Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
This gluten-free and vegan Creamy Italian dressing has been the most popular recipe on my blog for several years in a row!
Though you’d never guess it by its lusciously creamy flavor, this vegan Creamy Italian dressing is surprisingly high in fiber. That means that it’s great for weight loss!
It’s also a great source of magnesium, which makes your bones strong, helps control blood sugar, and has even been shown to relieve symptoms of PMS.
With all these nutritional benefits, there’s no need to skimp on this vegan Creamy Italian dressing. It’s good for you! So, go ahead – use as much as your little heart desires.
An Oldie but a Goodie
This homemade, vegan Creamy Italian Dressing is actually a re-post of a recipe that I posted back in 2012. Why am I re-posting it?
1. This vegan Creamy Italian recipe has consistently been one of the most popular recipes on this blog, so I decided you deserved a pretty, new photo.
2. After 7 years of making this dressing almost every week and finding hundreds of creative and delicious uses for it, I wanted to share these ideas with you.
3. Fresh garden tomatoes will be here soon and this dressing makes the best – and I do mean the BEST – tomato sandwiches.
4. It’s spring (!) and the fresh baby lettuce is just begging for some of this creamy, luscious dressing.
Beyond Salads
We eat this dressing – or variations of it – almost every week.
It helps transform a ho-hum salad into a fabulous Power Salad.
We also use it:
- in pasta recipes, like this lovely Pasta with Spring Vegetables
- in these Artichoke-Stuffed Potatoes or over plain, baked potatoes. (It’s our preferred potato topping!)
- in pasta salad and over this Garden Veggie Quinoa Salad
- over steamed veggies and in this Kale, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Salad
- in sandwich spreads, like this yummy Chickpea Salad Sandwich Spread
- even these Chickpea Spinach Nuggets are made with this luscious dressing
We love it. And I think you will too.
Good Enough for Dessert?
Did you know that green salads actually feed your good gut bacteria and fight inflammation? It’s true.
But you have to actually eat the salad to get the benefits, and this dressing can help with that because it will make your salad tastes soooo good that you may even start craving salad for dessert. Ok, that may be a stretch, but I guarantee you will really, really like salad with this Creamy Italian Salad Dressing on it.
So Good for You!
Not only does this dressing help you eat more healthy salads, but the salad dressing itself is super good for you! It’s loaded with fiber (not many salad dressings can say that!) which makes it great for weight loss. And it’s also a good source of magnesium, manganese, and protein.
Better than Store-Bought
Even the healthiest dressing you can buy at the grocery store cannot compare with this salad dressing. Unlike store-bought dressings, this dressing is made from healthy, unrefined, whole food ingredients. And it even provides a good dose of fiber – something no dressing from the grocery store can boast.
Enjoy!
Vegan 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 fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - optional
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried chopped or minced onion - optional
- 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place cashews in a colander and rinse under hot water. Drain well.
- Place 2/3 cup 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!
Want More?
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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. It’s a staple in my refrigerator too!
I love the challenge of getting picky kids to eat healthfully … and love success even more! : )
Thank you for the nice comment.
I am thankful for ALL your recipes. I do not use vinegar in any way, none. My husband and I had a big family gathering to go to (42 people) and I made this dressing to take with us. Everyone tried it and really liked it. I even have frozen it
and it tastes just like fresh when thawed! Also, I ran out of oregano when I went to make it one time and used Italian Seasoning in its place and it was EXCELLENT! I did not change anything else. We like it better this way the most. I share your website with many, many people. Keep on, keep on, Jennifer! :-))
Thank you so much, Marie. Your comment absolutely made my day!! So happy you (and everyone at your family gathering – wow!) liked the dressing. : )
can you use fresh basil and parsley instead of dried? If so how much?
Hi Karen,
I’ve experimented a little bit with fresh herbs and haven’t been completely satisfied with the results. But you could give it a try and see what you think. (I used just under 1 tablespoon of fresh for every 1 teaspoon dried herb. If I were to try it again, I would definitely use less.)
Jennifer
Can garlic powder and onion powder be exchanged one to one in ratio for the granulated garlic & onion?
Yep, that would work just fine. 🙂
I have just made this recipe – love it! Thank you! So happy to find a vegan salad dressing that is so creamy and tasty.
Yay! That’s what I love to hear!
Thank you for your comment, Mary.
Hello, I am wondering what to replace the cashew with? We have an allergy in the house. Tahini perhaps?
Thank you for your conscious recipes 😀
Hi Jean, I’ve experimented with different options and the best I could come up with is a mixture of sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts, but nothing seemed to be as good as the cashews.
Love this. I soaked the nuts for an hour in hot water before blending. So delicious my friends couldnt believe it was vegan. I add it to my pasta salad with olive tapenade.
Mmmm… I really like this dressing on pasta salad too!
Wondering how long this would be good for?
It keeps for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
Hi! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. Do you soak the cashews first?
Hi Natasha,
Nope. I put them in a colander and rinse them under hot water before putting them in the blender, but I don’t soak them.
I hope you like it!
Jennifer
Your salad dressing recipes convinced me to upgrade my blender. I tried this recipe with my old 1970s Osterizer blender and it turned out grainy. I just made this again tonight in my new Blendtec blender and it’s like a whole different dressing. This is amazing. I could totally see salads for dessert if it had this dressing on it.
So happy for you! It was a great day in my house when I finally got a good blender. Like you said, what a huge difference!
