Creamy Whole30 Balsamic Dressing (Paleo, Vegan)

This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is super versatile and so delicious: tart, a bit sweet, and creamy. Perfect over salad greens at any meal (even breakfast!), you’ll want to keep a jar of this stuff in your fridge at all times. This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is actually my favorite Whole30 salad dressing recipe because it’s so incredibly versatile! 

If you’ve known me for any amount of time at all, you’ll know one thing to be true:

I love ranch dressing.

I want it on everything, a jar in the fridge at all times. I’ll bury my pride and ask restaurants to substitute the suggested dressing for a creamy buttermilk instead, ladle it over my Whole30 loaded sweet potato fries. But when it comes to a daily dressing for lunchtime salads, sides of spring mix, something to toss arugula, grilled peaches, and blackberries in when company comes over?

This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is absolutely where it’s at.

I love ranch; I do. But what I crave on my salads daily is lighter, a bit sweeter, bright and balanced. In general, though, I don’t rush to the nearest balsamic dressing. I usually find them a bit too tart, when I’d prefer something a little smoother, a bit creamy, and yep, a tiny sweetness balanced with the tartness. Enter: creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing.

This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is all of those things: a little bit sweet, super smooth, perfectly creamy, and light and bright. I put it on every salad I make at home, especially my Whole30 Panera Copycat Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken, the recipe for which I’ll be sharing in a matter of days (Initiate countdown, y’all, because this salad is delicious).

With only a few ingredients–balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Whole30 mayo, coconut aminos, and a touch of ground pepper–it comes together in minutes but works beautifully with almost any salad you’ve got going. The coconut aminos round out the tart balsamic vinegar, the mayo gives it that creaminess that smooths out the oil and vinegar, too, and good quality balsamic vinegar gives you the perfect base for a super versatile dressing.

Can I skip the coconut aminos?

Please don’t! When I did my first round, I didn’t realize the full scope of the brilliance of coco aminos, but their natural, mild sweetness and similarly gentle saltiness have made them one of my very favorite ingredients. In this recipe in particular, you’re getting the sweetness that balances the balsamic vinegar entirely from the coconut aminos. Please don’t skip them!

This is my favorite brand. Pick up a couple bottles today! Sprouts Farmers Market always has them at a great price, about $6.50 or so.

What oil should I use?

You can use avocado oil, fractionated coconut oil (permanently liquid coconut oil, that is), or regular olive oil for the creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing here. I prefer a traditional olive oil, because I love the robust flavor it lends to the dressing, but don’t use it when you’re making your mayo!

Check out my Whole30 immersion blender mayo, made using light-tasting olive oil or avocado oil, or my Whole30 coconut oil mayonnaise recipes if you’re out of homemade mayo.

Can I make this entirely in the immersion blender?

If you were to quadruple this recipe, you could make the whole dang thing–mayo and all!–in the immersion blender. That’s a helluva lot of creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing, but here’s how it would go:

1 cup light-tasting olive oil or avocado oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup coconut aminos
1 cup regular olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the cup of regular olive oil in a jar not much wider than the head of the immersion blender. Press the immersion blender down into jar and, starting with the blender at the bottom, begin to blend, waiting until you see the mixture at the bottom become opaque and emulsified before moving the blender up. Gradually move the blender up, letting each section become emulsified before moving on. When the entire mixture is a bit thicker, stir in the regular olive oil. Tada!

To make this creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing, I used…

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5 from 4 votes

Creamy Whole30 Balsamic Dressing (Paleo Vegan)

Prep:5 minutes minutes

Total:5 minutes minutes

This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is super versatile and so delicious: tart, a bit sweet, and creamy. Perfect over salad greens at any meal (even breakfast!), you'll want to keep a jar of this stuff in your fridge at all times. This creamy Whole30 balsamic dressing is actually my favorite Whole30 salad dressing recipe because it's so incredibly versatile! 

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8 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut aminos
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup Whole30 mayonnaise or a vegan mayonnaise for vegan version
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions 

• Whisk together all ingredients until completely smooth.

Notes

Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 2tablespoons, Calories: 122kcal, Protein: 1g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 216mg, Potassium: 9mg, Total Carbs: 3g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Net Carbs: 2g, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik