Instantly elevate your salad with this Creamy Balsamic Dressing recipe! It's rich, tangy, and full of flavor. Plus dairy-free and easy to prepare. (Vegan, gluten-free, refined oil-free.)
This creamy balsamic dressing is rich, tangy, and full of flavor! It's an easy way to instantly elevate your salads at home.
It's made with just a handful of simple ingredients and delivers the perfect balance of savory, slightly sweet, and tangy. Hummus is the secret to its creamy texture, making it a fantastic dairy-free alternative to mayo, sour cream, or yogurt. (And no refined oil needed!)
Homemade dressings like this taste fresher than anything store-bought, and they give you full control over the ingredients so you can adjust the flavor exactly to your liking. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
Ingredients for Creamy Balsamic Dressing
For this recipe, you'll blend in a small high-speed blender or food processor:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Hummus: This creates the deliciously creamy texture. I use my favorite Oil-Free Hummus, but you can use store-bought if desired. (Just be aware these usually contain oil.)
- Pure maple syrup: This adds subtle sweetness and helps balance the flavors. Feel free to swap in your own favorite sweetener like agave nectar or vegan honey. Use as much or as little as you'd like.
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder: Or you can use one clove minced garlic for stronger flavor.
- White miso: This is a fermented soybean paste with mild umami flavor. I love using it in dressings to provide a deeper, more complex flavor. I highly recommend including it, but if you don't have any then simply salt well to taste instead.
- Italian seasoning: You can also add black pepper to taste if desired.
Customizing
Herbs & seasoning: Instead of Italian seasoning, use your own favorite dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, etc. If using fresh herbs, simply pulse them a couple times after blending the main ingredients.
Adding oil: I prefer this dressing without oil, but you can whisk in a tablespoon of good quality extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil if you wish to turn it into a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.
Blender tip: I use a small NutriBullet which works great for dressings and smaller batches.
Serving
Leafy green salads: Drizzle it over your favorite greens like arugula, baby kale, spinach, or mixed spring greens. It pairs great with this Roasted Chickpea Salad with Hummus. It's also tasty over a simple bowl of strawberry and spinach salad.
Wraps: Spoon it on wraps for a unique flavor twist.
Grain salads: Toss it with various grain or bean salads (like quinoa, lentil, or rice) or even on a vegan Caprese salad.
Storing
Store leftovers in an airtight container or sealed mason jar in the fridge. I find it keeps well for about 5 days.
For more inspiration, also browse all oil-free salad dressing recipes.
Creamy Balsamic Dressing (Oil-Free!)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup hummus
- 2 tsp. pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp. white miso
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small high-speed blender or food processor. Blend for 20-30 seconds or until smooth.
- Taste and adjust flavors if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Toni says
VERY good! I've added it to my list of favorites. Thank you!
Kaitlin says
Hello, Toni! That's so awesome to hear you enjoyed it enough to add it to your favorites. Wonderful! Thanks for coming back to share your very kind feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy it!