Oil-Free Salad Dressing That’s Creamy and Dill-icious! (Vegan + Dairy-Free)

This thick and creamy, oil-free salad dressing is incredibly simple and easy to make. We use cashews, instead of oil, to create the texture and richness that we all crave on our perfect crunchy vegan salad. It’s plant-based, soy free, and dairy-free, but you’d never guess it. Soak, blend, and savor––that’s all there is to it!

Why buy expensive, commercial dressings laden with preservatives when you can make your own at home for a fraction of the cost? Once you make this savory, luscious salad dressing yourself, you’ll never go back. What we love about this recipe is that you can halve or double this recipe depending on your needs.

Not only is this vegan salad dressing versatile with its ingredients and serving sizes, but you can also use this recipe on foods other than green salads. Which meals can be made even more mouthwatering, you may ask? Keep reading to find out!

Why We Love This Oil Free Dressing Recipe

• So simple to make
• Incredibly creamy
• Versatile ingredients
• Delicious as a dressing or a dip
• Free of preservatives

It’s also suitable for almost every type of eater at the table, as it checks all these boxes:

• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Sugar-free
• Oil-free
• Soy-free (if using a soy-free milk and yogurt)

Star Ingredients in This Plant-Based Salad Dressing

In our opinion, every ingredient in this delightful dressing is pretty awesome. But, these three truly stand out due to their extraordinary flavor or versatile texture. When they all work together in harmony, the results are extremely appetizing. Yum!

• Dill – Not only is this annual, self-seeding herb super easy to grow in your garden, but it’s incredibly light and flavorful.
• Cashews – Rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats. These adorable nuts have almost the same amount of protein per serving as the equivalent of animal protein. They also have a significant amount of copper and are a good source of magnesium and manganese.
• Dijon Mustard – A tangy, slightly spicy, and sharp mustard that brings another dimension to this creamy nut-based recipe.

Helpful Tips for Making This No Oil Salad Dressing

While there’s not much to blending up this batch of salad-friendly sauce, there are few ways to switch it up a bit. Use your imagination (or your kitchen pantry) to inspire you. Once you get going, you might come up with your own no oil salad dressing!

• Dare To Be More Than Dressing – There are more than a few alternative and appealing options for this delicious dressing. Perfect on salads, baked potatoes or sweet potato fries, as a veggie dip, a sassy sauce for falafel or gyros, and even delicious mixed with your chickpea tuna salad instead of vegan mayo. 
• Savory Seasoning Substitutions – Instead (or in addition to) the dill, consider incorporating oregano, chives, basil, cilantro, or parsley. If using the fresh herb rather than the dried, make sure to increase your measurements. For example, 3 tablespoons of fresh equals 1 teaspoon of the dried herb.
• Pleasing Plant Milk Options – Creaminess is key to this dressing. Make sure to use an unsweetened, plain plant-based milk (or yogurt) with a thicker texture, such as soy or cashew. If you only have a thinner plant milk (or yogurt) on hand, add more soaked cashews to the recipe to thicken the consistency.
• Slightly Salt Sensitive? – If you are salt-free or trying to reduce your salt, feel free to omit the salt all together. You could even use a salt-free mustard. Substituting with a salt-alternative would work, too. 

How Long Do I Soak the Cashews?

Soaking cashews is simple and easy. Place one cup of raw cashews into a large bowl and cover with one and a half cups of tepid or warm water. Allow the cashews to soak overnight (5-8 hours maximum). If they are soaked too long, they tend to get an unpleasant taste and also become slimy in texture. Drain and allow them to sit for around 10 minutes to get rid of the excess liquid.

Forgot to soak your cashews, or just in a rush? Boil them instead. Here’s how:

If completely forget to soak your cashews the night before, no problem! Again, place the cup of raw cashews into a large bowl. Boil one and half cups of water. Pour the water over the cashews. Let the cashews soak for 30 minutes. No need to cover. Drain and allow them to sit for around 10 minutes to get rid of the excess liquid.

My Salad Dressing is Too Thick! What Should I Do?

