6 Gluten-Free Salad Dressings
Shake up your salads with delicious homemade gluten-free dressings!
Any ordinary bowl of chopped vegetables transforms into something more exiting when it’s spruced up with the right gluten-free salad dressing. In fact, if a salad could speak, it would say to dressing, “You complete me.”
The salad dressing aisle in the typical grocery store is a nutritional landmine of highly processed oils, refined sugars, excess salt and sketchy lab-created additives and flavorings. For those with food sensitivities, it takes some serious sleuthing to discover bottles without any offending ingredients.
What better reason to ditch the store-bought stuff and whip up your own better-tasting salad boosters? Start with these no-fail, fresh and lively gluten-free versions of the classics. They’re guaranteed to have you loving your salad.
Caesar salads are among the most popular salads in America, less for the lettuce and croutons than for the silky dressing. This incarnation has all the cherished dressing flavor, minus the moo. It’s so much more than a gluten-free salad dressing. Toss it with roasted vegetables, mix it into gluten-free pasta and potato salads, spread it on burgers and stir it into slaws.
Gluten-Free Caesar Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise of choice
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 anchovy fillets, minced, optional
Instructions
- Place mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in the container of a food processor or blender. Pulse ingredients into a thick base.
- With machine running, pour olive oil in a slow stream through the top tube.
- Place dressing in a lidded container and stir in anchovies, if using.
- Use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container up to 1 week.
Nutrition
This creamy, savory gluten-free dressing uses hummus instead of mayonnaise and capers rather than anchovies. Add a few dollops to a bowl of chopped hearty greens like kale. Massage the dressing into the greens for 1 to 2 minutes to infuse them with flavor and make them deliciously tender.
Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Caesar Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain hummus
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon drained capers , minced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons egg-free Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together hummus, olive oil, lemon juice, capers, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, salt and black pepper.
- Add a little hot water to thin, as needed, until dressing reaches a pourable consistency.
- Use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container up to 1 week.
Nutrition
For a fresher, zestier Italian dressing, shake up this from-scratch and gluten-free version. A combo of white and red wine vinegars adds punch, Italian seasoning delivers brightness and mustard slightly thickens things up while imbuing a kick. Choose a neutral-tasting oil to let the other flavors shine.
Gluten-Free Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup neutral-tasting oil , such as grapeseed, sunflower or canola
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic , grated or finely minced
- 1 shallot , finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake vigorously until the mixture is well-combined. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a bowl; whisk vigorously until combined.
- Use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for 10 days until used.
Nutrition
Here’s the perfect pairing of orange and balsamic vinegar. This gluten-free dressing is a go-to vinaigrette that makes every salad complete. You can also use it as a marinade for meat.
Gluten-Free Balsamic Orange Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- Juice of 1 medium orange
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes , optional
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place orange zest, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using) in a blender container and process until thoroughly combined. With the machine running on low speed, slowly add olive oil through the top tube.
- Alternatively, place all ingredients, except the oil, in a glass container and whisk together with a fork. Add olive oil, seal shut and shake the container vigorously.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Typically made with mayonnaise and sour cream, Green Goddess Dressing is thought to originate from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. This gluten-free version delivers the popular creamy dressing minus the dairy, thanks to avocado. Use it as a gluten-free salad dressing, a dip or a topping for tacos and grain bowls.
Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 ripe avocado , peeled and pitted
- ½ cup packed basil
- ½ cup packed parsley
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 scallions (green onions), green parts only
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place lime juice, avocado, basil, parsley, olive oil, scallions, garlic and salt in a blender container and process until smooth.
- Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to help with blending and to reach desired smooth consistency.
- Use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container up to 1 week.
Nutrition
This delicious, creamy Gluten-Free Thousand Island dressing is a game changer. Most versions are made with ketchup but this one uses sun-dried tomatoes for amazing flavor. Drizzle it over romaine or iceberg lettuce. Try it as a topping on burgers.
Gluten-Free Thousand Island Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- ¾ cup mayonnaise of choice
- 2 sweet whole pickles
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place tomatoes in a bowl, cover with hot water and let soak 30 minutes.
- Remove tomatoes from liquid, reserving soaking liquid, and place in a blender or food processor container. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Add soaking liquid, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to reach desired consistency and to help with blending.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator in a sealed jar up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Written by Matthew Kadey, RD, originally published in Gluten Free & More.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
