Healthy homemade salad dressing recipes that are incredibly easy to make, versatile, & made in under 5 minutes! From creamy sesame peanut dressing, herby tahini sauce, to cilantro lime dressing and sweet and spicy tahini, there is something for everyone. All dressings are gluten-free, vegan, whole 30, and paleo-friendly.
Why make homemade salad dressings
Store-bought dressings are often full of refined sugar, preservatives, and other harmful additives, so making your own dressings at home is a much healthier option! Sure, there are tons of companies offering healthier options but those are usually CRAZY expensive. Whipping up your own dressings at home is much more cost-effective and actually SO easy.
I tried to keep the ingredients for each of these pretty similar, so there is no need to run out and grab a ton of ingredients. Hopefully these will all be pantry staples that you already have on hand – no weird ingredients needed!
Each healthy dressing recipe is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free and are made with good-for-you, wholesome ingredients! Looking for the perfect salad formula or need some salad inspo to use your new dressings on? Check out my “how to build a salad”post here!
Homemade salad dressing recipe video
How to make Healthy salad dressing
Healthy eating shouldn’t be complicated and neither should be cooking or making things from scratch. These dressings are made in under 5 minutes in a blender! All you have to do is add all of the ingredients into your blender, blend, then store in an air-tight container!
Today we are focusing on 4 of my favorite go-to salad dressings:
- Creamy herby tahini dressing
- Cilantro lime sauce/dressing
- Creamy sesame peanut dressing
- Sweet & spicy tahini dressing
All of these salad dressings are whole 30, vegan, paleo, and can be made keto using monk fruit.
Ingredients & substitutions
Full ingredients and measurements for each dressing will be in the recipe card at the bottom of this post! When building a salad dressing, the odd rule of thumb is to include fat, salt, acid, and heat to truly create a full-bodied, satisfying salad dressing. I like to also add in a tiny bit of sweetness to really balance it all out.
- Fat: This creates a super creamy dressing and usually makes up the base. This can be olive oil, avocado oil, or even unsweetened, plain greek yogurt or coconut yogurt. Adding healthy fats is also a great way to get in those brain and hormone-boosting nutrients!
- Acid: Think apple cider vinegar, lemon, lime, orange, etc!
- Salt: Self explanatory 😉
- Heat: I love adding red pepper or a bit of hot sauce to dressings as I feel like it adds an extra depth of flavor and little kick.
- Sweetener: Honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit are my go to salad dressing sweeteners.
Let’s go over some of the main ingredients for my homemade salad dressings:
- Fats: Tahini, peanut butter, olive oil or avocado oil, greek yogurt or coconut yogurt
- Seasonings: Celtic sea salt (I use this for its electrolyte properties!), pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin
- Fresh herbs: Cilantro, parsley, garlic
- Sweetener: Honey, maple syrup, monk fruit
How to make oil-free dressings
Avocado oil and olive oil are incredibly healthy fats, essential for brain and hormone health – especially for the ladies! I highly recommend including them, not only for their health benefits and satiating component, but also for the ultimate flavor and texture of the dressing. Not all of these call for oil, but if for some reason you want to make an oil-free version, simply substitute the oil with unsweetened plain coconut yogurt or greek yogurt. This will help achieve a creamier dressing, too.
How to store dressings
Store dressings in an air-tight container in the fridge. If you meal prep, or want to take a salad or bowl on the road, these to-go dressing containers are amazing!
I make smaller batches at a time, as it’s just Thomas and I, so I love these 8oz mason jars. If you’re doubling the recipes for a larger crowd or family size, 16oz jars would be best!
How to serve/enjoy healthy salad dressing
- Drizzle dressings over salad.
- Use on your favorite nourish bowl.
- Pour over your favorite protein.
- Use on roasted vegetables.
- Use less liquid to keep the sauce thicker and use as a dipping sauce.
- Use the peanut sesame sauce in your favorite noodle dish.
How long do Homemade Healthy salad dressings last
Stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, these homemade dressings will last 1 1/2-2 weeks! If they begin to separate or anything, just give them a good shake!
Healthy salad recipes to make
All of these salads would be great to use with your new homemade dressings!
- Copycat Sweetgreen crispy rice bowl
- Thai crunch salad
- Roasted broccoli caesar salad
- Salmon nourish bowl
- Healthy breakfast bowl
- Tahini caesar roasted brussels sprouts salad
- Vegan nicoise salad
Healthy, Vegan Salad Dressings
Ingredients
Creamy Herby Tahini Sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened coconut yogurt or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup herbs (I used cilantro & Parsley)
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit
- good pinch of sea salt & pepper
- water, if needed to thin *optional
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1 cup cilantro, packed
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plain coconut yogurt/greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt *to taste
- red pepper flakes *optional
Sweet & Spicy Harissa Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp coconut aminos or tamari (soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil *can sub unsweetened, plain coconut yogurt or greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp sriracha or similar hot sauce
- 1-2 tsp honey
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2-3/4 tsp harissa paste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp water, as needed
Creamy Sesame Peanut Dressing
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
- 2 tsp maple syrup or monk fruit
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove
- red pepper flakes or 1/2 tbsp sriracha *optional
- pinch of sea salt
- water, as needed to thin
Instructions
- For each dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender, without any water. Blend until it's as smooth as possible. Then add water, one tablespoon or so at a time, until it's thinned out to your desired consistency!
- After blending, feel free to taste the dressing and adjust it to your liking – it is YOUR dressing! Feel like it needs a tad more heat or sweetness? Add a pinch extra! More salt? Sprinkle it in. Play around with the dressings so they really satisfy your taste buds!
Video
Notes
- Storing dressings: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. If you meal prep, or want to take a salad or bowl on the road, these to-go dressing containers are amazing! I make smaller batches at a time, as it’s just Thomas and I, so I love these 8oz mason jars. If you’re doubling the recipes for a larger crowd or family size, 16oz jars would be best!
- How long do Homemade Healthy salad dressings last: Stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, these homemade dressings will last 1 1/2-2 weeks! If they begin to separate or anything, just give them a good shake!
