Salad lovers understand that sometimes it’s difficult to choose which dressing you would like. While there are staple flavors of sour, sweet, tangy, and zesty, it still depends on the main ingredients of your salad. If you want to kick it up a notch on the health factor, here are vegetarian dressing for salad ideas that you might want to try.
Vegetarian Dressing for Salad: Apple Cider Vinaigrette
If you need an exceptionally delightful combination of bite and sweetness, using a zesty apple cider vinaigrette is an excellent way to get the results you’re looking for.
Again, this is another healthy option that goes with virtually any salad.
To pull this off, measure a 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and combine a dash of honey with two teaspoons of dijon mustard.
Whisk everything together and sprinkle over your greens! You can also add a little soy sauce to this to give it extra salt.
Lemon Garlic
This lemon garlic vegan salad dressing is also a good option to explore if you’re looking for a zestier flavor. As with all of these recipes, using the freshest ingredients possible is the way to go.
All you have to do is measure out about a 1/4 cup of oil, though olive oil and avocado oil work particularly well.
After that, add half a cup of fresh lemon juice and a few cloves of fresh garlic, minced. Throw it all in a bowl, whisk it up, and you’re ready to go. This is also a perfect dressing for summer salad!
Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
In all the above, we’re making dressing out of ingredients you probably already have sitting around the house. But what if you want to add some fresh herbs to your dressing?
This one ultimately will vary depending on what kind of greens you’re using, but the principle remains the same.
Start with the basic olive oil and red wine vinegar mixture in a one-to-one ratio. After that, add 1/4 cup of fresh chopped herbs, and you’re ready to go.
What herbs should you use? The three classics are basil, cilantro, and parsley.
Cilantro will go well with a Mexican salad, whereas basil would pair well with Caprese, and Italian herbs go with Italian salads. Mix and match to find your favorite!
Greek Yogurt Dressing
For those still looking for a nice ranch-style salad dressing without vinegar, this recipe is likely to be the one for you.
To start, mix a half cup of Greek yogurt with two tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of lemon juice, and two tablespoons of olive oil.
To add some extra punch to this, you can also throw in some spices like paprika or curry, though this part is up to you.
Maybe even some poppy seeds! After it’s all in there, stir it well to combine and pour it over your salad (though perhaps not as much as the other dressings).
Parmesan Pepper
This delicious variation uses the basic oil and vinegar recipe and adds a creamy component to it.
First, add two to three tablespoons of mayonnaise to your oil and vinegar dressing (though you can also use the same amount of sour cream or plain yogurt as you see fit).
Once that’s mixed in, add a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and about 1/8 teaspoon of ground fresh pepper, though you can add this to taste. This one is particularly delicious.
Tahini Dressing
If you’re looking for a low acid salad dressing, you can go for this one! Tahini is also an incredibly useful base for making salad dressings—and a perfect fit for anyone who likes hummus or Mediterranean flavors.
To do this, get equal parts of lemon and tahini and fill about a half cup with them.
After that, add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and you should be good to go. You can also adjust the balance of tahini to lemon juice until you get the right consistency!
As always, add in spices as you want to make it a little more exciting—we think paprika and cumin are a good starting point.
Takeaway
These vegetarian dressing for salad ideas makes me want to drool. Grab your favorite vegetables and fruits, and whip up any of these dressings. A slight drizzle is enough, but why not add some more? Enjoy!
Sources: Genius Kitchen, Wide Open Eats