First of all, don’t panic. There’s a simple solution. If your dressing seems a little too thick after siting a while in the fridge, add a tablespoon each of plant-based milk and rice wine vinegar to thin it out. If you want less tang, just use the dairy-free milk. Add more or less to create the consistency that is right for you.

How Long Does Homemade Salad Dressing Last?

Because this dressing is made fresh and with no preservatives, it will have a slightly shorter shelf life in the refrigerator. Store any leftovers in a sealed plastic or glass container (like a mason jar) for up to 4 days. Not recommended for freezing.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need For Our Oil Free Salad Dressing

The best thing about this dressing is that it’s not only quick to make, but also requires only a few standard kitchen tools. You can always use a standard high-speed blender, but the smaller one does seem to blend the dressing a little easier. It’s really up to you and what you have on hand.

• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Small High-Speed Blender
• Pint Mason Jar or Covered Glass Bottle

Helpful Hint: If you whip up this dressing the day before, the flavors will be even more concentrated and the texture is creamier and thicker. Totally worth making ahead of time!

Creamy Dill Oil-Free Dressing

Author: Gina House | World of Vegan

5 from 14 votes

Make the flavor of your salad soar with this creamy dill oil-free salad dressing! Even without oil, it's decadent and creamy thanks to the softened soaked cashews blended into a cream. Once you give this oh-so-creamy, herb-filled recipe a try, it will become your go-to dip and dressing for years to come. It's delicious on potatoes and veggies, too.

This recipe yields about about 12 ounces (1½ cups).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

Soaking Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight
• 1 scant cup plant milk, unsweetened, plain soy or cashew are great options
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain, dairy-free yogurt, (soy or coconut is recommended for creaminess)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of black pepper

Instructions

• The night before (or at least 30 minutes before you’d like your dressing to be done), soak your cashews in a bowl with warm water so that the water covers the nuts by ½ inch or so. Once soaked, drain off the excess water.
• Add the soaked cashews and all of the other ingredients to a small blender. Cover and shake well.
• Blend on high for around 1 minute, or until creamy smooth.
• For best taste, refrigerate the dressing for an hour or more to let the flavors meld together. Enjoy!

Notes

• Salt Sensitive? – If you are salt-free or trying to reduce your salt, feel free to omit the salt all together. You could even use a salt-free mustard. Substituting with a salt-alternative would work, too.
• Too Thick? – If your dressing seems a little too thick after a while, add a tablespoon each of plant-based milk and rice wine vinegar to thin it out. If you want less tang, just use the dairy-free milk.
• Gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, sugar-free, and soy-free (if using a soy-free plant milk)

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 602mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

Course Side

Cuisine American

Keyword creamy dill dressing, creamy vegan salad dressing, dairy-free salad dressing, oil-free dressing, oil-free salad dressing, vegan salad dressing

What Is The Difference Between a Dressing and a Vinaigrette?

That’s a very good question and something we’ve been wondering ourselves. Now that we know, we can pass that info on to you! The answer actually comes from the word vinaigrette.

A vinaigrette is a mixture of an oil and a vinegar, while a salad dressing is usually a mixture of some type of fat (could be oil, nuts, avocado, vegan mayo, etc.) and an acid (possibly lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar) that is cold and can cover any type of food, not just salad.

If you’re interested in making this oil free ranch dressing for a special occasion and you’re not sure which salad would be the perfect fit, please check out our Making the Best Vegan Salad guide. We have tons of sweet and savory salad recipes for you to try!

FAQs

More Super Salad and Delicious Dressing Recipes To Try

• Vegan French Dressing
• Creamy Caesar Dressing
• Delicata Squash Harvest Salad
• Smashed Cucumber Salad
• Thai Tofu Salad with Peanut Dressing
• Fresh Cucumber and Watermelon Salad
• Sauteed Kale, Bean, and Avocado Salad

This oil free vegan salad dressing recipe was developed and written by Gina House and edited by Amanda Meth. Content copyright World of Vegan, all rights reserved. Photos by J.J. Steele. This whole food plant based salad dressing recipe includes affiliate links when available and shopping through these links supports World of Vegan.