Dairy-Free Creamy Herb Dressing

Dairy-Free Creamy Herb Dressing is full of dill, parsley, garlic, and cashews, for a rich, creamy consistency. This gluten-free salad dressing goes well with simple salad ingredients and dark leafy greens. If you have “a little of this and a little of that” in your refrigerator, then this is your dressing! 

Where has dill been all my life? In my mother’s cupboard, most likely. But it was dated, I didn’t like cucumber dill sandwiches, and aside from pickles, I generally avoided the herb like the plague. But then I discovered the amazingness that is tzatziki sauce in a gyro (complete with dill), proceeded to fall in love with it, and tried those cucumber sandwiches again. It was love at 37th sight, give or take a few. Once it clicked, it clicked, and my love for dill was set. I put a ring on it by making my own paleo tzatziki sauce recipe, thus planting myself firmly in the all-things-dill camp.

So it was just a matter of time before a dill salad dressing made its way to the blog. Inspired by Paleo Grubs’ Creamy Herb Paleo Dressing, this gluten-free salad dressing is made with cashews instead of mayonnaise, heavy cream, or milk. And if you haven’t worked with cashews yet, then this is your moment! And if you have, then this is still your moment because the final product is tantalizing. 

Because Dairy-Free Creamy Herb Dressing is full of zesty flavors, you don’t need a fancy salad to go with it. I like to pair this dressing with basic salad ingredients like tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, onions, and dark leafy greens. It’s the perfect dressing for hodgepodge salads that are everything but the kitchen sink. If you look in the fridge and see nothing but random ingredients, then this is your topper. The snappy flavor has your back, and what would have been a boring, “I-should-have-gone-to-the-grocery-store” salad just got a whole lot tastier.

So let’s jump in and make some Dairy-Free Creamy Herb Dressing!

DAIRY-FREE CREAMY HERB DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

Below are ingredients you’ll need for your own dressing that, thanks to the cashews, will be a soy-free vegan recipe! 

• Cashews. I use roasted, unsalted cashews, but just about anything will do. Soak them for at least an hour before using them so they have time to soften. 
• Water, olive oil, and lemon juice. I typically use more water than olive oil so that the oil doesn’t overpower the dressing, and I add small amounts of lemon juice until I have the zingy taste I want.
• Fresh dill, parsley, green onions, and garlic cloves. I highly suggest mincing the herbs before adding them to the blender so they are less likely to clog the blades. I also use a garlic press to mash the garlic so the cloves don’t get stuck under a blade. Nothing says delicious! like getting a hunk of fresh garlic in one bite of salad dressing!
• Sea salt, garlic powder, and onion salt. These I add at the end of the process to round out the flavor. They are perfect additions if the dressing is a little too rich, especially if you inadvertently add more olive oil than is ultimately desired.

HOW TO MAKE DAIRY-FREE CREAMY HERB DRESSING:

This is a fairly simple dressing to prepare, however I do suggest taste-testing as you go to get the desired flavor balance.

1. Soak the cashews for at least an hour to soften them. In a high-speed blender, combine the water, olive oil, lemon juice, and cashews. Blend on a low speed to start, and gradually increase the speed to as high as it will go before the blades clog.
2. Then add the dill, parsley, green onions, garlic cloves, sea salt, garlic powder, and onion salt. Use a tamper, if your blender has one, to push the ingredients into the blades. Depending on how well the ingredients blend and your desired consistency, it may take a while to mix everything together, and the dressing may become hot in the blender. If that happens, then cool the dressing in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to serving.
3. Refrigerate any unused portions and consume within about 4-5 days.

HOW TO GET JUST THE RIGHT FLAVOR:

Because this is a taste-test-as-you-go recipe, there are several ways to get the right amount of zing, if that’s what your tastebuds desire. Below are a few suggestions.

• For more zest, use a dill/parsley ratio of 2 : 1.
• Add a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt if the dressing is too rich.
• If the dressing is too thick, add more water. I typically do this in tablespoon increments. While you can add olive oil, eventually the olive oil flavor will overpower the dressing.

And if you’re in the mood for more soy-free vegan recipes that use cashews, you might also like: 

• Vegan Blueberry Lime Cheesecakes 
• No-Bake Vegan Key Lime Mini Cheesecakes
• Dairy-Free Cashew Alfredo Sauce

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