Thank you for your sweet comment : )
Could you tell me what the calories and the fat content on the dressing is we love it but I just need to know
Hi Michele,
I’m glad to hear you like the dressing. Sorry, I don’t have the calorie count for this recipe; you can read more about why I don’t have nutrition information for my recipes here.
Almost all of my recipes fit in my weight loss program and one of the benefits of the program is there’s no need to count calories or take too much time with nutrition labels.
Sorry I don’t have the information you’re looking for, but I’m glad you liked the dressing!
Jennifer
Hi. Can we replace the onion granules with onion powder. Or use fresh onions. Love this recipe. Gonna try it out soon.
Hi Annie,
I’ve tested this with granulated onion, onion powder, dried minced onion, fresh green onions, and fresh bulb (regular) onion. And it tastes best with granulated onion, but almost just as good with onion powder. I don’t recommend fresh onion or dried minced onion though. They don’t give it the flavor that you would expect with salad dressing.
I hope you enjoy!
Jennifer
I had to dilute it significantly because of the high salt content. I thought a teaspoon was far too much but went with it. However, it was incredibly salty. I diluted with water and added more cashews. I’d have added more lemon but I ran out. However, it was very tasty once adjusted. I’ll definitely go with just half a teaspoon next time.
Whoa!! Hold the presses!! This stuff is delicious! I’ve been making your sour cream for years, but somehow never explored your website. Duh! Big mistake. Today, I made your Sour Cream, Creamy Italian Salad Dressing, and 5 Minute Cheese Sauce. Just amazing….all of them.
I find I really do not like the lingering flavor of the raw cashews, so I use raw rinsed cashews and boil them for about 6 minutes. I have a Vitamix, so it isn’t a blending problem. Boiling just makes them creamier and the flavor is perfect, allowing your recipes to shine. All of the things I made today are so tasty. Going to try the cheese sauce on some broccoli tonight.
Gosh. Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes!
Aw, thanks Dawn 🙂 You really know how to make a gal’s day! So thrilled you loved them all!
And thanks for the tip on making cashews taste better. I’ve found that I’ve had to rinse some cashews under hot water for quite a while to get rid of that funny taste that the de-shelling process sometimes leaves behind, but boiling them may just be an even better method.
Thank you so very much for your comment. Hope you enjoy the other recipes here just as much.
Jennifer
Great dressing but 1 1/4 tsp salt is too much for this recipe, made my salad extremely salty, but still delicious. Will definitely try to make it again with less salt.
Absolutely fabulous! The complexity of flavors is wonderful!
So glad you liked it, Shane! Thank you for your comment.
Hi Jennifer!
I just made this dressing (creamy Italian dressing) and have to say that it IS delicious! I read about the salt debate and want to say that I am WFPB no SOS so, I left the salt completely out and it was fantastic without it. All the other ingredients have enough of a flavor profile and bite that I felt it doesn’t need the salt.
I have a question about your weight loss plan. I have to reign things in and get back on track and was considering signing up for it. Can you tell me if you still are holding them and if you still have active people? Thanks so much in advance!
Have a great day!
Janet
Hi Janet,
I’m so happy you liked the dressing, even without the salt.
Yes! The weight loss plan is active and going strong with hundreds of members and thousands of pounds lost. 🙂 We’d love to have you join us!
Thanks so much for your comment.
Blessings,
Jennifer
Awesome! I will check it out now. Thanks so much for getting back to me so fast! 🙂
MY HUSBAND AND i ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PROGRAM. i HAVE TRIED SEVERAL RECIPES
THEY ARE A FIVE STAR. I WILL BE MAKING THE OVERNIGHT OATS THIS P.M.
I JUST FINISHED MAKING THE POTATOE AND KALE SOUP, PASTA PRIMAVERA,CREAMY, ITALIAN
SALAD. IAM SO EXCITED TO SPEND TIME IN MY KITCHEN AND TRYING ALL YOUR RECIPES AND LOSING WEIGHT IS AND ADDED BONUS. I RECOMMEND YOUR PROGRAM TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED FOR PRACTICING GOOD HEALTH THROUGH FOOD,
THSNKS AGAIN
Aw, thank you so much, Susan.
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the program.
Thank you for your kind comment.
This is the BEST dressing I have ever eaten! I pour it on everything from salads to cooked vegetables to beans and rice to cooked collards and kale to baked potatoes – you name it! I eat it every week and I always double the recipe because it goes so quickly. I cut the salt in half and it’s still delicious! I’ve also made it with apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice. I love it! It’s almost better than dessert!
This is the BEST dressing I have ever eaten! I pour it on everything from salads to cooked vegetables, to beans and rice, to cooked collards and kale, to baked potatoes – you name it! I eat it every week and always double the recipe because it goes so quickly. I cut the salt in half and it’s still delicious! I love it! It’s almost better than dessert!
Awesome, Joi! I’m with you – I like this dressing on just about everything 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment and rating (and for your thoughts on the salt amount!).
Love this dressing,very tasty,
my favorite.
Aw, thanks Valerie. So happy you like it.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
I love your salad dressings, Jennifer! Wow, they’re the best ones ever! They’re totally healthful, and that just puts the icing on the cake!
Wonderful, Carol! SO happy you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your comment! 🙂
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.
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 with a clove (or two!) of fresh garlic too.
D E L I C I O U S! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Chryse. So happy you liked it!
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!!
You’re welcome, Lisa. I’m thrilled to hear you liked the dressing 🙂
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 do have a recipe for a ranch salad dressing recipe that is not only vegan, but also nut-free and soy-free. Hope you enjoy!