5-Minute Vegan Salad Dressing (so good it’s drinkable)

By Amanda Paa – Updated January 18, 2023
4.98 from 39 votes
This easy vegan salad dressing is so good it's drinkable. You can make it at home in just 5 minutes with a few pantry ingredients that you most likely have on hand already. With deep flavor from nutritional yeast and garlic, it's the kind of dressing that will make you want to eat more greens!
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vegan salad on a white plate

This is a salad dressing that will change your life. It changed mine, for real.

So good it’s drinkable. So easy to make it’s laughable.

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And it has Brian and I eating more fresh greens than we ever have.

If I had to describe the flavor in a few words it would be zingy, bursting with umami from nutritional yeast, and deliciously addictive. Kind of like caesar dressing can be, but without dairy or anchovies.

This vegan salad dressing recipe is adapted from the quite famous Yeast Dressing in the Hollyhock Cooks cookbook, published by the Hollyhock Lifelong Learning Centre on Cortes Island in British Columbia. This centre is described as “an educational retreat center nestled in the tall forest of an island paradise where the sea laps at the beach below. Now add the most delicious food imaginable, created by a host of talented artist-cooks using vegetables and flowers gathered from the center’s lush gardens, and presented with delicate care.”

A week there sounds *SO* perfect, doesn’t it?

My adaptions from the original recipe were slight, but I felt it made for a more balanced dressing.

  • I add just a few tablespoons water to the dressing rather than the higher amount in the original recipe. I like the creaminess and weight it has without it.
  • I changed the ratios of apple cider vinegar and tamari to suit our tastes.
  • I added a touch of maple syrup to balance the savoriness, and black pepper to give it a bit of depth.
easy vegan salad dressing ingredients on a pink backround
close up photo of nutritional photo in a low bowl with gold spoon

What Ingredients are in this Vegan Salad Dressing?

  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Sunflower Oil (or grapeseed oil)
  • Tamari (or soy sauce if you don’t need the dressing to be gluten-free)
  • Garlic
  • Maple Syrup
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Black Pepper

How to Make Vegan Salad Dressing At Home

Are you ready to make the easiest dressing ever? Grab your blender and let’s go.

  • Add all ingredients except the oil to small blender jar (or use an immersion blender). Blend until smooth.
  • Slowly stream in the oil while the blender is running on low. It will thicken and emulsify by doing this. (My bright and gingery, vegan White Balsamic Vinaigrette is made the same way, making for another easy salad dressing to have on hand.)
  • Pour into a jar for storing in the fridge. That’s it!
vegan salad dressing in a clear jar
pouring creamy vegan salad dressing onto greens

What is nutritional yeast?

This flaky yellow powder, also known as “nooch”, made from living saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, which is fed a sugary carbohydrate in fermentation vats so it grows. Next, it undergoes heating, pasteurization and drying, to be processed into the flakes you can buy at the store. The yeast is deactivated during those processes, which imparts the cheesy, nutty flavor that makes nutritional yeast so delicious.

How long does this dressing last in the fridge?

Another reason I love this salad dressing is because it lasts a long time if you need it to! It stays good for 3 weeks when stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. And I think it gets even better with time, as the flavors mingle and deepen.

More Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes:

best vegan salad dressing in a glass jar

Best 5-Minute Vegan Salad Dressing

This simple vegan salad dressing zingy is bursting with umami from nutritional yeast, and deliciously addictive. Quick to make and lasts for weeks in the fridge.
4.98 from 39 votes
Prep Time :5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Author: Amanda Paa

SCALE:

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients EXCEPT oil to a small blender jar (or a wide, tall sided mason jar if you want to use an immersion blender).
  • Blend about 20 seconds until smooth.
  • With blender running on low, SLOWLY stream in oil through the top hole (or into glass jar), so that it emulsifies and is very smooth. If you pour the oil in too fast, it will not emulsify.
  • Pour dressing into a jar and refrigerate for an hour before eating, so that the flavors have time to mingle and the dressing will also thicken a bit. Will keep in the refrigerator for up 2-3 weeks.

Notes

Recipe adapted from the Hollyhock Cooks cookbook.

Did you make this?

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March 21, 2022

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57 comments

  1. Monique

    Hi! everyone. my blender doesn’t have a low setting so after each tablespoon of oil, l used cold first pressed olive oil, l stir the mixture vigorously until l see tiny bubbles then l add the next tablespoon and so on… until as told in the recipe.. it works really well and l dont have to clean the blender. quick and easy. i also crush 2 or 3 clove garlic. Enjoy!

