Creamy Balsamic Dressing! The rich and creamy cashew-base perfectly complements the tangy balsamic notes, creating a symphony of flavors in every bite.
Versatile and completely customizable to suit your palate, this Creamy Balsamic Dressing will elevate your salads and veggies to a whole new level of yumminess. Whether drizzled over crisp salad greens or used as a dip for fresh veggies, this dressing is a game-changer that will have you coming back for more!
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Welcome to our salad-loving kitchen! As a family that adores all things leafy and green, crafting delicious and wholesome salad dressings is our jam. This latest creation is no exception – bursting with mouthwatering flavor that will elevate your salad game to new heights!
Trust us, you simply must give this dressing a try – your taste buds will thank you!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This salad dressing is lightly sweet, creamy with a hint of Dijon mustard.
- Cashew Substitutes: You can try the typical cashew substitutes: silken tofu, white beans, other nuts or seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will change accordingly. You may need to adjust/add ingredients to compensate. We have not tested any substitutions.
- White Balsamic Vinegar versus Regular Balsamic Vinegar: We loved using white balsamic vinegar as it is slightly less sweet and is mostly used in this recipe for aesthetic purposes. You can use regular balsamic vinegar; however, the dressing will look like chocolate pudding and will be sweeter, you may wish to cut back on the maple syrup.
- Dijon Mustard/Vinegar/Maple Syrup: Our family loved this dressing; however, we each had preferences over the multiple kitchen tests. Some preferred more Dijon mustard, while others liked more pops of vinegar tang. Others preferred more sweetness. This recipe is a great base to start. It is perfectly delicious with the measurements listed in the recipe but can be easily customized to suit individual preferences.
- Italian Seasoning: Italian Seasoning is a mix of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. You can make your own blend if you wish. We highly recommend not blending the Italian Seasoning in a high-speed blender simply because it can become slightly bitter when overprocessed. We recommend just pulsing it in at the very end.
- Salad Ingredients: Salad greens, navy beans, pasta, peppers, tomatoes, ribboned cucumbers, red cabbage, and hemp seed hearts.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dressing does not freeze well.
Pantry Products:
- Dijon Mustard: We used Koops Dijon Mustard. Feel free to use your favorite Dijon mustard.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Products:
- High-Speed Blender
If you try this tasty dressing, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintCreamy Balsamic Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Total Time: 5 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 1 ½ Cups 1x
- Category: Dressing, Salads
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Versatile and completely customizable to suit your palate, this Creamy Balsamic Dressing will elevate your salads and veggies to a whole new level of yumminess.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- ½ cup [raw] cashews *
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar *
- ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (+/-) *
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (+/-) *
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Other Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning *
Instructions
- Place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then drain off the water and discard. Place the soaked cashews into a high-speed blender.
- Place all the remaining Base Ingredients and Spice/Herb Ingredients into the high-speed blender along with the cashews. Blend on high until emulsified and smooth.
- Pulse in the Italian Seasoning do not blend.
- Serve over your favorite salad greens.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: Makes 1 ½ cups
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
So creamy and delicious! I needed to use up some cashew butter so I subbed this for the cashews. Amazing! Every recipe I’ve made of yours is absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Hi there LeAnn,
WOOO HOOO!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe and also other recipes. We appreciate you taking time to leave us a fantastic review.
-Ameera and Robin
This dressing is my new favorite -I used half the amount of the vinegars and subbed with water to fit my taste – have made this 4 times so far -always a double batch!
Hi there Colleen,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that you enjoy this recipe and have made it 4 times. Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a fantastic review.
-Ameera and Robin