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?
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.
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:
Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
Prep
Total
This zippy dressing is much lower in refined fat and higher in fiber than most creamy Italian dressings.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil - optional
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried minced or chopped onion – optional
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
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.
Susan
February 23, 2013 at 5:44 pmI 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.
Heather
March 10, 2013 at 7:22 pmOh 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:)
Jennifer
March 15, 2013 at 8:53 amSo 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.
Susan
March 12, 2013 at 1:46 pmI 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!
Jennifer
March 15, 2013 at 8:54 amGlad to hear it was a success : )
We like it best with a clove (or two!) of fresh garlic too.
Natasha
July 4, 2013 at 9:08 amI made this again today and tried sunflower seeds instead of nuts. It’s also really really good.
Jennifer
July 4, 2013 at 4:43 pmWhat 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.
Nikita
July 8, 2013 at 3:26 pmI 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?
Jennifer
July 8, 2013 at 9:36 pmHi 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.
chryse
January 8, 2014 at 11:56 amD E L I C I O U S! Thanks for the recipe.
Jennifer's Kitchen
January 8, 2014 at 12:18 pmThank you Chryse. So happy you liked it!
Melissa
February 22, 2014 at 8:08 pmI love love love this dressing! The salad does need a sweet note to counter the garlic though 🙂
Jennifer's Kitchen
February 23, 2014 at 11:10 amThanks Melissa! It’s become one of our favorites; we make it almost every week. Sometimes we leave the garlic out, and it’s good that way too!
rdlnk.co
April 12, 2014 at 12:04 amАppreciate this post. Will try it out.
cathy
September 12, 2014 at 4:45 amI was just wondering in your recipes with raw cashews do u soak them overnight or at all?
Jennifer's Kitchen
September 12, 2014 at 10:13 amHi Cathy,
I generally don’t soak the cashews before using.
Patsy Autmon
June 16, 2016 at 9:37 pmI 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.
Lisa Matelle
September 12, 2014 at 12:32 pmThis 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!!
Jacci
October 13, 2014 at 4:12 pmMy daughter is allergic to nuts…any way to substitute for something nut free?
Jennifer's Kitchen
October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pmHi 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 🙂
Jennifer's Kitchen
May 6, 2015 at 8:51 amHere is a recipe for a ranch dressing that is not only vegan, but also nut-free and soy-free. Hope you enjoy!
Nina
December 17, 2014 at 9:29 pmWould someone that is allergic to nuts be alright with seeds, like sunflower seeds?
Nina
December 17, 2014 at 10:03 pmWow! 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:)
Jennifer's Kitchen
December 18, 2014 at 5:44 pmThis dressing will keep in the frig for about 5 to 6 days – although all that extra lemon may help it keep longer. 🙂
We like it in potato salad too.
Erin
March 20, 2015 at 10:23 pmThis is an awesome dressing! The taste, consistency, I love everything about it!
Jennifer's Kitchen
March 23, 2015 at 8:35 amThanks for the comment, Erin. I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Nicki Escudero
April 12, 2015 at 3:35 pmHi, Jennifer, I made this dressing this weekend, and it is fantastic! It’s the best homemade dressing I’ve ever made. Thanks so much for the great recipe! Nicki
Jennifer's Kitchen
April 12, 2015 at 5:55 pmThank you! I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Nina
November 12, 2015 at 7:34 pmThis dressing was scrumptious on the Pasta with Spring Vegetables. Wowza!! Thank you!
Jackie Gerber
December 2, 2015 at 10:06 amWow! 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!
Jennifer's Kitchen
December 3, 2015 at 6:44 pmYou’re very welcome Jackie. I just had it in black bean dip too. Loved it! : )
Karen B
March 22, 2016 at 2:48 amDo you use virgin or light olive oil? or does it matter
Jennifer's Kitchen
March 22, 2016 at 10:59 amEither one will work fine, Karen. It’s a matter of personal preference.
Hope you enjoy 🙂
Lisa Cox
October 3, 2016 at 12:19 amI 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?
Deena
February 1, 2018 at 7:40 pmDo you have a Ranch version of this dressing?
Jennifer's Kitchen
February 1, 2018 at 9:01 pmYes, here is my Ranch dressing. Also sometimes I just replace the seasonings in this dressing with some parsley, garlic, onion, chives, and dill to make a Ranch dressing.
You can see all my salad dressing recipes here if you are interested in another variety.
Aubrey
February 10, 2018 at 5:50 pmDoes this need to be refrigerated?
Jennifer's Kitchen
February 10, 2018 at 6:12 pmYes, you will definitely want to refrigerate this. It will stay good in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days.
Kay
November 5, 2018 at 5:09 amHi 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
JennifersKitchen
November 5, 2018 at 5:00 pmHi 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
Amy
January 10, 2019 at 3:52 pmThis 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!
JennifersKitchen
January 10, 2019 at 5:27 pmWonderful!! SO happy you enjoyed it, Amy. We like it over pasta too (and I usually make it without oil).
Thanks so much for your comment!
Kimberly
February 5, 2019 at 2:16 pmThank you for the recipe! My family loves it as written, and sometimes we add a couple roasted or grilled peppers.
Tanya
February 11, 2019 at 7:51 amI 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
JennifersKitchen
February 11, 2019 at 8:36 amHi Tanya,
Can your son eat sunflower seeds? Here is a link for my nut-free salad dressing that’s made with sunflower seeds.
https://jenniferskitchen.com/2014/12/vegan-ranch-dressing.html
If he can’t eat have sunflower seeds, I am working on another one that doesn’t have tree nuts or sunflower seeds. If you’re interested, you can subscribe to my updates so you’ll know when I post it.
Jennifer