  2. Julie

    Hello! I can’t be bothered cracking out the blender for this, would it work by adding everything into a jar and shaking vigorously? And replacing the fresh garlic with powdered.

  3. Lori

    5 stars
    This was so very yummy and quick to whip up using my immersion blender. I used coconut aminos to replace the soy sauce and omitted the maple syrup. I also used avocado oil as that’s what I had on hand. Yum!

    • Amanda Paa

      Yay, love knowing it works well to make with immersion blender, too!

  4. Brigitte

    4 stars
    I am not quite sure if I like that much nutritional yeast with soy sauce , I red the reviews because everyone raved about this I gave it a try . My husband liked it but I didn’t , it’s not a bad recipe we have different taste , I will keep searching for a good garlic dressing . Thank you very much

  5. Joseph

    5 stars
    Thank you for the recipe. So good, I had to add it to my recipe book 😋😋😋

    • Amanda Paa

      So great to hear, thanks for the making recipe!

  6. Sandra

    5 stars
    Amazing salad dressing! It doesn’t last very long in my household. I tossed it with organic greens, diced apple and walnuts. Delicious!

    • Amanda Paa

      Oh, that sounds like a wonderful salad!

  7. Rhi

    Hi. Can I ask what ‘1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast’ means please? A 1/4 cup of what? Thank you! Can’t wait to try this

    • Amanda Paa

      Hi! 1/4 cup nutritional yeast + 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast.

  8. Deb

    5 stars
    Delish! My new favorite dressing

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad to hear that, thanks for making the recipe!

  9. Casey Pearce

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I’m cutting dairy & most other animal products while I work out some allergy issues. Wasn’t sure if hat to expect, but my husband and I both loved it. It will be a keeper even when I (hopefully) get my allergies under control and can add things back to my diet.

    • Amanda Paa

      So great to hear that you both enjoyed it, Casey! Thanks for making the recipe.

  10. DAWN L STRAWSER

    5 stars
    OMG, I made this and CANNOT wait to make it again! I used tahini instead of oil and everything else was the same (I think), its been a bit. Next time I will make it with avocado oil, despite what the lovely creator of this recipe says, (that is wont have the same flavor, maybe it wont), I’m going to try it, as canola or other veggie oils are known to be bad for you. The fact that I swapped it for tahini and it was still amazing says alot about this recipe. I will use avocado oil and the +2 TBSP oil, I will sub tahini, because it JUST SO GOOD in this recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe. I also made the southwest dressing (subbed he sour cream for a homemade vegan sour cream with silken tofu) and it was so phenomenal! I used it as a sauce on top of a “Santa Fe” style omelette, pure bliss, the best omelette I’ve ever made. This woman knows how to make salad dressing recipes!

    • Amanda Paa

      I’m so glad you enjoyed both dressing recipes, Dawn! And sounds delicious with tahini. You can certainly use avocado oil if you don’t mind the flavor of it, it’s just not my personal preference.

  11. ANA Crippen

    5 stars
    I’ve made this dressing a couple of times and it’s delicious!

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad you are enjoying the recipe!

  12. Elizabeth Joseph

    5 stars
    I made it; forgot not to add the oil until last and do it slowly. Added it to the mix and when I was done it was thick so added more water 2 -3tbs and it was perfect. I used a NutriBullet so it was impossible to add the oil last. Next time I will use my food processor. The best salad dressing ever.

  13. KRB

    5 stars
    Yum! I was looking for a quick dressing to liven up some grain/veggie/tofu bowls we were having for dinner. This was a win! My 6 year old kept asking for more things to dip in it (he might be a nutritional yeast addict, though). Will definitely be making it again – thank you!

    • Amanda Paa

      love that your son was a fan too!

  14. Andreza Owens

    5 stars
    This dressing was incredible and so easy to make. After reading the reviews, I tripled the recipe and so glad I did!! This will be a staple for homemade dressing for sure!

    • Amanda Paa

      Love that, great meal prep!

  15. Julia

    5 stars
    Just made this for my lunch salad. It was delicious! I had to use toasted sesame oil because I didn’t have any sunflower oil. It still turned out great. Any suggestions to cut down on how much oil is used without sacrificing flavor? Thank you!

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad to hear you enjoyed it on your salad! As for the oil, I like to remember that oil serves two purposes, the emulsion of the dressing and providing satiating fat.

