Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

Low-Fat Creamy Italian Salad Dressing Recipe(I have an updated Creamy Italian Dressing post here – check that out!)

Salads are a super weight loss food … until you put the dressing on top.  Most salad dressings are loaded with calories and plenty of not-so-good-for-you ingredients.

But this rich and creamy salad dressing is a much healthier option. Not only is it lower in refined fats, but it contains no cholesterol, and it’s higher in fiber than any salad dressing you’ll find on the supermarket shelf.

With this zippy dressing, there is no need to skimp … Pour it on!

What About Fat-Free Salad Dressings?

Low-Fat Creamy Italian Salad Dressing Recipe

If you are trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to choose low-fat or fat-free dressing. Unfortunately, these are not good options since the ingredients used to replace the fat in these dressings actually encourage weight gain.

This website is brought to you without annoying ads because we can better live healthier lives without the influence of marketing. But running a high-traffic site is expensive. How can you help? If you purchase anything through the affiliate links on my site, your cost is the same, but I receive a small commission. Thank you!

What to eat?! This Creamy Italian Dressing is the perfect solution. : ) It offers naturally healthy, whole-food, plant-based fats that will actually help with weight loss.

Hate Vegetables?

By the way, this Creamy Italian Salad Dressing is a great tool for making those “yucky” vegetables taste pretty good. Serve it over steamed broccoli, carrots, greens, cabbage, or cauliflower. Creamy Italian Dressing also makes a healthful topping for potatoes.

And pile it on! It’s good for you … and it’s not fattening!

Beyond Salad

I use this dressing as a healthy substitute for more fattening ingredients in lots of different dishes, such as:

Garbanzo-Pesto-Salad

Garbanzo Pesto Salad

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Pasta With Spring Vegetables

Pasta With Spring Vegetables

Artichoke-Stuffed-Potatoes

Artichoke-Stuffed Potatoes

Low-Fat Creamy Italian Salad Dressing Recipe

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

(I have an updated Creamy Italian Dressing post – check that out!)
 
This zippy dressing is much lower in refined fat and higher in fiber than most creamy Italian dressings.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Salad Dressing
YIELD 1.5 cups
All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of jennifer’s kitchen and cannot be republished without written permission.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place water, cashews, lemon juice, and garlic into blender and blend on high speed until very smooth and creamy. NOTE: For a smooth and creamy dressing, be sure to use a high-powered blender. Without one, the results won’t be creamy.
  • Add oil and blend very well.
  • Add seasonings and blend until mixed.
  • Chill.
  • Stir before using.

Notes

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

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62 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I am THE pickiest person when it comes to salad dressing and I LOVE this dressing. It is my go-to dressing. I also use it as a sauce on veggies and savory vegan entrees. Thank you so much for this recipe.

  2. Oh my goodness I made this dressing for our salads tonight and it was fantastic! I am picky about salad dressing, and my husband only likes Italian dressing(which I normally do not). This was perfect! We both loved it, as did all 3 of our children(including a super picky 4 y/o). Plus love the fact it’s super healthy! This is a winner, have a feeling it will be in our fridge from now on:)

    1. So glad you and your family liked it, Heather. I love the challenge of getting picky kids to eat healthfully … and love success even more! : )

      Thank you for the nice comment.

  3. 5 stars
    I made this dressing when I had guests for dinner, and we all loved it. I put a garlic clove in it, so it was kind of garlicky, which everyone liked. It’s great over salad, but as you mention above, it would also be great as a dip for veggies. And it’s so pretty, too!

    1. What a good idea. We’ve used different mixtures of nuts and seeds before and really liked some of them, but we’ve never used all sunflower seeds.
      Thanks, Natasha.

  4. I sumbled across your site and made this dressing immediately – its so good!! I used all sunflower seeds, but look forward to trying almonds next time. Thank you so much for the recipe!
    S/N: Is the calorie info available?

    1. Hi Nikita,
      So glad you liked it 🙂 You’re very welcome.

      Sorry I don’t have calorie info for you. Most of my recipes fit with my weight loss program, and there’s no calorie counting with the program. (You can read more about this on my FAQ page under Nutrition Info.) The high fiber content of this dressing, as well as the natural, unrefined fats, makes it great for weight-loss and weight management.

      1. I saw your cooking class tonight on 3abn. Decided to read your blog. I’ve read articles that raw cashews should always be soaked and washed because they are grown under less than desirable conditions. They are very dirty. I usually let them soak overnight. I wash them until the water is clean and clear. The cashews are white after the soaking and washing.

  5. This is, by far, one of the easiest and tastiest recipes I have ever made!! Reading the ingredients on a typical bottle of salad dressing can make you sick, but I know exactly what’s in this, and that makes me happy!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!

    1. Hi Jacci,
      I think the cashews are pretty essential in this recipe for it to work out correctly. They offer a rich creaminess and just the right flavor. However, I am working on another healthy, creamy salad dressing recipe that doesn’t require nuts. If you want, you could subscribe to my updates so you can know when I post it 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    Wow! That is scrumptious! This could just be me but it smells and tastes just like I remember ranch dressing. It has been awhile though. We are the crazy lemon people so we did almost 2/3rd cup lemon with a splash of water with almost 2/3rd cup of cashews. We used only 2 tbsp. olive and it was so creamy yummy. I plan on using as a mayo in a potato salad. Did you already say how long it would last in the fridge? Though I don’t think it will last very long:)

  7. Wow! This dressing is the best. I’ve used it on salads, baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes. I’ve used it for a cabbage-apple slaw salad, as a sandwich spread and made a black bean dip. Absolutely the best! Thank you Jennifer for this recipe!

  8. I need a great tasting dressing for my pre-sleeve gastrectomy surgery. They want you to eat fat free Italian dressing because the diet is designed to help shrink the liver. Would this recipe fall into a liver-shrinking, pre-surgery diet?

  9. Hi there just wanting to know more about the soaking of the cashews as I’ve always believed they must be soaked , I guess it may come down to a preference seen you don’t soak them but I would prefer to soak so do you think it would be a problem if I did this , also they supposed to be creamier so just wanting your opinion , thanks in advance
    Kay

    1. Hi Kay,
      I don’t soak my cashews, but you can if you want to. Just remember that when you soak cashews, they absorb water, so you would want to use less water in the recipe.

      Jennifer

  10. This is the first homemade dressing I have made and it was delicious! I was looking for a wfpb dressing without any oil. I made it for a pasta salad, without the oil but my daughter, who is picky when it comes to dressings loves it and uses for her regular salads. Will definitely make this a staple in this house! Thank you!

  11. Thank you for the recipe! My family loves it as written, and sometimes we add a couple roasted or grilled peppers.

  12. I love the idea of this dressing, however, are there any options for those that have a tree but allergy? I don’t but my son does and I don’t like to bring them in the house.

    Thanks for all the great ideas!
    Tanya

  13. Granulated onion? Can I use onion powder? Also do you use the online oil? I see optional which is better with or without?

    1. Hi Angel,
      I use granulated onion because it tastes slightly different than onion powder, and I like it better in this dressing, but you can use onion powder without a problem.

      As far as the olive oil, in my opinion, it tastes better WITH it, but it’s still very good without it. Since many people try to avoid oil in their diet, I leave it as optional since it tastes fine without it.

      I hope this helps. : )
      Jennifer

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