Looking for an oil-free vegan salad dressing? Try this magical applesauce vinaigrette recipe. Easy, vegan, gluten-free, and healthy!
Cooking and baking are sometimes described as science… but I like to think of it more like magic. Because sometimes an idea unfolds and is realized in food form with a way that is almost mysterious, yet very exciting!
This week this magic happened with an idea for an oil-free salad dressing. I actually had this concept for a fat-free vinaigrette years ago, when I was writing Vive le Vegan.
I toyed with it, but left it behind at the time. As recipe developers, we sometimes do this. Either the notion becomes further developed down the road as our cooking evolves, or it never materialized.
Why Applesauce?
The idea that was with me for years and manifested this week is… wait for it… using applesauce in an oil-free salad dressing.
Sounds a little strange at first, right? But, think about the qualities of applesauce.
It has viscosity and moisture (the very things that help replace fat in baking) so why not aid a vinaigrette as well?
Initially the combination didn’t quite come together for me in terms of flavor balance.
After a few rounds of testing this week – ta-dah! The magic happened.
The applesauce blends and helps emulsify the other ingredients so that you have a thicker, more rich and full-bodied textured dressing.
Magical Oil-Free Vegan Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp mild miso ex: chickpea miso or brown rice miso
- 3/4 – 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup or more to sweeten to taste if desired
- 1/4 tsp rounded sea salt (or more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using an immersion blender and deep cup (if using a blender, you may need to double the batch for enough blending volume), combine all ingredients, whizzing through until very smooth.
- Taste, and if you’d like a little sweeter add another teaspoon or so of maple syrup.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as well.
- If you’d like a thinner dressing, simply add a couple of teaspoons of water and blend through again.
What are your favorite vinaigrette and salad dressing ingredients?
Note: This oil-free salad dressing recipe is now in Plant-Powered Families.
Update: My OIL-FREE salad dressings now here!
Katie Loss says
Thank you, thank you Dreena for this no-oil, no-nut salad dressing. Since I follow Dr. Esselstyn’s plant “perfect” eating for heart health, it is wonderful to have this recipe. So many times I’m stymied from using no-oil recipes because of the inclusion of nuts or avocado or other high fat whole foods. You get the gold medal for this one!!
Dreena says
My pleasure Katie. So happy to know you can use (and enjoy!) this dressing. Feel free to share the recipe link with others in your heart health communities, I know it’s tricky (my own FIL followed a low-fat vegan diet after heart disease). I plan to do an ebook of oil-free salad dressings, so stay tuned! 🙂
Brooke says
Late to the table on this one, decided to make after recent post on Happy Healthy Librarian facebook page. This is a fabulous, OIL-FREE salad dressing! Great texture and flavors: savory, tangy, sweet, salty…versatile and so easy. Appreciate your work. THANK YOU!
Brooke says
Late to the table on this one, decided to try after featured on the Happy Healthy Librarian facebook page. SO fabulous – delicious combo of flavors, perfect texture, versatile. Thankful for NO-OIL dressings and most appreciative of your work. THANK YOU!
Alysa says
Where can I find the miso? Would the recipe work without it?
Dreena says
Miso is available in many grocery stores (with some of the refrigerated health food items like non-dairy milks and flax meal), and in health food/whole foods stores. I really like chickpea miso, but you can use any other mild miso.
Brittany says
It had never dawned on me that oil free salad dressings were a thing until I was researching some new yummy vegan dressings. I came across your site and am totally hooked. I made this dressing the same day and it is AMAZING. My boyfriend loves it and is now disappointed when we don’t have salad with dinner!! It’s the only dressing I’ve made in my house the last month and will probably continue to be for the next while, Thank You!
PS Trader Joes sells a Pomegranate vinaigrette that is awesome and works really well as a fun substitution. It allows you to use less maple syrup since the Pomegranate is already a little naturally sweet.