  16. Coulinjo

    5 stars
    Best dressing (with oil) ever!

    • Amanda Paa

      yay, glad you’re enjoying it!

  17. Linda Broersma

    5 stars
    This is the absolute best homemade dressing recipe I have ever made!! Yummy!

    • Amanda Paa

      Yay, so glad you liked it Linda!

  18. Lindsay

    5 stars
    Drinkable is totally right! I just made this dressing and will be using it on EVERYTHING!

    • Amanda Paa

      :)! Just made a batch myself!

  19. Lisa

    5 stars
    Such a great recipe! I will use this over and over and over again. Thank you for such an amazing recipe.

    • Amanda Paa

      It’s on repeat at our house too! Glad you enjoy it.

  20. Rai

    Can’t wait to try this. Just curious what is the bright pink vegetable or fruit in the salad photo?

    • Amanda Paa

      Hello! It’s a watermelon radish.

  21. Lyssa Davoust

    5 stars
    I am obsessed with this dressing! It is so delicious! I often double or triple it. SO GOOD!!!

    • Amanda Paa

      yay, glad you’re enjoying the recipe!

  22. Anne

    5 stars
    Great taste. I would class this as a “pourable” dressing. I will definitely add it to my recipe collection.

  23. Kerri Anenberg

    5 stars
    Loved this dressing. I added some sliced almonds but I don’t think it changed the flavor profile much. Lots of umami flavor! Made me practically inhale my salad.

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad you liked it Kerri!

  24. Scheneice

    5 stars
    I made this dressing to start my journey for healthier eating due to food allergies. I was sceptical at first. I doubled the recipe and it turned out great! Thank you for sharing this!

    • Amanda Paa

      Really glad you enjoyed it! And good luck on your new journey.

  25. Margaret

    5 stars
    I used the dressing on organic butter lettuce that I bought from Costco and it was so delicious!! This was not only easy to make but economical too. With rising food costs this is an additional benefit. I scaled the recipe by 2 and poured it into a glass container that I saved from a previous store bought salad dressing and we will be enjoying this over the next week. Thank you.

    • Amanda Paa

      Yes, I often double it as well because it lasts nicely in the fridge! And perfect for butter lettuce.

  26. Molly

    Can I ask what the macros on this are please thank you

  27. K Stevens

    5 stars
    Tried this dressing tonight. Loved it!! Instead of oil I used 1/3 cup of Tahini. This will be my new dressing.

    • Amanda Paa

      Oh, love the tahini idea! Will try that the next time I make it. So glad you liked the recipe.

    • Karen Sher

      5 stars
      The tahini as oil substitute is so helpful. Thank you!

  28. Jeff Winett

    5 stars
    May I share something? For so long I’ve crafted recipes that you share, and this is my very first comment. Bad me. Let me take a stab at correcting my past, by thanking you for this delicious dressing. I’ve made it twice, and my salads are dead simple so I can derive mostly the deliciousness of what your dressing is all about. I use baby greens, tossed with the dressing, and all I do is sprinkle some Sesame sticks over, that I get from T.J.’s. The proprietors of Camp Jeff and Owen thank you muchly. Sorry for going all sappy here, but from time to time you’ve shared aspects of life that are not so easy, and you’ve sincerely moved me from your honesty and bravery. This helps soften rough edges that some of us endure as well, so thank you for that!

    • Amanda Paa

      This is such a kind message, Jeff. I really appreciate your words, and am grateful that some of my recipes have made their way into your home. Really glad you liked the salad dressing, too!

  29. Gena

    Is there a different oil we could substitute for the sunflower oil or grape seed oil?

    • Amanda Paa

      Hello! You could use canola oil, or vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil or avocado oil, as the flavors do not go well in this recipe. I have tested.

      • Ana

        Thanks for sharing – I had planned to try this! I’m a little shocked though, avocado oil is such a neutral flavor. Maybe I’ll try the tahini or sesame oil as a few others mentioned. Can’t wait to try this based on the amazing reviews! :)

        • Amanda Paa

          If you like the flavor of avocado oil, you can certainly use it here! It’s just not my personal preference.

      • Jennifer

        I was gonna ask the same question as the oils I have are avocado and olive oil. I also have coconut oil and macadamia nut oil. Gonna have to look for a different recipe since I don’t have oils you listed.

        • Amanda Paa

          Hi! If you like the flavor of avocado oil, you can certainly use it here! It’s just not my personal preference.