Oil-Free Vegan Maple-Chipotle Chickpea Dressing (also nut-free, gf)

Update: FULL oil-free dressing ebook now available!

CHICKPEA DRESSING

Yes. That is not a typo!

I love dressings and sauces, and have developed many that are delicious, vegan, and oil-free.

Today I share one of my all-time favorites: Maple-Chipotle Chickpea Dressing!

As the name suggests, this dressing is made with a base of chickpeas. Combined with tahini, it becomes thick, rich, and creamy.

It is naturally oil-free, and is also gluten-free and (obviously) dairy-free. I love this dressing.

I created it one day with some leftover chickpeas, and was immediately hooked!

I especially love it over steamed kale (steam the kale leaves just like the collards), along with hot quinoa and a mix of seasonal veggies.

For this photo shoot, we used sweet potatoes and avocado with the kale and quinoa. This combined with the dressing makes a pretty wicked lunch bowl!

It’s so nourishing and wholesome, and every bite hits a little different flavor note that’s just so scrumptious.

Also, it’s a substantial dressing with a fairly thick texture, which ‘clings’ nicely to salad ingredients.

There are many ways to make salad dressings and sauces without oil, using nuts, seeds, avocado, and even applesauce!

After creating this recipe, I decided to create a full collection of oil-free dressings, which includes this popular dressing.  That ebook is available here.

The flavors in this chickpea dressing meld together so very well.

If you don’t have chipotle hot sauce, you can use chipotle powder. But use it sparingly, it can be very intense.

Enjoy the recipe! x Dreena

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5 from 6 votes

Maple-Chipotle Chickpea Dressing

A creamy, flavorful dressing made with a base of chickpeas and flavored with maple syrup and the smoky essence of chipotle!

Course Salad, salad dressings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp tahini adjust to taste, 1 tbsp will give a richer, fuller flavor
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2  1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1  1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp chipotle hot sauce I use Tabasco brand; can use more if desired!
• 1/4 cup water or more to thin as desired
• optional: 2-3 tbsp cilantro chopped

Instructions

• n a blender (I use the Blendtec twister jar), add all ingredients except the cilantro. Puree until very smooth (this will take less than a minute in a high speed blender, may take several minutes in a standard blender). Taste, and adjust with additional lime juice, sweetener, or salt as desired. If using the cilantro, stir through. For a thinner dressing, add a touch more water and stir through. Serve! Makes about 3/4 - 1 cup dressing.

photos: Emma