Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
(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?
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.
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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
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 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.
Notes
>> One quick request: if you like this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. Ratings help more people find these healthy recipes!
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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.
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:)
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.
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!
Glad to hear it was a success : )
We like it best with a clove (or two!) of fresh garlic too.
I made this again today and tried sunflower seeds instead of nuts. It’s also really really good.
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.
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?
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.
D E L I C I O U S! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Chryse. So happy you liked it!
I love love love this dressing! The salad does need a sweet note to counter the garlic though 🙂
Thanks 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!
Аppreciate this post. Will try it out.
I was just wondering in your recipes with raw cashews do u soak them overnight or at all?
Hi Cathy,
I generally don’t soak the cashews before using.
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.
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!!
My daughter is allergic to nuts…any way to substitute for something nut free?
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 🙂
Here is a recipe for a ranch dressing that is not only vegan, but also nut-free and soy-free. Hope you enjoy!
Would someone that is allergic to nuts be alright with seeds, like sunflower seeds?
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:)
This 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.
This is an awesome dressing! The taste, consistency, I love everything about it!
Thanks for the comment, Erin. I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Hi, 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
Thank you! I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
This dressing was scrumptious on the Pasta with Spring Vegetables. Wowza!! Thank you!
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!
You’re very welcome Jackie. I just had it in black bean dip too. Loved it! : )
Do you use virgin or light olive oil? or does it matter
Either one will work fine, Karen. It’s a matter of personal preference.
Hope you enjoy 🙂
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?
Do you have a Ranch version of this dressing?
Yes, 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.
Does this need to be refrigerated?
Yes, you will definitely want to refrigerate this. It will stay good in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days.
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
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
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!
Wonderful!! 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!
Thank you for the recipe! My family loves it as written, and sometimes we add a couple roasted or grilled peppers.
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
Hi 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
Granulated onion? Can I use onion powder? Also do you use the online oil? I see optional which is better with or without?
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