, the answer here is yes, mustard is vegetarian. The ingredients listed for most types of mustard are limited to mustard, vinegar, salt, sometimes sugar, and other spices. Some exceptions are honey mustard, for obvious reasons, and sometimes Dijon mustard.
Cashews create an incredibly creamy texture for soaked recipes, but they also boost nutrition! Soaking nuts (any kind) helps remove phytic acid, allowing our bodies to extract more nutrients from nuts and making them easier to digest.
advice
- I always buy organic raw cashews. Buying organic nuts can protect against the potentially harmful effects of GMOs and pesticides.
- Using a high-speed blender is helpful in making homemade, healthy dressings.
- I enjoy this dressing for a variety of recipes such as Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad, Roasted Vegetable Salad, and Roasted Balsamic Vegetables.
- To make a thinner dressing, add ¼ cup additional water.
- To use this recipe as a dip without a dressing, reduce the water to ¼ cup.
- Use sunflower seeds, silken tofu or white beans for a nut-free alternative.
Try this savory, sweet and savory creamy balsamic dressing recipe for your next green salad, vegetable dip, or pasta salad.
Other Vegan Dressing Recipes
If you like this creamy balsamic dressing recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
I love healthy salad dressings, and creamy balsamic dressing is my favorite way to dress up a salad. And the creamy balsamic dressing only takes minutes to make! So, if you’re looking for the best creamy balsamic dressing, give this recipe a try!
instructions
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If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews overnight. Or, for a quick way to soften the cashews, boil them for 10 minutes.
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Drain the cashews and add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
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Blend until smooth.
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Transfer the dressing to a ball jar or dressing container with a top.
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Refrigerate until cold.
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For a thinner dressing, add an additional ¼ cup water.
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If using as a dip, reduce water to ¼ cup.
Comment
- Use organic raw cashews if possible.
- Soak the cashews overnight, or for a quick shortcut, boil the cashews for 10 minutes, drain, and then add the other ingredients.
- Use dark balsamic vinegar, but if you don’t have dark vinegar, white balsamic vinegar works.
- Adding maple syrup to the dressing gives it a sweet flavor profile.
- Use roasted garlic instead of raw garlic for a deeper flavor.
- To use as a dip, reduce recipe by ¼ cup water.
- If you want a thinner dressing, add ¼ cup water to the recipe.
nutrition
Calories: 47kcalSugars: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 0.5gMonounsaturated fats: 1gTrans fats: 0.001gSodium: 44mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.5mg
Oh! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegetarian. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! 🙂